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All 116 Sabah Attractions »

Kinabatangan River

Sungai Kinabatangan, Malaysia
Ranked #14 of 76 attractions in Sabah
4.5 of 5 stars 53 Reviews
Type: Bodies of Water
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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53 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    33
    11
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Date Rating
San Francisco
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

Long boats will take you along the river, and into some side streams. Hornbills, proboscis monkeys, red leaf monkeys, orang utans, all can bee seen on the shore forest, but at a distance. With enough time you might also see a large herd of pygmy elephants eating and crossing streams. Amazing! More

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Wellingborough, United Kingdom
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2012 NEW

We had an amazing time 3 days/2 nights here, with an ambundance of wildlife this is the place to go to see wildlife in Sabah. Wished we had stayed longer. More

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Prague, Czech Republic
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2012

I booked 2D/1N trip to kinabatangan river with Sandakan Hotspot company. I booked everything a several weeks before my arrival and everything was perfect. We slept in very nice small cottage, we had a great breakfast and dinner. Trip included 3 boat trips (afternoon, evening and early morning). We had a possibility to see monkies, snakes, birds and even elephants... More

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New Zealand
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 April 2012

Five star service and boat. Very interesting ride and stops to see wildlife More

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia
1 review
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 April 2012

We had quite a large group travelling together-- 6 adults and 1 11-month-old... after reading all of the reviews about Osman, we decided that his homestay would be the easier alternative for a rainforest/orangutan/elephant experience than trying the Danum Valley Field Centre. However, after seeing some warnings about multiple bookings at Osman's Homestay and the negative experience if he is... More

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Kuala Lumpur
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

The 3 hour cruise of the Kinabatangan river (total RM300 - 4 people) was very much the highlight of our trip to Sandakan, despite the shocking 2.5 hr drive through Palm Oil Plantations from Sandakan to reach the river. The rain forest appears to be a small island surrounded by an ocean of Palm Oil trees. Saw a lot of... More

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malaysia
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

This is one of the best location to view wildlife. You can see orang utans, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, crocodiles and various birds just by cruising down the river - no muddy, sweaty, tiring treks in the rainforest! Most of the lodges are in Sukau but we recently stayed at one lodge at Abai (it's nearer to sandakan) and found... More

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Brisbane, Australia
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 April 2012

Pygmy elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, orang-utan and sooooo many birds! Disliked - obviously the evidence of oil palm. More

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Canterbury
Senior Contributor
24 reviews 24 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2012
3
people found this review helpful

We spent 3 days on the Kinabatangan river with overnight stays at one of the lodges (see one of my other reviews for details about this), and the river cruises are one of the best ways to see the natural wonders of Sabah. We travelled up river on the first day using a twin engine speed boat with a canopy... More

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London, United Kingdom
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We had a great overnight stay in one of the lodges. Boat trip up the river was brilliant. We saw herd of elephants, proboscis monkeys, monitor lizards, birds and lots of other animals. Local people were very nice and helpful. I loved every minute of this trip, even the scary night walk in the jungle. More

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