Kinabatangan River Travel Guide
Largest Concentration of Wildlife in the South East Asia
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The Kinabatangan River stretches 560km from the Crocker Range in the southwest of Sabah to the Sulu Sea in the east. The river itself sustains one of the world's richest ecosystems; its lower basin is the largest forest covered floodplain in Malaysia and has the largest concentration of wildlife in the South East Asian region. Other than being home to Borneo's indigenous orangutan and proboscis monkey, the surrounding forest is also home to 10 species of primate and all eight species of hornbill.
For centuries, traders once searched Borneo's forests for treasures such as edible bird's nests, rhinoceros horn, elephant ivory and hornbill casques. In 1997, 270 square kilometres of the lower Kinabatangan floodplain were declared a protected area, and in 2001, through the efforts of the World Wide Fund for Nature, this designation was upgraded to that of "bird sanctuary”.
Attractions in Kinabatangan River
April to October is the main flowering and fruiting season and is generally fairly dry; this makes it a good time to spot many birds and animals. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is only 26,103 hectares in size but holds a great variety of animals and flora, some endemic to Borneo and some endemic to the area itself. The diversity of its wildlife is incredible with 1000 plant species, 250 bird species, 90 fish and reptilian species and 50 mammal species in the area.
Activities in Kinabatangan River
A trip along the Menanggol river, a small tributary of the Kinabatangan river, is an opportunity to see a variety of birds, snakes, monkeys and if lucky – elephants and orangutans. The fig trees that grow along riverbanks are a favourite source of food and their succulent fruit tempts wildlife down to the river to feed. A boat ride down to the oxbow lakes for some bird and crocodile watching gives the traveller a perspective of the type of habitat found at the lower Kinabatangan. Make arrangements with a local Travel Expert to really get the best from your visit.
Relaxing
A trip up the river at dawn or dusk is the best opportunity to see the wildlife.
Getting Around
You can reach the river by overland trip from Sandakan to Sukau 135km away, 42km of the journey is on gravel road through palm oil plantations. Arrangements made with a local Travel Expert provides the easiest way of exploring.
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