Jungle of Kinabatangan: A Journey through the Biodiversity of Borneo – Malaysia

When I visited Malaysia’s Borneo island, I really wanted to go into the jungle. To adventure in the jungle of Kota Kinabatangan. Among other things, I wanted to see the proboscis monkey, the impressive proboscis monkey. Online, I found Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp and they offered a 3-day and two-night River Cruise Trip on the Kinabantangan River that really matched what I wanted.

When I went to Sumatra I had to visit the Jungle too and I have the best memories still!

Jungle of Kinabatangan
A Journey through the Biodiversity of Borneo – Malaysia

Where is the Jungle of Kota Kinabatangan?

Kota Kinabatangan, also Kinabatangan, is a city and municipality in Malaysia. The town is located in the Sandakan Division, in the eastern part of Sabah state on the island of Borneo. There is a lot of industry (palm plantations / forest and timber industry) present in this part of Borneo but fortunately also a lot of jungle.

Where is the river Kinabatangan?

It is the second-longest river in Malaysia, with a length of 560 km from its source in the mountains of southwestern Sabah to its mouth in the Sulu Sea, east of the city of Sandakan.

The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary serves to protect and preserve the river area and the rich biodiversity surrounding it. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is a whopping 26,000 hectares and named in the 1997 Wildlife Conservation Enactment.

How many days to spend in the Jungle of Kota Kinabatangan?

If you want to go into the jungle you really shouldn’t do it for 1 day. If you don’t have much time then it’s no different but if you can you should definitely spend 2 or 3 nights in a jungle camp. Then you can do various activities and increase your chances of seeing wildlife.

Discover the Jungle of Kinabatangan River

The camp I visited is Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp. It is a basic camp with the luxury of a toilet and cold shower on the edge of the jungle of Kinabatangan. A hostel space but also private rooms. They offer all meals overlooking the river with a view of the amazing jungle beyond!

At the moment of my booking I was the only one so I got a private tour! Afiq, my guide, picked me up at my hotel in Sepilok and brought me to the camp by car and the last part ofcourse by boat. What a luxury! And it was the last luxury for the upcoming days because we were heading for the Jungle!

While cruising that first time over the river Kinabatangan to the camp I was eager to see some wildlife. 

1st sight within half an hour

The Famous Proboscis Monkey

It wasn’t long before we spotted the first proboscis monkeys high in the treetops. At first I saw some moving around but couldn’t quite see what it was. As we got closer they started jumping and I saw that they were monkeys. I loved seeing it, they are so high up in the trees and really perform stunts.

The proboscis monkey in Kinabatangan

The proboscis monkey is also called the nose monkey. The female also has a big nose but if you see one with a really impressive nose, it is a male. Males also have a thick belly. That way they look a bit more imposing and impress the females 🙂

You see one first, then another….and another! After all, they live together with their families! And so that’s what happened now, it was a whole family moving around up there high in the treetops of the jungle of Kota Kinabatangan. I loved it and was so surprised! Check out the video I made of it and maybe you’ll be as surprised as I was!

I loved seeing them. What a way to start this trip!

After a while, we continued to the camp. Afiq promised me that we would see many more in the coming days. When I arrived at the camp, I was welcomed with a delicious homemade Pisang Goreng (fried banana) and a cup of coffee!

I was given a short briefing on what to expect on this trip, what we were going to do and what I was going to see. How things worked at the camp and what they expected from me. That I would enjoy myself! 🙂

River Cruises along the jungle of Kinabatangan

Afiq, Malik and me cruising the Kinabatangan River

That first afternoon, we had a cruise planned and went in search of monkeys and beautiful birds along the river. Again, I saw a lot of proboscis monkeys, so Afiq was absolutely right about that. There are several families along the river so if you book this trip you will definitely see them! It was quite difficult to take good photos of them because they are quite far away and very agile.

We also saw many birds. I really loved the stork-beaked kingfisher! I saw it flying overhead but before you had a chance to take a picture it had already left into the jungle. They are not like the common kingfisher that they quickly stand out because of their blue colour.

Spotting Wildlife at Jungle of Kinabatangan

We also saw the Snake Bird, Hornbill, Fish Eagle, Brahmani Kite and much more!

We also saw the langur, leaf monkeys or slender monkeys. They are very shy and so very difficult to spot. I saw the grey langur and unfortunately the photo failed. You can also spot other colours of langurs here.

Spotting wildlife on river cruises
Jungle of Kinabatangan

We also spotted a stork high up in the trees. I really loved it, so many animals and birds as I saw already on this first day! When it got dark, we headed back to Tanjung Bulat Jungle camp. On the way, we saw another flying dog or big bat, super! I also saw another owl flying over the river. A little later, I was eating a delicious meal and looking across the Kinabatangan River, hoping to see some more.

That same evening, we also went on an evening cruise. We were going to watch birds that would sleep in the trees. Apparently, they stay put in the tree and are blinded if you put a light on them which makes them stay put. And if I was lucky we would spot another crocodile. So to answer your question whether there are crocodiles in the Kota Kinabatangan River? YES!

So .. NO SWIMMING in the Kinabatangan River

And yes, the crocodile was the first animal we saw. Not far outside the camp, it briefly showed its head and soon disappeared again. I was excited, knowing it was so close to the camp. Afiq told us that for this reason it was really forbidden to even put one foot in the water, let alone go swimming. No matter how hot it gets…I won’t take this kind of risk!

The Common Kingfisher from up close!

After this, we saw a small kingfisher sitting on a branch above the water. We turned the boat and tried to get closer. The bird did not move and just sat there, exactly what Afiq had told me earlier. We got closer and closer. I was in the front of the boat and I felt myself getting closer and suddenly I was under the bird. I saw a very small bird sitting above me…. the tail was so small, the bird was also so small!

He sat there with his eyes open…dead still…so strange…. so beautiful are those colours, the long beak…. it was so impressive!

Isn’t it a wonderful bird? I love those colours!

Close Encounter with the Crocodile – Kinabatangan

On the evening cruise, the boatman Malik saw something. I saw that he was looking and that made me look in the same direction, hoping to spot something of course. Just as I looked in that direction, I saw eyes of a crocodile sinking back into the black water at the edge of the jungle. When Malik saw that I had also seen it, he turned the boat. Maybe it would surface again.

It took a while and so we moved closer and closer to the shore, deeper among the jungle trees. And yes, there it was! The crocodile was there among the trees, watching us! We all stood on the tip of the boat to get a good look at it. Malik got hold of a branch and pulled us a little closer. I stood behind him and held on to keep my balance. Next to Malik was my guide Afiq, he had a good camera ready in hand to take a picture. And if it succeeded, it would be a cool photo!

And maybe too close an encounter?

We watched the crocodile move slowly. It turned so that it was right in front of us. It was an amazing sight! I looked straight into the cold eyes and saw the whole jaw and nose out of the water, right in front of us. It was really cool to see so close. There was no more than 4 metres between the crocodile and us…. It felt mysterious…so in the dark jungle…we were all dead silent…and it seemed like the jungle was moving with us….

And suddenly the crocodile started moving. It was moving straight towards us…and moving fast too! I jumped right back into the boat and sat down in the first row…. I don’t know why the front row…why not further back? It all happened so fast, I was half unaware of what was happening in front of the boat. I heard the jungle leaves crunching and I heard another sound. I couldn’t place it, it seemed to be a growl…. Afiq and Malik were also moving, holding each other to avoid falling off the boat and getting back into the boat. Malik also pushed us back to the river… we all started laughing. We looked at each other and laughed a little nervously as we went back up the river

Crocodile in the Kota Kinabatangan Jungle

My heart was beating in my throat… The crocodile had made a surprise attack towards the boat told Malik. He had disappeared underwater right after this and we didn’t see him again that night

Oh My God!

We had gone a little too close for a cool photo! And that would have been him! … especially if there had been movement in it … during the surprise attack … But no one had a good photo. Afiq had something of leaf and a lot of movement when he jumped back into the boat 🙂

It was something we talked about throughout the evening, though. And even the next day, our adventure came up a few times! I will never forget this moment!

The crocodile… during the day..

I spotted this one the next day at almost the same spot 🙂

Sleeping in the Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp

That  night I had a good sleep. I had a private room….as I was the only guest also at this time 🙂 But there are ofcourse other oppurtunities in the camp. My room had two beds and was clean and comfortable.

In the camp, they also offered a dormitory, which was outside.

Morning Boat Cruise – Jungle of Kinabatangan

Again, we saw those amazing Kingfishers. I thought those were so cool those little birds. Here they are also in a larger version as I have been before…but so hard to photograph. Today Afiq got lucky and caught sight of 1 in full flight over the river!

Stork Billed Kingfisher

I tried really hard to take a picture of it but my camera still lets me down sometimes. I might have to think about buying a bigger camera one day after all…for trips like this!

Storm Stork

Snake bird

And we spotted the leaf monkeys! This time the brown ones!

After the morning cruise, I had a delicious breakfast with that wonderful view over the river with the jungle of Kinabatangan in the background. By now, the proboscis monkeys were also awake and were playing high in the trees across the river! Of course, it was quiet when I grabbed my phone and took a video 🙂

Could this moment be even better?

Kinabatangan River Jungle Cruise

I had the morning at leisure and so walked around the camp looking for all kinds of animals. I sat on the terrace hoping our crocodile would show itself for a while 🙂 relaxing and enjoying this beautiful place in the jungle of the Kota Kinabatangan.

Just before lunch, we had a short jungle trek. We walked out of the camp and into the jungle. At the same time behind the camp, they have a place where trees have been planted by them. An eco-project they have been working on for years and sponsored in part by tourists!

Ecotourism @ Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp – Kinabatangan

The story of Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp

In the last 50-60 years, there has been a lot of logging for various purposes and Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp is working hard to stem the tide. The owner of the camp used to play at this place in the jungle and when he came back here when he was an adult he was saddened by the sight. The palm oil industry cut down a lot but also illegal hunting and fishing of all kinds of animals threatened animals with extinction. He started replanting trees and also started teaching the local people. He also wanted to share the beauty of this place with the right of the world and so he built this jungle camp.

After another delicious lunch, I decided it was time to take a shower. It was a bucket shower, you probably know them…. After all the trips I have made by now, I am no longer surprised by it but for anyone who is not familiar with it, I have taken a photo.

Behind the bucket there is a water tap to fill the bucket 🙂

Nice and refreshing shower in the hot jungle!

Just as I finished showering and stepped out of the cubicle, I saw Afiq standing in the jungle. He was totally hyper and I couldn’t make out anything he was saying. I understood from his movements that I had to join him so I quickly put on my slippers and disappeared into the jungle too. And then I saw what he meant… An orang-utan!

Real! This is the first time I saw a real wild orang-utan. This one was not introduced back… No, this mother with her little one was scared of us! She was dilating her mouth and making fear noises. She started moving away from us, high up in the tree. I could see she was scared and didn’t know what to expect from us. She needed to protect her little one and wanted to get away from us as soon as possible. To give her a rest again so she iet move too fast we went back to camp. She was really scared of us.

I was so happy! This felt so special!

Such bad picture… But this was the best sighting EVER!

After half an hour I went to take another peek, I couldn’t resist. And yes, she was still there. A bit higher and further into the jungle and when she saw me she started moving again. I took a quick picture and left her alone again.

I really loved this moment!

That afternoon, we did another cruise on the Kinabatangan River. Needless to say, we again saw many proboscis monkeys jumping from tree to tree and many different birds. The scenery is really great, the views from the boat are super and then those tropical birds flying through your frame! Lovely, isn’t it?

After dinner, we went for another evening trek into the jungle of Kota Kinabatangan. We would again search for birds and reptiles and, of course, anything else we came across. I will gladly take up this challenge again!

Jungle of Kinabatangan
A Journey through the Biodiversity of Borneo

Scarlet-rumped Trogon (male)

We saw some birds sitting, a small horned frog and a spider. 🙂

Black Backed Kingfisher

It was bigger then it seems on this picture 🙂

Buffy Fishy Owl – Hornfrog (baby)

The next day was already the last day and I enjoyed breakfast with super views and the sound of the many animals in the jungle of Kota Kinabatangan before we headed back to civilisation!

 Would you also like to join this adventure? If you want to contact him on Facebook you can do so at: Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp

How to get to Kota Kinabatangan?

You travel by bus from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and can get off before the turn-off from the 22 to 213 road. This is where the Checkpoint Restaurant is located. From there, take a taxi or arrange to be picked up to the small village of Bukit Garam.

The only way to get to Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp in the jungle of Kota Kinabatangan is by boat. If it is rainy season then you can go all the way by boat from there to Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp. If it’s dry then you have to cover another stretch on foot. It’s not a very long walk but those approx 500 metres through the jungle you then have to carry your luggage.

If you book a trip at Tanjung Bulat Jungle Camp, you will be picked up from your hotel and also taken back to your next destination or bus station in the area, Sepilok or Sandakan. There are several trips you can do with them.

Imagine yourself sitting in that frontseat and seeing the jungle passing by!

Pin to remember this trip!

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