Once in a lifetime experience.
The most incredible trip! Vincent was an incredible guide, and the whole experience was just just wonderful. We saw all the big 5, including over 60 wild elephants crossing the river. I would recommend them thoroughly and if found back to Borneo in the future, would definitely use them.
Kinabatangan Safari
we went for a 3 day 2 night Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari trip with Borneo Eco Tours, taking in Sepilok and a river safari over two nights. We had two weeks in Malaysia in total and this amount of time felt about right. Our guide, Jad, was with us for the whole trip. Jad was fantastic, very kind and knowledgable, and he did his absolute best to make sure we saw as much wildlife as possible. Without a guide you would miss a lot of the wildlife. The Sukau Rainforest Lodge is a lovely place to stay in.
Kinabatangan River 2N3D Sukau River Lodge and Orangutan Sanctuary
2n3d jungle tour staying at Sukon River Lodge including the Orangutan Sanctuary.A great experience. The river safaris were great, spotting the Borneo big 5. Our guide Yaiyai? was passionate about the wildlife and his knowledge incredible. Made the safaris so much more enjoyable. The Lodge accommodation (we had a villa) was lovely and we enjoyed watching the monkeys from our deck. Also had an Orangutan and her baby in a tree outside our room one night. The food was great and staff couldn’t do more to make our time special.
We had a perfect 4-day experience with Eddy and Joe, a dream team for showing us the beauty of Sabah geography, vegetation and wildlife. The tour was very well organized, the logistics were perfect, the food was abundant and delicious. We did many activities during the day and also night Safaris in remote Deramakot Forest Reserve. The guides shared their deep knowledge of the communities, diverse plant life, and animals. Atuukoi!!! We saw the famous rhinoceros hornbills, woodpeckers, various bulbuls and other birds. After several days of following their footsteps, we had a surprise encounter with an elephant family crossing the road. High up in the trees we saw red flying fox, palm civet, three-striped civet, orangutans and gibbon monkeys. We also sighted long tailed macaques, water buffaloes, and snakes of various kinds. Our jungle housing had three bedrooms with on-suite bathrooms and a common area with couches. The bedrooms were equipped with air-conditioning and the bathroom with hot water showers. This was an unexpected level of comfort in a remote jungle location. We also visited Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site renowned for its ecology, flora and geology. Dominated by Mount Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu), revered also as “aki nabalu” (home of the spirits of the dead) by the Dusun (our guide's tribe). The guides contributed their own family's history and impressive knowledge about Borneo's political developments during the past 200 years. We never had guides with such broad interests, at the same time super friendly, highly flexible to our requests and needs, and - most importantly - very humorous. The days were filled with lots of laughs. At Sabah Tea Plantation we had a factory tour at this well-run organic tea producer, and this was a great place to stay for a night as well. We enjoyed a canopy walkway and walking trail near Poring Hot Springs. The tiled hot water tubs are a good place to relax aching muscles after hiking. We enjoyed every single moment of the trip. We highly recommend BET!
Beautiful Resort with some exceptions
I did not want to leave Borneo and this eco resort when our trip ended. The entire experience was awesome with a few caveats. We stayed on the Villa side (vs Hotel side). I'd recommend a Villa over a room in the hotel. The open corridor to the rooms was an amazing walk. This area is full of wildlife and you can see it by just walking around the resort. Our experience with the nature guides was hit or miss. There were a handful of expert guides and then others seemed to be much less experienced or "its just a job" mentality. We were given a presentation from an "expert" on Orangutans but he referenced information that was misleading and not accurate (video on Orangutan driving a golf cart). This was disappointing and created a credibility gap on the guide expertise. Also, arranging your itinerary for nature trips is too confusing. There are opportunities but it is too difficult to access a full menu and build a proper trip. We found out about several activities from fellow travelers and wished that we had known about these in advance. A full menu should be made easily available to guests. We found it easy to add trips and pay during our stay. We just didn't know about what was available until it was too late. The restaurant was a good experience overall with the exceptions of the garbage bins were the first view after you got to the landing dock. You saw the array of bins each and every time you got on a River Boat. Also, it was confusing how you should enter the restaurant. Only the Hotel side entrance was elegant. The Villa or dock entrance was confusing and the most natural way was through the middle of the dirty dish staff area. The staff acted annoyed and left me wondering how I should be getting to meals. Given the expense of this Resort, these are sloppy issues and detracted from our stay.
Excellent organgutan and wildlife experience on most luxurious houseboats available
Wonderful houseboat on river to see orangutans and other wildlife. I must preface this by saying we booked our whole 14d trip through a US company who arranged various in country guides and accommodations and I paid one lump sum so I don’t know cost of things individually. This company has four luxury boats. They separate themselves from other boats because they have a/c in bedrooms at night (generator does not run for a/c 24h) and private rooms. Our bedroom had connected bathroom, other had one right beside. Traveled w our young adult children. Other boats have mattresses on open deck w mosquito nets and no privacy. (We had mosquitos nets also) Crew of four plus cook plus our English speaking guide. Saw lots of wildlife on the river—macaques,Proboscus monkeys, kingfisher, alligator. We took three night trip stopping at all three feeding stations and one of them twice. This is in National park area. The orangutan who come to feeding are semi wild. They maybe needed rehab then were released. They aren’t super afraid of humans so will come to once a day feeding platform. This is not their only food, it’s a minor supplement for vitamins. They are fed bananas and sweet potatoes. Their behavior is so human like. You get great views although areas to view can get a little crowded. Feedings last 1-1.5 h each. This is the only place in the world these animals live! We did also see wild ones along river—they are wary of people and boats. Be prepared for very hot and humid weather. Bring mosquito repellent and more mosquito repellent. We wore long pants to the viewings for protection from bites. I would also bring a light weight long sleeve shirt to wear on boat in evening for protection. Sun goes down at 6 at equator so there is a lot of night/mosquito time! Filtered water is provided and used for cooking. The food was amazing! Serves family style w 4-5 different plates PLUS two plates of fruit. We could never finish food and often felt guilty. There was so much. They give cool towels when you return from the off boat viewing which feels amazing. I cannot recommend this experience and boat company enough!
A trip we will never forgot
This was an exceptional experience, offering the perfect balance between comfort and ethical integrity. It felt immersive yet respectful... rather than dominating the environment, we became a small part of it. The sense of being in a truly wild space was ever-present, and we felt privileged to witness even a fraction of what the Bornean rainforest has to offer. Transfers were smooth and well-coordinated, and the facilities were impressive, particularly given the remote jungle location. Importantly, luxury was not achieved at the expense of the environment. The luxury element was certainly there, but encounters with geckos or skinks in your room were part of the experience, and of course, insects are to be expected in a rainforest setting, but this only enhanced the authenticity of the experience. Animals were not chased away, they were welcomed. This is eco-tourism in its truest sense: humans adapting to the wild, not reshaping it for their convenience. Our guide, Jay, was outstanding. Deeply knowledgeable and highly personable. If it is possible to request a guide, I would strongly recommend asking for him. He went to great lengths to help us spot wildlife, and not relying on intrusive methods (as is sometimes the case in other safaris), but on patience, expertise, and a deep understanding of the environment. Thanks to his efforts, we were fortunate to see four of the “Big Five.” The food was delicious and varied, especially impressive considering the logistical challenges of sourcing ingredients in such a remote location. The staff as a whole were warm, attentive, and genuinely committed to providing excellent service. I would wholeheartedly recommend the BB7D tour to anyone seeking an authentic, ethically responsible Bornean rainforest experience.
We had a great time in Borneo, with the help of the team at Borneo EcoTours. Communication was clear, knowledgeable, helpful and efficient. All the tours were greatly enjoyed by our family, both through Sandakan and in Kota Kinabalu. Cruising through the Kinabatangan River searching for the various wildlife was particularly enjoyable and the provided guide was very informative.The Sakau Rainforest lodge was very comfortable and all staff were courteous, helpful and willing to help. Would highly recommend Borneo Eco Tours.
Highly recommended!
Amazing trip and very well organised. You are put in a small group, we are a family of 4 and we only had 11 people in total in ours, which with our guide Vincent felt very personalised. Very lucky to see elephants, monkeys, an orangutan (albeit hiding) and crocodiles. The cruises were great, especially the early morning one. The food was also very good. Our guide Vincent was extremely knowledgable, pointing out various species of birds, and able to spot a crocodile from quite a distance. We got there by road which is very bumpy (not the operators fault), so maybe get the boat transfer if you can. Would happily recommend this tour to anyone thinking of going.
Great tour company for Malaysian Borneo
Brandon and Borneo Eco Tours organised a wonderful itinerary of Sabah and Sarawak for my wife and I The coordination of our transfers between the various lodges was first class. We recommend them highly.
