Elephants @ Kinabantangan River
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Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
Environment friendly, surrounded by
the true beuty of the Sabah's rainforest.

Baileys
Please avoid from bringing intoxicating beverages into the lodge. It is very troublesome and it might spoil the holidays for other visitors. Beer is permissible though. We have zero tolerance on drugs abuse, so do not even imagine of pulling a drug stunt.

Basic living
Being part of the village, our lodge does not stand out from the homes of the locals. We take pride in our Orang Sungai architecture and the facilities are the same as the villagers’ houses.

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan is a perfect place to experience the life of Orang Sungai. Nonetheless, the lodge does boast western amenities too.

Irrigation System
The water is taken from the spring water in Bilit Hill which is then processed. Drinking water is definitely boiled before served. If however you are still doubtful, we sell drinking water in the staff corporation.

Health concern
You should bring your medication along with you. If you suddenly find yourself unhealthy, inform our staff and we will see to it that you get medical attention a.s.a.p. It is perfectly common to be dehydrated.

Children are more likely to suffer from it, as such we advise you to drink plenty of water. The nearest hospital is about 2 hours drive.

Ox-bow Lakes
There are many natural oxbow lakes along Sungai Kinabatangan. It is a blessing that behind our lodge is an ox-bow lake known as Danau Bilit. It will take an hour to reach the oxbow lake.

You will follow our guide to jungle trek over there. The journey will let you see a variety of flora and fauna, and the bird life is simply amazing there.

The Village Shop
Our staff corporation is a whole entity on its own, run by the local villagers for their livelihood. The village shop is run by villagers and the whole revenue goes to the village. It is erected as part of our social obligation to give something back to the village for accepting our lodge in their community.

The staff corporation is like a small sundry shop where you can buy insect repellant, leech socks, tidbits, and cold beverages like mineral water, beer and soft drinks. Rubber boots are also rented out here with sizes from 4-9 (UK size).

Meals
We provide breakfast at 7.30 a.m., lunch at 12.30 p.m., and afternoon tea at 4.30 p.m. and dinner at 8.30pm. If you are a vegetarian or on gluten free diet please inform us beforehand and we will happily assist you in preparing your meals. Generally we prepare halal food. Free flow of tea and coffee are available for you at all times.

Giving in to temptations
The rivers might be calling your name and ask you to submerge in the cool flowing water but we do not advise you to give in to the temptation because we have seen crocodiles looming nearby awaiting for its next victim for them to swallow up in one gulp.

Well, that’s a bit dramatic but seriously, we wouldn’t recommend you to bathe or float on or dip or swim in the Kinabatangan River and the lakes, lest you bump into your “friendly” neighbours.

See you later, alligator!
However it is impossible for these creatures to ever get too friendly and actually creep up to the lodge. It is well-known that crocodiles are shy animals as they do not desire to be near a population-dense area, which Kampung Bilit is. So Nature Lodge Kinabatangan is very safe from them. In fact, there are only 1 to 2 solitary cases of crocodile-encounters in the whole of Sabah yearly.

Bonding with Monkeys
Unless you are Dian Fossey, you wouldn’t want to share your private space with the animals. If you brought snacks, you must make sure that you keep them intact and safe from reach of naughty squirrels.

Make sure you keep your belongings safe and intact from reach of macaques as they are very inquisitive and they tend to love your flashy bag packs. Monkeys are always on the permanent lookout for playthings so you need to keep your room locked at all times.

Not so basic after all
We understand your needs to recharge all the gadgets that are a necessity to capture the moments of your travels, so we have a small generator running every evening from 6pm up to 11 p.m. After that it’s back to Orang Sungai ways.

Trekking
There are no supermarket in the jungle so don’t bother bringing your money and other valuables with you unless you insist. But really, there’s no need to bring it to Safaris and Treks.

River Cruise
We have a night time safari. During this cruise, there will be no need for you to flash your torch lights at the animals as our staff will have a big spot light that will show you the animals. Do not tease and shout at the animals as that would frighten them away.

Itinerary