Review Author: Lynn Harrington

Review Date: 27 Jul 2024

Review Body: My two teenagers and I went on the 3D2N Kinabatangan River trip in Borneo with Nasalis Larvatus (booked through Seek Sophie) in July 2024. From start to finish, we had a wonderful experience! The staff at the lodge site could not have done anything more to make our stay with them as pleasant as possible. They were professional, friendly and polite. They were welcoming and fun. The whole trip was very well organised, From the transport to and from the river and our accommodation, to the activities that Scheduled. There was exactly the right balance between all the activities and some downtime to relax and talk over all the wonderful things that we had seen. We saw elephants, Probiscus monkeys, Macaques, Hornbills and all other sorts of birds, and even want two crocodiles. Our wildlife tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and you could easily tell he had a great love of his country and the wildlife in it. I could go on more, but in essence we had a fabulous time. The accommodations were basic as you would expect, but were extremely clean and the air-conditioning was superb. Oh, and the beer was cold!!! One last comment about the office staff for both Nasilis Larvatus and Seek Sophie … they were fantastic, they answered all my queries, were quick to respond and we are very helpful indeed. I would have no hesitation to book another tour with these companies again in the future.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: David

Review Date: 06 Aug 2025

Review Body: Acabamos de regresar del tour de 3 días y 2 noches en el río Kinabatangan y no podríamos estar más contentos con la experiencia. Desde el primer momento, la organización fue excelente: todo estuvo bien coordinado y el personal fue muy amable y profesional. Las comidas superaron nuestras expectativas: deliciosas, frescas y con buenas porciones. Cada comida fue una oportunidad para probar platos locales sabrosos y bien preparados. Además, el comedor era cómodo y con un ambiente muy agradable para compartir con otros viajeros. En cuanto al alojamiento, nos sorprendió gratamente. Las comodidades eran muy buenas: camas cómodas, baño limpio, buena ventilación y todo lo necesario para descansar bien después de las excursiones. Aunque estábamos en medio de la selva, no nos faltó nada para estar cómodos. Los paseos por el río fueron lo mejor del viaje. Tuvimos la suerte de ver orangutanes, monos narigudos, cocodrilos y una gran variedad de aves. Los guías eran apasionados y conocían muy bien la fauna local, lo que hizo que cada salida fuera emocionante e informativa. Recomiendo este tour a cualquiera que quiera vivir una experiencia auténtica en la naturaleza de Borneo.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Aofaine Mullins

Review Date: 25 Feb 2020

Review Body: Such an amazing trip! A once in a lifetime experience. The only hiccup was on our checkout morning. We had an early checkout, and were told we would have breakfast before we left. We quickly ate breakfast at the restaurant, so that we wouldn’t be late for our 07:20 checkout. As I was leaving, they presented me with some vegetarian food, which I couldn’t accept as we were running. Then we got to checkout, and the staff had kindly prepared a breakfast package for us. In short, we had 3 breakfasts available to us. An improvement in the communication that occurred between staff at checkout, restaurant staff and us would have spared some food goo to waste. A tiny complaint. I would not hesitate to recommend this company to any who wished to go to the Kinabatangan River. Henry, our guide, was brilliant. He and our boat-operator made such a huge effort to find an elephant for us to watch. We really appreciated it.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sergio

Review Date: 24 Aug 2025

Review Body: An unforgettable jungle experience! We joined Nasalis Larvatus for our adventure in Sabah and it turned out to be one of the most meaningful experiences of our trip. Our guide, Andy, was simply amazing, within minutes it felt like we had known him for years, even though we only spent two days together. With his passion and kindness, he taught us so much, not only about the jungle and its wildlife, but also about life itself. We will never forget the magic of trekking through the rainforest, the silence suddenly broken by the call of hidden animals, and the thrill of gliding along the river by boat under the stars. We discovered creatures both day and night, each encounter leaving us in awe. It wasn’t just a tour, it was a journey that touched our hearts. Truly unforgettable, and highly recommended to anyone who wants to experience the Borneo jungle in the most genuine way.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Scarlett, Lisa, and Natalee

Review Date: 24 Mar 2025

Review Body: Last week we did the 3d2n Kinabatangan Jungle River Cruise which has been the highlight of our time in Borneo! We had an incredible tour guide called Andreas (Andy) who kept us laughing throughout and who was very knowledgeable about all the surrounding wildlife and nature. We even managed to see three of the ‘Big 5’ - crocodile, proboscis monkeys and hornbills. Although we never got a chance to see the orangutans this trip perfectly encapsulates what seeing animals in the wild should be; watching them be free in their natural habitats. Another great activity was the night time hikes where we got to see scorpions, miniature frogs, bats, and huge spiders! Being in the jungle amongst the nature was such once in a lifetime experience and I would highly recommend anyone to do this tour. Thank you to all staff for making this trip so memorable!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Alexandria

Review Date: 25 Jul 2025

Review Body: A truly thrilling adventure with great service from start to finish! Everything was well planned and went smoothly, from airport pick up to drop off. Tanini Kinabatangan dorms were clean and comfy air conditioned rooms, and our guide Mai had sharp eyes to spot local wildlife (birds, baby crocs). We're lucky to catch all of the Borneo Big 5 thanks to him! We also met Ray, the trip planner for the company, who was there to ensure things were running smoothly during peak times. He was friendly and gave us tips on attractions in Sandakan. The only advice is to check with the tour staff if lunch is provided in your package, otherwise you'd end up paying RM25+ for a buffet when single portion meals could be cheaper.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Julia

Review Date: 29 Jul 2024

Review Body: I had the best time during my Kinabatangan Adventure! The camp is really beautiful in the lush green rainforest, right at the river. The restaurant's food was really tasty and the staff welcoming and friendly. However, what made my trip perfect was our group's guide Aslan who is a very experienced guide knowing the rainforest incredibly well and even being able to read the animals' body language. He was not only driving the boat but also spotted various animals in tree tops, in the water, in the sky. Only because of him we had the chance to see the Borneo Big 5 and many more animals! Thank you for three unforgettable days at Kinabatangan River! I can only recommend this organisation and the trip!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Lukas

Review Date: 18 Aug 2024

Review Body: We had a fantastic 3D2N river cruise. Our guide Omar was great, he told us a lot about the jungle, spotted a lot of animals and knew good spots. He was very engaged to show us as much as possible during the river rides and night/day walks in the jungle. He is a local and really loves the nature. We really appreciate this. We had dorm beds at the Kinabatangan Nature Lodge. Everything was clean. Also the staff was very friendly, the food was always good and everything was well organized. Allover it was a great experience!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Kerstin

Review Date: 29 Aug 2025

Review Body: This trip was perfect!! I can only recommend. Of course there are a lot of tourists, but in the end this doesn’t matter. Experience is overwhelming and the all the Guides are super friendly and know a lot about the animals and plants in the jungle. Thank you Putra for this memory, thank you Andy for great talks! Kind reflection from Austria :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: David Brocherie

Review Date: 09 Jun 2024

Review Body: We loved the trip, everyone worked hard to make sure we had the best time. Our guide Difficult was amazing, he went out of his way to make sure everyone was included and took extra time to seek out the wildlife and we saw plenty. All staff were so friendly and prepared, food was great and plentiful, Would certainly recommend 👍

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ed Lunnon

Review Date: 18 Aug 2024

Review Body: Great knowledgable tour guides (Mai) and right of amount of river cruises and walks for the length we were there. Transit to the river could have been better organised as it took 4 hours with the stops and lunch prior to driving there, when it could have been done in 2 hours direct.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: bella hermes

Review Date: 14 Feb 2025

Review Body: we had an amazing time on the 3 day 2 night tour, we saw the big five thanks to our tour guide! july was so friendly and her daughter is so cute! the food was also the best food we’ve had on any tour across south east asia. couldn’t recommend enough- it’s the trip of a life time.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Valerie Wehage

Review Date: 02 May 2025

Review Body: We had an amazing stay at the Lodge. Comfy with good food and very nice people. Our guide Andy had an amazing eye and we found four of the Big Five just the orang-utans were missing. Would totally do it again!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Luca

Review Date: 07 Aug 2024

Review Body: An Absolutely incredible experience. Would recommend to anyone and everyone. The staff was amazing and the animals we saw were incredible. If your lucky you will get Omar as a guide who was just awesome.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Laura

Review Date: 01 Feb 2024

Review Body: Lovely people with a lot of experience in animal search and jungle environment. We did a lot of cruises and walks in order to see many monkey species, birds and insects. I would completely recommend it!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: LUIS VILLAMOR-SPAIN-

Review Date: 28 Aug 2022

Review Body: I'm very happy,I saw pigmean elephant,a lot of monkeys,crocodile,orangutan.My guide in the river and in the walk night was fantastic.And the people in the restaurant friendly. Terima kasih

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Debbie

Review Date: 30 Jun 2024

Review Body: Excellent all round. Magical place and staff. Special thanks to our guide Aslan who found Pygmy elephants, monkeys galore, swooping eagles and hornbills. Loved it from beginning to end.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Joshua Patton

Review Date: 23 May 2025

Review Body: The tour was amazing. We saw 4 of the Borneo big 5 and they went out of their way to try and find us the last animal to complete the big 5. Azlan was a great tour guide. Would recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Renée

Review Date: 31 Aug 2025

Review Body: We had a lovely time at the Kinabantang river. The lodge is beautiful and the staff is very friendly. Special shoutout to our guides Andy and Hassan!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Nick

Review Date: 19 Aug 2024

Review Body: Wonderful trip. Everything was organized very well, great local guide with lots of knowledge and the river and jungle are beautiful.

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Arrive at Kinabatangan river, enjoy an evening river cruise + night walk.

Itinerary Description: 1045am: Meet and greet at Wisma Khoo Siak Chiew Building in Sandakan Town entrance by our representative. 1100am: Meet and greet at Sandakan Airport. OR 1145am: Meet and greet at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre or any lodges in area by our representative. 1200pm: Before taking a 2 hours journey to our lodge. We will stop-by at MGRS for you to buy lunch, and you may as well buy snacks and drinks here. 1230pm: Transfer to Tanini Kinabatangan (TK), approximately 2 hours journey. Arrived at Kampung Bilit jetty and take 3 minutes boat ride to TK. 1330pm: Meet and greet at Medan Selera Kota Kinabatangan by our representative then transfer to Tanini Kinabatangan (TK) approximately 1 hours journey. Then reach at Kampung Bilit jetty and take 3-minutes boat ride to TK. 1500pm: Upon arrival at the lodge, refreshment will be served, followed by a brief explanation from our lovely receptionist on lodge facilities and the activities. Proceed to check in to your room. 1600pm: Evening cruise to watch an abundant wildlife along the Kinabatangan River. 1800pm: Back to lodge, freshen up and enjoy your dinner at the restaurant. 2000pm: Right after dinner, go for a guided night walks to enjoy the wilderness and watch sleeping birds and nocturnal creatures of the jungle. 2045pm: Back to your room. Overnight.

Itinerary Day 2

Itinerary Summary: 2 Kinabatangan river cruises, night walk!

Itinerary Description: 0530am: Wake up to the calls of birds and get ready for an exciting day. 0600am: Morning River cruise and feel the morning breeze while searching wildlife as they just awake from a night sleep 0700am: Back to lodge. Breakfast is served at restaurant. 0900am: Explore the jungle to see different types of plants and trees while in search of the wildlife. OR trek to OX-Bow Lake (optional, at own expenses). 1100am: Back to lodge 1200pm: Relax and enjoy your lunch at the restaurant. 1400pm: Free and easy activities. 1600pm: Second evening cruise to different location to sight more wildlife along Kinabatangan River 1800pm: Back to lodge, freshen up and dinner will be served at the restaurant. 2000pm: Equip with torch and boots, get ready for night trekking to watch sleeping birds and nocturnal creatures of the jungle. Overnight.

Itinerary Day 3

Itinerary Summary: Morning River Cruise and Check out

Itinerary Description: 0600am: Get ready for another river cruise among the fog to see more wildlife 0700am: Back to lodge. Breakfast is served at restaurant. 0830am: Bid your farewell to TK staff before travelling back to your drop off point. (B) Estimate arrival time in Sepilok: 1130am / Sandakan: 1230pm