INDIE TRAVELLERS | Travel Facts | Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

ABOUT KINABATANGAN

Over the centuries, the Kinabatangan river has been the lifeblood of local people. The rare treasures of its forest acted like a magnet for traders. Edible birds’ nest and bees’ wax and hornbill casque were once traded for the Emperor and wealthy mandarins of China.

Kinabatangan river, flows for 560km, is Sabah’s longest river. At the lower reaches, the lashing rainfalls of the northeast monsoon, the river frequently overflows its banks and spreads across the flat land creating a huge floodplain. The Kinabatangan floodplain is the largest remaining forested floodplain in Sabah and has one of the richest ecosystems on the planet

The area has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the island of Borneo. There are 50 species of mammals in the area which the endemic ones are the Proboscis Monkey, the Orang Utan, the Bornean Gibbon and the Borneo Pygmy Elephants. The long tail and pig tail macaques, Red Leaf and Grey Leaf Monkeys are among the other interesting mammals. The lower Kinabatangan wetland has about 200 species of birds. Stork-billed and Blue-eared Kingfishers, White-chested Babbler, Oriental Darters, Fish Eagles, Pied and Rhinoceros Hornbills are commonly spotted at the main river and ox-bow lakes. The wetlands is not running low on reptiles too. It is common to see the Estuarine Crocodile, Monitor Lizards and even snakes like the Yellow Ring and Paradise Tree Snakes during the river cruise. The forest offers an amazing plant life and variety of insects which makes macro photography enticing. Luminous fungus and several species of frogs can be spotted during a night walk into the forest trail. Nocturnal animals are the leopard cat, civet, flying squirrel, flying fox and wild boar.

About 45 minutes drive away from the main river is the Gomantong Caves. The Gomantong Caves are an intricate cave system inside Gomantong Hill. The hill is the largest limestone outcrop in the Lower Kinabatangan area. Situated in a forest reserve, the caves and the surrounding area are a protected area for wildlife. For centuries, the caves have been renowned for their valuable edible swiftlet nests. The harvesting of the nest is done twice a year from February to April and July to September. Locals with licenses will climb to the roof of the caves, using only rattan ladders, ropes, and bamboo poles to avoid damaging the cave system to collect the nests.Every evening, over 2 million resident bats spiral out for their evening feed. As the bats leave, the swiftlets are usually beginning to make their way back to the caves after a day's foraging. There are also bat hawks that linger not far from the scene and prey specifically on the bats as they leave their roost. Amazing species of forest birds, such as the Bornean Bristlehead, White-crowned Shama and Bornean Babblers are found in this area. Orang Utans are sometimes spotted along the pathway to the cave.

MORE TRAVEL FACTS COMING UP SOON ! Meanwhile, email us for more travel information.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is posted in good faith and we endeavour to keep the information up-to-date and correct, but we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information.