Review Author: Chiara

Review Date: 16 Aug 2024

Review Body: La river cruise è stata molto bella, la guida continuava a mostrarci animali diversi e siamo venuti a contatto con specie uniche. Abbiamo passato 1 notte nella twin room, stanza nuova appena imbiancata con ampie finestre sulla foresta, il cibo era buono e anche la morning cruise ci ha permesso di osservare altre specie. Ottima esperienza.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Yana

Review Date: 19 Jul 2025

Review Body: We were only there for 2 days, but we really enjoyed our staying. We slept in a dorm. The room was very clean, same for the bathroom. The staff was very warm and welcoming. The pick-up and drop-off was very well arranged. It is a good place to meet new people. It was a good opportunity to enjoy an adventure on the Kinabatangan River!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Pietro

Review Date: 18 Aug 2024

Review Body: Nice experience, highligh recommended. Our guide was really kind and available for any explanation. The food was delicious. Prior to choose what to add as an optional is better to get the confirmation. We booked the visit at the village but it was not possible to do as we stayed only one night.

Review rating: 4

Review Author: DanielC15990

Review Date: 04 Oct 2016

Review Body: Day 1 Pick up by the guide from Nasalis Larvatus from the airport of Sandakan. First expression was that he is friendly and nice. We then head on to Sepilok Orang Utan and along the way, he explained about the itinerary and also what we will see in the Sepilok Centre. It was a little disappointing that we only get to see a few of them because they didn't came in for the feeding time. After that, we went to the Sepilok sun bear centre and we saw a few young bears sleeping on threes, that was nice because they actually have binoculars and let you see them with it and if you have camera with 300-400mm lens, you should be able to take some really good pictures. We had lunch in the Nature Lodge Sepilok and that was really satisfying. Then we were transferred to Nature Lodge Kinabatangan and the journey took us 2 hours to get there. After we check in, which I had a Deluxe Chalet and that was really good. It cost a little bit more but I personally think that It was really worth the money. Some of the guest complained about the mosquitoes in the dorm but actually that was really expected as the dorm didn't have any air conditioning in it. 2 of the guest actually upgraded their room on the second day so that they can have a better sleep. At about 4 o'clock we did a 2 hours river cruise and that was really good. We saw some proboscis monkey and that was really up close. We also saw long and short tail macaque.We even saw some wild orang utan and the guide say that was really rare to see. We even saw them making their nest. We didn't saw any elephants and crocodiles because apparently the crocodiles doesn't come out on flood season. So I recommend guest that wants to see crocodile to go on the dry season. After the river cruise, we had dinner and it was good. 8:30, we started our 1 hour night trekking in the jungle behind the lodge, we saw some really cool birds, even the Borneo dwarf Kingfisher, we also saw a snake that is actually having his meal and he was swallowing a mice. The guide had really good eyesight, he spotted a frog from like 10 meters away, it was pitch black in the forest. He did very good explanations about the animals we saw and I personally think that he is really knowledgeable about the animals. Thats the end of day 1. Day 2 Woke up early in the morning and did a river cruise at 6am in the morning, the morning breeze of the rainforest is just amazing and on the jetty of the lodge you can actually see the shrouding forest with thick fog and it was like waking up in paradise. We saw different kinds of Hornbill during the 1 hour cruise and also some monkeys as well. We were surprised that these was so many different kinds of birds to see on the river, from king fisher to the huge sea eagle. After the cruise, we had our breakfast and did the 3 hours long ox bow lake trekking. Along the trek, we saw different kinds of plants and learn a few skills to survive in the wilderness. The guide found a few elephant poop but he said it was probably from a few months ago. We did saw some very big monitor lizards and also the weird looking leech, the tiger leech. I personally recommend long sleeve and long pants for this trek because of the leech and also the mosquitoes. The trail was 30% very muddy but you can rent some boots from the lodge which is very highly recommended to have while doing all the treks. The second evening cruise was fun but disappointing at the same time. It rained really heavily and we were all soaked even our ponchos were ripped by the rain and wind so I think a waterproof jacket will be a lot better. We also had the night trekking on the second night but the trail is too wet and didn't really enjoyed it because of the mud trail. Day 3 Morning river cruise again and this time we saw some silvered langurs and even some albino ones. We saw a very big rhinoceros hornbill. After the river cruise, we had breakfast and check out time. After that, we went to the Gomantong Cave and we saw some really interesting bugs inside the cave but it smelled very very bad. We were transferred to the airport afterwards. Overall: Good trip and learned a lot about the rainforest in Sabah. Good guide and hotel staff was really friendly.

Review rating: 5

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: gilliganandmrshowell,Melbourne, Australia

Review Date: 11 Jul 2014

Review Body: We booked our trip via Nasalis Larvatus Tours. All our emails and enquiries, payments etc were easily dealt with on line. Thank you Connie!! Staying at the Nature Lodge on a 3D2N package was FANTASTIC!!! How lucky were we, that the elephants were 'in the area'!!! Our first trip out on the river found us in front of about 16 elephants along the river bank!! Awesome!!! A little further on, and two more swimming together!! The only 'down' side to the elephants being around, meant we were unable to do any day/night walks. In fact, there is an electric fence around the property to keep the elephants out!!! An extra boat trip made up for the loss of a day walk. Our guide - Max - was amazing!!! How DOES he see all those animals???!!!! Besides elephants, we got to see crocodiles, macaques, hornbills, monitor lizards, proboscis and other monkeys, numerous other birds, a python and other snakes. It was truly a lovely experience. We stayed in the deluxe Agamid chalets - clean and comfy and way better than expected!! The food was adequate and plentiful and meal times, boat trips etc were all well organised. The staff were all friendly and helpful. Thanks everyone!! To finish our 3D2N package we had a stop to the Gomatong caves on the way back to Sandakan. (A separate review for that!!)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: TheExplorerxoxo ,Horfield, United Kingdom

Review Date: 30 Oct 2016

Review Body: We booked our stay here as part of a packaged deal with Nasalis Larvatus tours and I could not recommend this tour company enough. I had an amazing time at the nature lodge we had a chalet with privet bath room as I'm traveling with my mum and it was spacious and clean with a modern bathroom! The dorm rooms looked perfectly nice as well along with the communal bathroom. The food was excellent and catered for all dietary requirements. The river cruises are incredible the views and the wild life was just as I had imagined it! The night time walks were an experience in themselves! Unfortunately we didn't get to go on the day time trek as a heard of Pygmy elephants were very close to camp! We didn't get to see them but on the night time walk we did see foot prints and could definitely hear the elephants growling! We got to see all sorts of animals on our stay but unfortunately we didn't see any orangutans which to be honest was very upsetting as seeing these amazing creatures in the wild was basically the reason for my trip to Malaysian Borneo. However our amazing guide John spotted a mother and baby as we were leaving Gomantong caves the next day I would highly recommended staying at the nature lodge! All of the staff are friendly and make you feel very welcome!

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: Elena

Review Date: 04 Sep 2026

Review Body: Esperienza INCREDIBILE sul fiume Kinabatangan. Il tour è organizzato molto bene, il pick up è avvenuto all' aeroporto di Sandakan alle 11:00, poi ci siamo spostati con il bus per arrivare al Tanini Lodge sul fiume e abbiamo partecipato alla cruise dalle 16:00 alle 18:00, poi siamo rientrati a Sandakan la sera stessa. Pranzo, merenda e cena inclusi, tutto molto buono e tutti molto gentili. L'esperienza sul fiume è stata qualcosa di davvero emozionante: a prescindere dagli animali incontrati, è stato proprio bello essere lì e navigare in un fiume immerso nella giungla. E comunque abbiamo visto coccodrilli, macachi, scimmie nasiche, vari uccelli MA SOPRATTUTTO un elefante che si è palesato davanti ai nostri occhi proprio alla fine del giro, prima che ritornassimo indietro, per questo siamo tornati un po' più tardi. Si è avvicinato alla riva e si è immerso davanti a noi, rimasti in religioso silenzio a guardare dai nostri barchini questo spettacolo della natura. Allego video perché questa emozione non riesco a spiegarla a parole, mi commuovo solo a ripensarci, porteremo con noi questo ricordo per tutta la vita. Grazie 💚🐘

Review rating: 5

Review Author: greg_in_CA, Antigua, Guatemala

Review Date: 31 Mar 2016

Review Body: This place has a system that works, for most people. Budget travelers that want to see as much as possible in 44 hours, eat decently, and be herded around on a gong schedule (yes they ring the gong even at 5:45 for the sunrise boat ride...anyway the nearby mosque wakes you at 5:00), and not pay too much, will be satisfied. We were. 4 boat rides and a walking tour (not that great) are included in the price, the night walk (quite interesting) costs $4 more. The guides are good and you will see as much wildlife as from any other area lodge. If you like a more relaxed atmosphere, or sit on a balcony with a river view, or be away from that mosque, look somewhere else (but knowing exactly where to go, and how much to pay, is up to you). We paid RM404 per person for a dorm bed direct through Nasalis Larvatus; call/text Dillent at 013-863-6263 if you can't find another number. (The private rooms were full but we were promised our own dorm room in low season, not a bad deal.) I'm not saying there aren't similar values out there, we didn't shop around too much, but compared to other Borneo tours we did we received good value.

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: Shefftraveller2014 ,Sheffield, United Kingdom

Review Date: 17 Jan 2016

Review Body: Booked through gogosabah in KK. excellent value, we seemed to get a better deal then others that booked through direct with Nature lodge/Nasalis larvatus. We booked the 3d 2n. Our guide was Rudi who was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, we saw pigmy elephants, wild orangutan, crocodiles loads of birds, proboscis monkeys and many other species. We did have to pay extra to see the elephants as it did involve a slightly longer boat trip. It did rain everyday so nothing dried out. The room was great we had ac and a fan with private bathroom. The room was clean but did look tired. The food was tasty and plentiful. This is an upmarket jungle/ bush camp, but don't expect luxury.

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

Itinerary Day 1

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

Itinerary Description: 10:45 AM: Meet and greet at Wisma Khoo Siak Chiew Building in Sandakan Town entrance by our representative. 11:15 AM: Meet and greet at Sandakan Airport by our representative. OR 11:45 AM: Meet and greet at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre or any lodges in the area by our representative. 12:00 PM: Before taking a 2-hour journey to our lodge, we will stop by at Mango Garden Restaurant Sepilok (MGRS) for you to buy lunch. You may also purchase snacks and drinks here. 12:30 PM: Transfer to Tanini Kinabatangan (TK), approximately a 2-hour journey. Arrive at Kampung Bilit jetty and take a 3-minute boat ride to TK. 1:30 PM: Meet and greet at Medan Selera Kota Kinabatangan by our representative, then transfer to Tanini Kinabatangan (TK), approximately a 1-hour journey. Reach Kampung Bilit jetty and take a 3-minute boat ride to TK. 3:00 PM: Upon arrival at the lodge, refreshment will be served. Followed by a brief explanation from our lovely receptionist on lodge facilities and the activities. After that, proceed to check into your room. 4:00 PM: Evening cruise to watch abundant wildlife along the Kinabatangan River. 6:00 PM: Back to lodge, freshen up and enjoy your dinner at the restaurant. 8:00 PM: Right after dinner, go for a guided night walk to enjoy the wilderness and watch sleeping birds and nocturnal creatures of the jungle. 8:45 PM: Back to your room. Overnight.

Itinerary Day 2

Itinerary Summary: Morning river cruise and breakfast before departing back to drop off point.

Itinerary Description: 0530am: Get ready for another river cruise among the fog to see more wildlife 0730am: 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