Kinabatangan River (Upper)

The muddy Kinabatangan River creates one of Borneo's most accessible wildlife corridors. From small boats, visitors can spot animals that come to the riverbanks to drink, feed and travel.

Early morning and afternoon boat trips often offer sightings of proboscis monkeys and orangutans in the riverside trees, alongside macaques, and hornbills. Crocodiles sun themselves on muddy banks, while lucky visitors might even spot pygmy elephants.

When booking a Llama Travel holiday, you will stay in different parts of the river, allowing you to experience all this area has to offer. Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort is more remote, with fewer lodges nearby, which means less disturbance to the wildlife. The Sukau Rainforest Lodge, a little further upstream, is well known for its rich biodiversity and provides visitors with excellent chances to see a wide range of animals, including frequent orangutan sightings, as well as river otters and rare bird species.

Gomantong is a stunning limestone cave, and locals climb the cave walls to collect bird nests made from swiftlets’ saliva. The surrounding primary forest is home to orangutans and other wildlife. At dusk, climb a long, steep staircase to try to witness the exodus of hundreds of thousands of bats and bat hawks hunting. You can explore the caves with guides, who explain their significance and the unique ecosystem within.