Proboscis monkeys
On the banks.
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Apocru — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Apocru — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Apocru — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Kinabatangan is a river in the Sandakan Division of eastern Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, and the second-longest river in Malaysia at 560 km, from its headwaters in the mountains of southwest Sabah to its mouth on the Sulu Sea east of Sandakan. The village of Sukau, its best-known stop, lies about 40 km south of Sandakan in a straight line. The area is known for its rich biodiversity, with limestone caves at Gomantong Hill, dipterocarp forest, riverine forest and freshwater swamp, oxbow lakes and mangroves near the coast. Chinese traders used the river from the 7th century, trading in edible swiftlet nests, beeswax and rattan. The wide brown river flows between walls of dense tropical forest, with branches hanging over the water. Long-nosed proboscis monkeys live on its banks, along with Borneo pygmy elephants, orangutans, colourful hornbills and kingfishers, and crocodiles. Visitors stay at riverside lodges near Sukau and take small boats out at dawn and dusk, when animals are most active, and walk the forest at night with a guide. Sightings are not guaranteed and the elephants move with the seasons, so stay at least two nights.
On the banks.
Pygmy elephants.
Hornbills and kingfishers.
Sukau, Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysia
At least two.
March to September.