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Orang-utans, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants and hornbills — just two hours from Sandakan on one of Asia’s richest wildlife regions
One of Southeast Asia’s best and most accessible places to see wildlife in the wild — by boat at sunrise, at dusk, or on foot.
Perched on a quiet bend of the Kinabatangan at Bilit, the next village upriver from Sukau, with 16 newly renovated rooms and a maximum of 45 guests, Hornbill Lodge balances real comfort with full immersion in the Bornean rainforest.
Large rooms with sweeping river views, private balconies, ensuite hot-water bathrooms and energy-saving inverter air-conditioning.
Early tea, breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner.
Licensed bar with river views.
Free wifi in communal areas.
The Kinabatangan river is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife. Ten species of primates, eight species of hornbills and over 300 of Borneo’s 700-plus birds. The wild orang-utan, Asia’s only great ape, builds its nest in the canopy a few metres above the boat and in the forest surrounding our Kinabatangan river lodge.
Our thirty acres of riverfront forest, elephant grassland, salt licks and wildlife ponds give wildlife space to thrive. You watch from a boat with eleven other people, on a quiet four-stroke engine, at eye level with the bank. Nothing is baited and nothing is guaranteed. That is the point.
Proboscis troops gather at the river’s edge to sleep. Prime time for pygmy elephants and orang-utans.
Up at 5:30 with coffee in hand as the river wakes — orang-utans, langurs, proboscis monkeys and hornbills.
Two- to four-day packages from RM900 per person, including return transfers from Sandakan, all meals, an English-speaking nature guide, river cruises and night walks.
From RM1,300 per person
From RM1,300 per person
Our minimum recommended stay: four river cruises, 2 night walks and a chance to explore the forest on foot.
From RM2,190 per person
From RM2,190 per person
Extend for the Borneo Big Five plus the Gomantong bat exodus — over a million bats at dusk.
From RM3,090 per person
From RM3,090 per person
Turtle hatchlings on Selingan, Sepilok’s orang-utans, then two nights on the river.
Getting here, what is included, access, wildlife and how to book — the twelve questions our reservations team is asked most.
Hornbill Lodge is in Bilit village on the Lower Kinabatangan in Sabah, the next village upriver from Sukau, about 2 hours by road from Sandakan Airport (SDK). Most guests fly into Sandakan from Kota Kinabalu or Kuala Lumpur and join our scheduled van transfer. It is roughly 2 hours from Lahad Datu and around 4.5 hours from Semporna. Public buses and a pre-booked overland shuttle from Kota Kinabalu via Mount Kinabalu and Poring are also options — tell us your plans and we will recommend the best route.
All meals are included — early morning tea and coffee, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner — along with the river cruises and guided walks set out in your package. Adult and child rubber boots are free to borrow for jungle trails. Drinks from our licensed bar are charged separately and can be settled on check-out by credit card.
Most guests stay two or three nights. Our 2D1N Kinabatangan River Experience covers an afternoon cruise, a night walk and a dawn cruise before you travel on. The 3D2N safari — our most-booked stay — adds a full day on the river with four cruises, a jungle walk and two night walks. Four-night packages let you add Gomantong Forest Reserve & bat exodus or a night with nesting turtles on Selingan Island. Packages start from RM900 per person.
The Kinabatangan is one of the easiest places in Southeast Asia to see wildlife in the wild. Borneo's Big Five — proboscis monkey, Bornean orang-utan, pygmy elephant, rhinoceros hornbill and estuarine crocodile — all live along this stretch, alongside all ten of Sabah's primate species and more than 300 recorded bird species. This is wild rainforest, so we never guarantee sightings, but our guides know the river and its residents well.
Yes. Guests of all ages are welcome and our rooms take up to 2 adults and 3 children. Children aged 4 to 12 receive a 25% discount on package rates. River cruises are not physically demanding, but night and jungle walks require the ability to walk for an hour or longer over uneven ground.
There is no step-free access at Hornbill Lodge. The rooms sit on a small hill above the restaurant and are reached by covered wooden walkways and steps: the closest rooms are 10 to 20 steps up, the furthest around 85. If you need a room close to the restaurant and reception, please tell us when you book and we will do our best to place you there.
There is no mobile phone signal at the lodge. Starlink wifi is available in the communal areas — our bar and restaurant — so you can stay in touch between cruises. The rooms are deliberately kept as a place to disconnect.
Yes. The lodge runs on 24-hour mains electricity with a back-up generator, so outages are rare and short-lived. Every chalet has an energy-conserving inverter air-conditioning unit and a ceiling fan, along with a modern ensuite bathroom with hot water and a private balcony with river views.
Yes. Our kitchen uses locally sourced ingredients and serves both vegetarian and meat options at every meal, and we regularly cater for vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free diets among others. Please tell us your requirements at the time of booking so the kitchen can plan ahead.
Light, quick-drying clothing in neutral colours, long sleeves and trousers for evening cruises and walks, insect repellent, sunscreen, a hat, a refillable water bottle, a torch or head torch, and binoculars and a camera if you have them. A light rain jacket is worth carrying in any month. Rubber boots in adult and child sizes are provided free of charge.
The Kinabatangan is a year-round destination and its wildlife is resident rather than seasonal, so there is no closed season. Rain is possible in any month, with the wettest period usually falling between November and February, the best period for less tourists and quieter wildlife encounters.
Send us your dates and group size through the enquiry form on our contact page, email info@river-junkie.com or WhatsApp +60 11 1265 8581 and we will reply within 24 hours. You are also welcome to walk in to our booking office at Lot G27 (ground floor), Wisma Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, open 8am–5pm daily including public holidays. Hornbill Lodge is owned and operated by River Junkie Tours Sdn. Bhd.
Leave us a message and we will get back to you within 24 hours. For urgent or last-minute bookings, WhatsApp +60 11 1265 8581. Walk-in bookings welcome at the River Junkie office, Wisma Sabah, Kota Kinabalu.
Seasonal sightings, guide notes and honest planning advice for a Kinabatangan trip — written from the lodge, not from a desk.
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