Relax with Nature at Kinabatangan

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Reaching the banks of Kinabatangan River late in the evening when the sun had set and flickers of electricity lights were the only illumination could be quite daunting. This was more so with the knowledge that the river was home to hordes of crocodiles, who bear no reverence to mammon, man or beasts.

A fellow journalist and I travelled the long drive from Kota Kinabalu, the State Capital to Kinabatangan River, in Kinabatangan district, Sandakan Division.  Our travel was dotted by pit stops, some quite unintended as we ventured into roads other than towards Kampung Bilit, our actual destination.

A cosy bed

When we did reach the river banks where the boat from Nature Lodge Kinabatangan, our host, waited, we had travelled some 350 kilometres in ten hours of driving. It was indeed a long journey and all we wanted to do was check in, eat and sleep.

Checking in was absolutely heavenly, for the cabin was cosy, the bed pristine and inviting and of course, there was hot water in our shower. Nothing could be more important to the weary traveller.

A crocodile languishing in the mud

The Nature lodge have 13 units of these wooden chalets and fitted with air-conditioning, ceiling fan and bathroom. They could accommodate two people and an extra mattress upon request. I thought the room sized chalet well-appointed and quite comfortable.

Dormitory units equipped with double bunk beds cater for large group especially students, Front Office Supervisor, Sahnita Bani informed us later adding that guests could also choose to set up their tent at a camping site nearby.

Dinner at Café Haji Awang was filling, where lots of local food were served with a choice of coffee and tea as well orange juice and water.

Tourists on a boat

Sleep was a spiral into a comfortable dreamless state that was only interrupted with the muezzin call the faithful to prayers.

Malaysian style breakfast was our fare. We had fried noodles, eggs and baked beans among others. There was also pancakes and bread. A filling breakfast to start the new day.

After breakfast we were scheduled for a morning river cruise to get a glimpse of wildlife along the river. I was excited to get on this cruise, as my last sojourn in this area was about six over years ago. The one and a half hour of cruising was very fruitful, thanks to our boatman Mohamad Juri. He did have a very keen eye and could spot macaques walking around the bank, birds flitting by and yes, crocodiles. We saw a huge one which he said was about four metres long. I thought it looked quite wide too. We also saw two smaller ones, about two metres long each and a baby croc, floating by. We clicked away of course.

After the cruise, there was a nature walk lasting 45 minutes. For those who love nature, a slow meander should be taken on the trail. Just don’t forget to spray on mosquito repellent. Later we took a walk on the trail without anybody else. It was a surreal walk. Quiet except for the periodic bird call, I enjoyed the walk under the coolness of the shade, with the sunlight filtered through the tree tops. Lunch was served at 12noon where we gratefully walked towards the restaurant to have our fill of delicious filling food. There was chicken curry and mixed vegetables for lunch.

Sahtina Bani

After lunch, we had a quick rest and then joined in the afternoon river cruise with our boatman Mohamad and a tour guide Zulayqah Roderick, who was born in Kg Bilit. A true local who knew everything about that area.

This afternoon was very interesting indeed as we went into another side of the river, and saw a lot of wildlife including birds such as kingfishers and darters. We also saw proboscis monkeys. They were all over the trees, and seemed to put up a show. They jumped from one tree branch to the other and crashing and hurtling from one branch to the other like boisterous boys. Some of them would pause on a branch as if to pose for our furiously clicking camera and phone camera. Some walked on the ground for a few seconds before running up the tree again.

Zulaygah Roderick

We moved on to another area and watched a congregation of pig-tailed macaque just chilling around on branches and watching us. Some little ones were running around on the ground, playing roll-over and jump. The older one, the parents perhaps, sat on some logs watching their young. Other adults just kept a look out, watching us. We were watching them as much as they were watching us. I wondered how we looked like in their eyes.

We went back to the restaurant, had our tea and relaxed. Other guests went for the walks or siesta.

Pig Tailed Monkeys 

We had a brief chat with the staff there where we found out that they offered a lot of interesting activities for guests.

For instance, they hold a cooking class for the guests. The fare was usually traditional Ubian food. I thought that was interesting as I had never learned to cook their traditional food. The tourists would go home with such knowledge. Besides that they would also be able to try their hand in batik painting.  

The Proboscis Monkeys

“Other than that, we also have tree planting and river cleaning activities by visitors especially groups of students. We had been visited by British student groups. They usually stay between two and five nights,” she said. 

People from all over the world had visited the area and stayed at Nature Lodge, she said, and they come from countries such as South Korea, Australia, America, Argentina, Estonia, China, Spain and Hungary among others.

She shared that an additional five chalets will be constructed soon, thereby augmenting the present number of rooms.

We checked out a day afterwards, bidding fond farewell to the friendly staff. I looked at the chalets among the trees for a while and once again marvelled at the beauty of nature; and how with a little effort, human formations can be incorporated into the environment without compromising it.

For those who wish to visit this area, you are advised to call 0133516263 for more information.-AV/MSN