The Best Wildlife Safari in Borneo – A 3 Day Trip with Borneo Eco Tours

When you stay in the same place that Sir David Attenborough stayed, you know you’re on the best wildlife safari in Borneo. And when your accommodation is on National Geographic’s list of Unique Lodges of the World, you know it’s something special.

Scott and I did this and had the best wildlife safari in Borneo. Staying in the state of Sabah, we did the Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari tour for 3 days and 2 nights. We stayed in the world famous Sukau Rainforest Lodge in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. From start to finish, everything about this Borneo trip, lodge, region and nature was indescribable. I’m going to try and describe our stay though!

This is my detailed review of Borneo Eco Tours including everything from the itinerary, wildlife, activities, prices, extra details to my personal thoughts about the trip. This is the most responsible tour company in Malaysian Borneo and I would highly recommend going with this Borneo travel agency if you want to ethically enjoy the wildlife of a Borneo safari for 3 days.

If you are thinking of booking one of the best Borneo tours and have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Disclosure: Everything I have written below about my Borneo Wildlife Safari, I paid for myself. This blog post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, I may earn commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see my Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Prices for Safari Borneo

This is a list of what I paid for my Borneo Wildlife Tour:

At time of writing: 5 MYR = £1.

• The Overland Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari (BB7C), 3 days and 2 nights staying at Sukau Rainforest Lodge – I paid 1850 MYR (£365) per person, based on 2 people sharing a superior room. Grand total for 2 people = 3700 MYR (£730).
• Extras at the lodge including tourism tax, drinks, souvenirs and night cruise for 2 people – 414 MYR (£82).
• Return flights from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan – £138.50 per person, £277 for 2 people.
• Hotel for 1 night at My Dream Hotel in Sandakan – 66 MYR including tourism tax.
• Extras outside the lodge including drinks, poncho, snacks – 80 MYR.

Grand total spent for 2 people = 5660 MYR / £1116.

Note: Tourism tax in Malaysia is 10 MYR per room per night.

Our Video of Bornean Wildlife Safari

Itinerary of Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari

All of the below is included in the price:

Day 1

• Get picked up from Sandakan airport or hotel in Sandakan
• Visit Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
• Visit Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
• Lunch
• 2/3 hour overland bus journey to the award-winning Sukau Rainforest Lodge
• Check-in to the lodge
• Afternoon tea/coffee
• 1 hour afternoon river cruise – First Borneo Safari
• Dinner
• History of the lodge presentation or other optional activities

Day 2

• Light breakfast
• 2 hour sunrise river cruise
• Full breakfast
• Walk Hornbill Boardwalk with guide
• Lunch
• Orang-utan talk or other optional activities
• Afternoon tea/coffee
• 2 hour afternoon river cruise
• Dinner
• Night river cruise or other optional activities

Day 3

• Breakfast and check-out
• 2/3 hour overland bus journey back to Sandakan
• Lunch
• Visit Rainforest Discovery centre
• Visit WWII Memorial park
• Transfer to Sandakan airport or hotel

How to Get to Sandakan, Sabah

To travel to Borneo, we took the 3 hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan with Air Asia the day before our trip began. We wanted to be sure that we would be in Sandakan so we arrived the night before.

When we arrived, we got a Grab ride to our hotel for 7 MYR. I highly recommend downloading the Grab app if you are travelling Malaysia because it is so convenient, safe and you know you aren’t being ripped off. If you download the app, use my referral code, GRABHDTRAVELS and we will both get discount on our rides.

We stayed in a budget hotel called My Dream Hotel and Borneo Eco Tours were picking us up from here the morning of the trip. We stayed at My Dream Hotel in Sandakan booked via booking.com. It was the perfect accommodation for one night with lots of restaurants around and close to the airport. I’d recommend staying here if you are in Sandakan.

To reserve your accommodation, use this search box to take you straight to My Dream Hotel:

Booking.com

When we checked in to the hotel, Borneo Eco Tours had called the hotel to inform them of the time they would pick us up. This was the first example of Borneo Eco Tours Sandakan going above and beyond for their guests. As promised, a guide and driver from Borneo Eco Tours picked us up from our hotel and took us on to our first activity of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari tour.

Our Borneo Eco Tours Guide

We were in a group of 12 who were guided by a knowledgeable and friendly guide named Nexter. Nexter took us around each centre, travelled with us to Sukau Rainforest Lodge, drove the boats on our cruises and most importantly, answered every question about wildlife we had. Nexter was so helpful and his knowledge about the lodge, Sabah, Borneo and wildlife was beyond impressive.

The best part, though, was his passion and enthusiasm for conservation, sustainability and wildlife in general. It was heart-warming to see. I heard from other groups that all of the guides had this passion and knowledge too which reflects the wonderful job that Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Lodge are doing.

My favourite line from Nexter was when he explained how the mother teaches her young about which fruits can and cannot be eaten. I asked, ‘how does the Orang-utan know which fruits are safe to eat?’ His reply was ‘it’s the magic of nature’. 

What to Take

• Take your own toiletries
• Buy a reusable poncho/mac with a hood. Something like this one from Amazon.
• Strong insect repellant! I wore long sleeved tops and trousers for cruises but more skin was showing at night and I got a grand total of 4 bites on my stay.
• Take a refillable, metal bottle for the bus journeys and throughout your stay. This is the one I use.
• Take binoculars.
• Use a good camera. The wildlife is far away that you need binoculars so you’ll need a good camera to capture these precious moments. I used OSMO Pocket and it did the perfect job. It was small enough too that when it rained a little, I just had it below my poncho to cover it. Buy the Osmo Pocket here and you won’t regret it. I also took 2 memory cards with me because I shot so much footage and didn’t want to run out of space. You can buy the Osmo Pocket & Expansion Kit (comes with a memory card) through this link.

Day 1 of the Best Wildlife Safari in Borneo

Everywhere and everything that I mention below is guided and transported by Borneo Eco Tours employees. They took good care of us from start to finish.

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre – Borneo Safari Stop 1

Covering a rainforest area of 43 sq km (10,610 acres), Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre is a conservation, established in 1964 and open to the public. The centre is owned by Sabah Wildlife Department and co-funded by them, tourists to the centre and by the charity, Orangutan Appeal UK. This is one of the best things to do Borneo because it’s a chance to see Orangutans in the wild.

When we arrived, we learned about the centre through Ruth, a worker from Orangutan Appeal UK and then watched an educational movie about the plight of Orang-utans and the conservation work in Sabah.

There are around 60-80 Orang-utans living freely in the reserve. It is not a zoo. The video and staff make it clear that there is not allowed to be any human contact, you must keep a distance, you must keep to the boardwalk and you are not allowed to take any bags in with you at all.

There is an Orangutan Nursery where the trained rangers look after orphaned Orang-utans to rehabilitate them in the hope that they one day be released into the wild. They are orphaned due to illegal logging, deforestation and being kept as pets.

If you want to ethically see an Orangutan, here is the place to go.

Note: Borneo Eco Tours allow you to leave your belongings on the bus and the driver stays with the bus. There are lockers and keys (free of charge) at the centre though if you want to lock your belongings. Also, there is a camera charge of 10 MYR.

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Straight afterwards, we went over to the Sun Bear Conservation centre. Sun Bears are the smallest bears in the world and only found in South East Asia. There are currently 43 rescued Sun Bears at the centre, all of which are going through rehabilitation to release them back to the wild.

One Sun Bear was released to wild in April 2019 and the last time he was located was a month later. During which, the Sun Bear had travelled 35km. This is evidence that the rehabilitation works and he has survived in the wild.

Lunch and Journey to Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Afterwards, we headed for lunch in the form of a buffet with a selection of fish/chicken/tofu with rice, stir fry, potato curry and salad. There was free water and coffee on offer.

An hour later we headed to our bus for our overland journey to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. There is free wifi on board the bus and refillable drinking water tanks.

The bus ride was comfortable and easy which took about 2.5 hours. We arrived at the Kinabatangan River where we boarded a small boat ride. After 5 minutes, in the horizon we could see the impressive lodge perched over the river bank waiting to greet us. Our luggage followed behind us.

On arrival, we were given the warmest welcome from the smiling staff and directed to ‘Gomantong Hall’ for check-in and housekeeping. We were given freshen-up towels and welcome drinks with bamboo straws. The straws were the first glimpse of the sustainability methods practiced at the lodge. We were given our room keys and our luggage was waiting on our doorsteps for us.

Note: All other drinks are not included in the price across the entire tour. For example, a tiger beer at lunch was 8 MYR and in the lodge was 18 MYR.

Read Next: How to Travel by Bus in Malaysia

About Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Founded in 1994, Sukau Rainforest Lodge was an idea by the founder of Borneo Eco Tours, Albert Teo. Teo recognised the interest from tourists about the Kinabatangan River and decided an eco company needed an eco lodge. To build such a lodge, the company needed to buy land. The book written by Albert Teo and Carol Patterson, Saving Paradise is dedicated to Kari Bin Ongong, ‘the one man who had the courage to step out of his comfort zone to provide a livelihood for his people.’

To learn more about the lodge, you can buy Saving Paradise from Amazon here.

The link between the lodge and local people is so strong that 80% of staff are from the local area. One of the guides informed me that the lodge would not be what it is today without the knowledge and support of the local people. The lodge’s dedication to teaching locals and tourists aligns with my concept of learning about our world. I felt a connection to this place and learned so much more than I expected.

A strong policy of the accommodation is sustainability. You can see it in every corner of the place. From zero plastic and solar panels to electric motors on the boats to minimise noise pollution. They give out scholarships to locals and therefore improve employment as well as tree planting schemes. To read more about the lodge’s sustainability, read their policies here.

The lodge boasts 2 swimming pools, relaxing lobbies with free wifi, free water stations, a souvenir shop, a few bars, a restaurant on the river and stunning boardwalks. You can use all of the amenities and enjoy the serenity of surrounding nature. They also have ‘resident’ orangutans, a mother and a baby who are occasionally spotted around the lodge. The lodge do not feed or interact with the orang-utans but the apes return because the lodge is in the mother’s territory. The apes do have names though, the mother is called Lucky and the baby is called Day because if you get a chance to see them, it’s your lucky day!

What Exactly does it mean to be a Part of National Geographic’s Unique
Lodges of the World?

Nat Geo have a list of Unique Lodges of the World. There are only 55 lodges on this list. Sukau Rainforest Lodge is one of them. It’s also the only one in Malaysia and there are only 5 in the whole of Asia. And I stayed here! When you arrive and you see the lodge on the banks of the mighty river, you can instantly see how it has made the list. Here, you are brought into the present amongst beautiful nature.

A guide informed me that to become part of Nat Geo’s list, there are over 50 things the lodge needed to have. Protecting natural and cultural heritage and sustainability are two of them which the lodge has smashed out of the park. Sukau Rainforest Lodge made Nat Geo’s lists of the best places to get face-to-face with wildlife and best lodges to visit in the fall.

Sir David Attenborough

Borneo has featured in several of Sir David Attenborough TV shows. Sir David Attenborough and BBC crew stayed at Sukau Rainforest Lodge in 2011 while they were filming. More about the boat they used in ‘Dinner by Candle Light and Bar’ section below.

A few years ago, Sir David helped stop a bridge being built over the Kinabatangan River. Read all about what happened here.

One of the villas has proudly been named after him.

Other famous guests include the Prince of Denmark and Dame Judy Dench. Some of the staff were excited to tell me about the times where they met the guests. They said that Sir David Attenborough’s voice is exactly the same in real life.

Afternoon River Cruise of Borneo Wildlife Tours

Just after enjoying our afternoon tea and doughnuts, we headed out on the mighty 560km-long Kinabatangan River for our first of 3 included Borneo Jungle Safari. After only a few minutes in the boat, we already found Proboscis monkeys high in the trees. You really need to get the binoculars out for these animals and see the size of their noses. The ones with large noses are male and the ones with pointed noses are female. We seen an array of other wildlife too from birds flying overhead to crocs basking on the banks.

Later on, we found another group of Proboscis monkeys and it was clear who the alpha male was. His thighs were enormous and he sat high in the tree as the others went one by one to jump to another tree. Each monkey took their time, sussing out the jump and waiting a while after the last had gone. All of a sudden, this loud rushing of trees happened so quickly that if you blinked, you missed it. It was the alpha male who, with no hesitation, made the giant leap proving his experience and dominance over the group. It was fascinating to watch.

Dinner by Candle Light and Bar

When it’s dinner time, you are alerted by three rings of the gong that vibrate throughout the grounds and create a buzz amongst guests. Buffet dinner offers local meals using local produce and is served on the actual boat that Sir David Attenborough used in his BBC documentary.

In your room, you are given traditional Bornean sarongs to wear for dinner time. You’re given a demonstration on how to apply them upon check-in.

It was a truly unique experience to wear traditional clothing, eat local food with candle-light, looking over the mighty river while dazzling red and orange lightening filled the dark sky in the distance.

Optional Activity – What is Sukau Rainforest Lodge?

After dinner, in the ‘Ape Gallery’ room, there is a projector and screen along with one of the guides waiting for guests. The presenter was Nexter and he gave us so much information about the history and projects of Sukau Rainforest Lodge. It was a great insight into where we were staying and I’d highly recommend taking half an hour to listen to this discussion. He informed us that part of the money spent by tourists go into conservation and he personally thanked us for coming to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Very humbling.

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle…

…things come out at night! We had some drinks in the Gecko Bar and lots of geckos were there to join us. As were mosquitos, beetles and bats. The bats, we should be thankful for, because they kill up to 1000 mosquitos per night!!

At night, the sounds coming from the wildlife in the rainforest remind you that you’re in their home. From the owls to the Orangutan’s call, they were out there. At night too, you can hear what we assume were macaques running across the roof of our rooms. It was so cool! 

Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari – Day 2

The Rainforest Awakens

… as do we! After making all that noise the night before, everything else living in the jungle wakes up before the crack of dawn and we didn’t want to miss a second of it.

We had a wake-up call around 5.25am and a quick bite to eat while it was still dark. Then we waited at the jetty to start our 2 hour Kinabatangan River cruise. The sun was rising and the rainforest was awakening. It was gorgeous for our river safari in Borneo.

We went up the Kinabatangan River and toward Kelenanap Ox-Bow lake to spot wildlife. We managed to spot 3 baby crocs basking in the morning sun, a huge lizard, a smaller lizard and a tiny lizard poking his head out of a hole. Next up were more Proboscis monkeys waking up with energy to swing amongst the trees as well as macaques close by. I looked back behind the boat and the birds were so pretty flying on the horizon.

We then returned to a full breakfast waiting for us.

Hornbill Boardwalk Guided Tour

At 11am, we joined an educational walking tour along the lodge’s Hornbill Boardwalk spotting more macaques and birds, and learning about the trees surrounding us.

Optional Activity – Learn About Orang-utans

After some free time, there is a free talk to learn about orang-utans. I cannot emphasise enough how important and useful it is to attend this talk.

This information CANNOT be found on the internet because its all in-house research conducted. This is unmissable. Out of 70 guests at the lodge, only 6 of us went to this talk. I believe they missed out on this informative presentation about the orang-utans. 

Kinabatangan River Cruise in the Afternoon

The afternoon wildlife once again did not disappoint. We saw long tail macaques running in groups of 40/50, all hanging in the trees with some curious and coming closer to us. While cruising, we saw impressive Hornbills flying over us and further down the river we seen 3 families of Proboscis monkeys. Then, along came some long tail macaques who disturbed one of the Proboscis monkey families. It seemed to then be a case of showing off with the different animals on either side of the river jumping to and from trees, trying to out-do the ones on the other side. It was entertaining. Then we had a few moments of utter silence and the peacefulness I felt, was something remarkable. I felt in the moment and it was thanks to nature.

Back at the lodge, on the cue of the gong, we had a scrumptious dinner of local food, sitting with our group and reflecting on the day before getting ready for the night cruise.

Optional Activity – River Cruise by Night

We paid extra (80 MYR each) to go on a night-time river cruise. The night was a completely different experience to the day. It felt both eerie and calm at the same time. Out on the river was pitch black with just the moon reflecting on the small ripples. Your guide drives the boat and shines a torch, looking for any wildlife. Their eyes are so good because they spot the smallest of creatures that we easily missed. We seen all sorts of nocturnal creatures. We didn’t manage to see an owl but another group did… that’s nature.

I’d recommend taking the night tour for another unique experience. While we were there we said to ourselves, when will we get another chance to cruise the Kinabatangan River at night?

Learning from Sukau Rainforest Lodge Staff

Everything runs so smoothly and the staff don’t let you lift a finger. Even the small details that make you smile a little bit more and a homely feel. The employees are the ones that make the lodge that extra bit special. Nothing is too much for them and they are always around to help you with anything.

We were also welcomed by the rainforest when we had a huge downpour of rain. But as quick as it came, it went. The staff quickly came around to give out umbrellas. It’s the little touches. 

One of my favourite moments was when we finally realised what the loud bangs were. Since we arrived, we kept hearing this loud thud which we assumed was probably work going on somewhere. Only when we sat at the bar chatting with the staff did they tell us what the bangs were. It was mango called ‘Belunu’ falling from the trees and hitting the ground or the roof of huts. I couldn’t believe that a fruit could make that noise but when one of the staff collected the fruit for us to see, it was quite large to be fair.

It is a sought after and rare fruit that only comes once every four years. We clearly picked the best time to visit Borneo. We were also allowed to try a small bit (so delicious) but not too much because we were drinking alcohol and the two aren’t great when mixed.

Thank you staff members for giving us this extra experience.

Day 3 of the Ethical Wildlife Trip in Borneo

Checking out of the Jungle

One last glorious breakfast in the unique lodge and it was time to say goodbye to our temporary home. The tour went so fast and I’d love to have had another few days there! We paid up our bill and started the journey back to Sandakan which took about 2 hours. Lots of staff were on the jetty to wave us off and I felt a sense of gratefulness for experiencing this and meeting these wonderful people.

Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sandakan

Back in Sandakan, we had lunch at Sabah Hotel which was very tasty before driving 40 minutes to the Rainforest Discovery Centre. We purposefully booked a later flight so we could enjoy the activities in Sandakan.

The Rainforest Discovery Centre has a sky tower to savour the forest from a high view point. It has an indoor centre too where you can learn a lot about flora, fauna and wildlife in Sabah. This is one of the best things to do in Sandakan.

Sandakan Memorial Park

Next on the itinerary, was visiting the Sandakan memorial park for remembrance of World War II, Prisoners of War. This was a harrowing experience and something you must do when visiting Sandakan, out of remembrance for all those who lost their lives. There was a total of 2,500 prisoners, of which only 6 survived. This story might never have been known if it was not for those 6 survivors.

The park has a serenity about it and is a good place to remember what happened to the victims during the war.

Ending the Best Tour to do in Borneo

All good things must come to an end. We were transferred to the airport to board our flight out of Borneo. I have to admit it was a little sad to leave such a beautiful island. We will, definitely, be back. We went in the month of August and I believe this to be the best time to visit Sandakan as the weather was great for us as it didn’t rain too much and wasn’t too hot.

Wildlife Round-Up

We are lucky enough to have seen a vast amount of wildlife during our safari. When you’re facing nature, there are no guarantees and this is evidence of ethical tourism. The company/centre/lodge do not feed the wildlife (unless part of the rehabilitation process) or entice/use them for tourism in any way.

In three days we managed to see: dozens of plants and flowers, birds such as Heron, Kingfisher, Hornbill, Bats, Oriental Darter, lizards, mice, geckos and beetles. We were lucky to see Orang-utans, Sun Bears, Proboscis Monkeys, Long-tail and short-tail Macaques and turtles. And for one of the dangerous animals in Borneo, the Crocodile? We seen 5 juvenile crocs!

We didn’t see Pygmy Elephants but that’s nature. I’m grateful for what we did manage to see, especially those only found in Borneo and the ones that are endangered. Sukau Rainforest Lodge is where to stay in Borneo for wildlife.

How to Book a Tour with Borneo Eco Tours

Booking a tour with Borneo Eco Tours is the best way to visit Borneo and it is an extremely easy process. When you decide you want to embark on this incredible journey, here’s how to book a tour with Borneo Eco Tours.

1. Go to their website – https://www.borneoecotours.com.
2. Fill out the ‘Enquire Now’ booking form or call them. I booked all of mine online.
3. Someone will get back to you via email so you can correspond the details of your trip.
4. Your Borneo Eco Tours consultant will send you a full itinerary and a payment invoice and link for payment. My consultant was Brandon who was so helpful and without Brandon we wouldn’t have had this irreplaceable experience. Thank you Brandon.
5. Once you have confirmed and paid, the consultant will send you a link to input guest details which is important.
6. Done. It’s as easy as that.

Thank you for reading my blog on one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life and the most ideal Borneo Wildlife Tours around.

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