The Borneo Jungle

So, second stop, the jungle in Borneo.

A hop of about 40 minutes from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan airport followed by a short taxi ride finds us on the edge of the jungle for an overnight stop.

Having arrived at Sepilok Forest Edge Lodge early evening we head straight for a bite to eat. Our first surprise is being asked to take our shoes off in the outdoor restaurant area. Apparently, leeches can attach themselves to the soles of shoes (who knew) – so strict no shoe policy enforced in common areas. We’d been warned on arrival that the trail at the site was very leechy – good to know!

Literally as we sit down, the couple opposite us have an uninvited visitor. A Viper Snake! Comedic five minutes ensues with the staff debating what to do about said snake. Eventually a coerced volunteer armed with a towel and a plastic bag does his best Steve Irwin impression and removes the meter long reptile (Jenn insists it was half that size – no comment). The video we capture of him preparing himself, together with his evident relief upon realising that he hadn’t been bitten is quite amusing. Well done sir!

So, five minutes in, first snake and dawning realisation that it is going to be more humid than we’d bargained for.  

After dinner we make our way to our room for the evening. Basic – but with air conditioning – life saver! The room is of course full of obligatory insects of various shapes and sizes. Cue five minutes of furious activity evicting anything that looks like it would deliver a sting or a bite (which is pretty much everything that moves).

Next morning is beautiful. We’d survived the night without increasing our bite count and have Sepilok Orang-utan and Sun Bear sanctuary to look forward to en route to our rainforest lodge. Transfers arrive on time – so far so good.

It would be hard not to fall in love with Orang-utans. Despite being many times stronger than humans – they look incredibly gentle and content. This is particularly true of the babies that we watch being fed in the sanctuary – albeit through glass.

Sun Bears are very sweet. They have been hunted to the brink, partly as a result of the seemingly insatiable demand for traditional medicine. Far be it from me to judge (cue judging) – but the number of animals that are at risk of extinction because of traditional medicine is stupefying. I would have some sympathy if there was any evidence of efficacy. As it is, there isn’t, so I don’t get it! Many traditional remedies are not even traditional – they’ve been added in the last decade to the list of ridiculous ingredients falsely claimed to promote health and wellness. Rant over – key takeaway is that Sun Bears are very cute and should not be needlessly slaughtered as a substitute for vitamin tablets, Viagra and/or exercise!

A circa two-hour boat trip from Sandakan jetty sees us arrive at our lodge for the next three days – Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the Kinabatangan River. It has the distinction of having hosted Sir David Attenborough several times over the years (Sir David is rightly revered as a local legend in this part of Borneo). We are also informed by a plaque on our door that Dame Judy Dench stayed in our room prior to the pandemic. Ordinarily it would barely merit mention – but it does seem that we are fated to have guides who have previously escorted ‘M’ around various parts of the world. Our guide in Jaipur had, had the honour – now too our guide in Sukau. A very nice lady by all accounts – and if it’s good enough for Dame Judy – then it’s good enough for us.

The activities in Sukau take the form of morning and evening boat trips up and down the river in search of the Borneo Big 5 – namely, Pygmy Elephant, Orang-utan, Hornbill, Proboscis Monkey and Crocodile. Early morning start with alarm calls at 5.30am and on the water by 6. Although it’s early, it is by far the nicest part of the day before the heat and humidity really kick in. Back by 8 for breakfast.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge is built around boardwalks that wind through the jungle in a loop. So ahead of afternoon wildlife cruises – there’s plenty of time to wander around and explore the jungle from the safety of raised platforms. The lodge also has a helpful gong system – three gongs for breakfast, 6 gongs for a wildlife sighting. It’s the gong system that alerts us (more specifically Jenn – I was asleep) to a wild Orang-utan making its way through the lodge. Our first and only wild sighting!

In any event, the wildlife viewing over the three days is excellent. We don’t see an elephant – but could easily have taken an afternoon boat trip up river, as many did. The challenge is that it involves a three-hour hell for leather ride, uncovered, in the blazing heat, on the off chance of finding a pygmy. We decide against that and trust to fate instead. Would love to have seen a pygmy elephant – but we have been spoilt with elephant in different parts of the world previously.

Fact is, it can be brutally humid in the Borneo jungle! It takes a week for my body to adjust, and the process is definitely accelerated by a few cooler days and a little bit of rain. It is also a fact that it is difficult to look anything other than a sweaty mess in the jungle. I quickly abandon any attempt to fight the inevitable. Within five seconds of leaving the confines of Dame Judy’s air-conditioned splendour I need a shower and wonder whether it was worth putting on dry clothes in the first place! We did wonder whether it might just be us, but, speaking to another couple who routinely conduct scientific surveys in the jungle, it is just hard work here at times. In my opinion, it’s worth it – but be under no illusion – spending time in the jungle here can be intense.  

I loved the river cruises armed with my camera. I equally loved walking the boards at the lodge. The great thing about wildlife is that you never know when something will appear. The only thing you know for certain is, that you have to be in it to win it. So, once I’d resigned myself to being a sweaty mess, taken a bunch of antihistamines and downed a rehydration sachet for good measure – I was off! Fair to say Jenn was less enthused!

The lodge also offers a night river trip – which is well worth a crack. We didn’t see any mammals – but the sleeping kingfishers are pretty cute (literally head tucked under wing) and the wildlife Gods chucked in a couple of owls and a snake for good measure! The stars alone when viewed from a boat in the jungle are worth the effort.

Our guide was great. Born and bred in the local village – he’d worked at the lodge in various capacities since he was a teenager. He was super knowledgeable and like all the best guides – his eyes are amazing. I am always in awe of how guides can spot things from a distance and discern gender and species in seconds.

In summary, an awesome, but intense few days. If you like wildlife and photography – it is worth adding Sukau Rainforest Lodge to your bucket list.

So… the transfer to our next lodge. Remember, this is the part of the trip that I organised – it’s an important detail in what follows.

Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort is a mere hour and a half boat ride down river from Sukau. With no internet and having not printed the transfer instructions (obviously), I was beholden to the team at the lodge to help ensure that we had some way of getting from A to B. Sorted – with help. Boat would collect us at 11.30 after a lie in and breakfast. Perfect – well done me.

At 11.30 we are informed that the boat will be late. No idea how late as the message has been relayed upriver by fisherman – given that there’s no mobile reception on the water. So, we wait… in the heat…

At 12.30 we decide to have lunch. Of course, we have just sat down when our transfer arrives. Hurried meal, bags loaded, and we set off.

As we head downstream our guide comes over to inform me that the reason they are late is the fact that there’s a problem with the engine. They’d had to struggle upstream against the current – so apologies. Reassuring, and thanks for letting us know after we got on the boat!

Almost as he finishes talking I can hear the engine struggling. We’d had three days of zipping up and down the river through pretty substantial debris (caused by heavy rains before we arrived) – not a problem for a healthy engine, but even I know that this engine does not sound good!

Sure enough, after five minutes the engine really starts to struggle. Several stutters, a few restarts and it finally gives up the ghost.

Picture the scene. It’s now the hottest part of the day, we are in the middle of the jungle and our boat is drifting powerlessly towards the rushes on the riverbank (where there are a healthy number of crocodiles – see Exhibit A below). It’s at this point I remember that we didn’t bring any water (because we didn’t think we’d need it), that there aren’t any other boats on the river at this time of day and there’s no mobile reception.

I decide that closing my eyes and avoiding any eye contact with Jenn is the way forward. She’s made her position very clear in the few short, terse exchanges that have taken place. I decide that there is nothing that I can usefully do – so silence is the best approach…

Long story short – some heroic engineering from our captain involving a makeshift water pump,  a glacial a limp down the river, and an eventual rescue by a replacement craft. All’s well that ends well. A four-hour journey sees us safely to our new lodge in the wetlands. Very different ecosystem – forest, palms, and mangrove.

Enter the lodge manager. Nice guy. Apologises profusely and looks so genuine and sad that I don’t have the heart to make life any worse for him. He explains that the lodge has been closed for three years and that whilst the engines have recently been overhauled (cynic in me doubts that) – they have been experiencing the odd problem. We decide to let it go. I’m in a good mood as we had seen an enormous crocodile just before we arrived, and the limited Wi-Fi informs me that Crawley has just made a 56-ball half century in the first Ashes test!

After dropping our stuff in our room (no sign announcing Dame Judy’s previous occupation) we gather ourselves for an afternoon boat trip.

You couldn’t make it up… after the first two minutes the engine starts to fail… okay keep calm… these things happen. More heroics from the captain and we are underway again. For all of about 30 seconds.

Sense of foreboding and deja vu as our boat heads towards the bank – this time into some pretty hefty palms (it’s good to have variety in one’s crash sites).

Few adjustments, another makeshift water pump and we make it onto the main river. By now the engine sounds like my electric toothbrush and is stalling every time a twig passes under the boat. At that point, and following a stare from Jenn, I decide to call it and ask them to take us back to the lodge. No protest from our guide – so we limp back with our tail between our legs. Two boat trips, two fails.

Over dinner we are offered complementary drinks and a morning boat trip on the day of our departure to compensate. Again, it’s hard to be too angry with the manager – he looks so bereft! A night walk follows dinner and although we don’t see much – the anticipation and sheer noise of the jungle make it a worth-while activity!

One of the things about any kind of safari or wildlife tour is that you quickly work out the local ecosystem. There are birds, animals, and insects that you see regularly – there are other things that are far more elusive. Something that you can get super excited about on Day 1 is mere background scenery after a few days. The Borneo jungle is no different.

We’d already ticked off the majority of interesting birds and primates – so the boat trips in the wetlands became increasingly focused on trying to find elephants. We’d also seen 6 out of 8 species of hornbill. As an aside, the Rhinoceros Hornbill is impressive at over a meter high – but a mere chicklet in comparison with the Helmeted Hornbill which can be as much as 50% taller! Both are hunted – but the latter is now very rare and despite its size – hard to spot. Sadly, we didn’t see one.

The trips in the wetlands were interesting due to the different composition of the forest. The lodge is in a unique ecosystem comprised of secondary forest, mangrove, and swamp. It’s an interesting contrast. Despite best efforts we didn’t see an elephant. For five days it seemed that we were hot on its tail – but never quite glimpsed it.

That said, the highlight in the Wetlands without doubt was the night cruise. We’d been promised fireflies and they certainly delivered!

As the dark descended our captain headed for a very particular spot and we waited for the light show to start. Nature always surprises me. I’m not sure what I expected – but watching a tree suddenly light-up, literally like a Christmas tree, blew my tiny mind. It was as though someone had turned on a set of twinkling lights. Mesmerising to watch – particularly as they drifted off the top of the tree and into the night sky. Can now fully understand why people believe in fairies. Despite missing the elephants – the fireflies made up for it!

I came to Borneo fully expecting to feel outright anger towards the plantations. However, talking to our guide gave me a subtly new perspective. Firstly, yes, palm oil plantations cover the majority of what would otherwise be jungle. But, for three years during the pandemic Borneo was closed to its largest industry – tourism. Palm oil kept the country afloat. Secondly, the root cause of the issue was logging – which is now prohibited. Made me think. In any event it’s great to see the secondary forest reclaiming the land at pace and ever-increasing recognition of the need to protect what remains of the wildlife.  

So, we survived my part of the trip and Jenn is still speaking to me. She was never going to enjoy the jungle quite as much as me – but she enjoyed it nonetheless – how could you not? Glad to hand over the organisational baton.  

Really immersive wildlife experience that reminds me why I love the jungle (aside from the insects and humidity). Over five days I’ve taken over a thousand pictures – which I’ve reduced-down to circa 120 that I’ll keep. Will never forget seeing an Orang-utan in the wild, the colour of the hornbills, the ridiculousness of the dominant Proboscis monkey and perhaps most unexpectedly the dance of the fireflies.

Would absolutely recommend a trip to Borneo! There are things that I would do differently knowing what I now know. If you’re interested see below. Suspect I may try to make it back one day.

With that, a blissfully uneventful 90-minute boat ride and a 3-hour flight and we arrive in Kuala Lumpar. Quite funny walking into the hotel – literally looking like we’ve been dragged through the jungle! Now enjoying taking advantage of having Wi-Fi for the first time in 6 days. Write soon.

PS: Blog entries will not normally be this long…. got carried away!

My advice for would be travellers to Borneo

• Book in advance – a long time in advance. Although we couldn’t get in (we did try) – Danum Valley Rainforest Lodge is seemingly the go to destination. We spoke to people that had booked a year in advance and struggled even then. It is one of the only patches of primary rainforest left in Borneo. If we had been here on holiday – we would have planned our entire trip around that specific lodges’ availability. To fit with this itinerary, we had to forego. Regret – but good excuse to return one day.
• Consider adding Dermakot. If you like cats (Clouded Leopard and Leopard Cat) then this is the place you are most likely to see them. Again, we couldn’t make it work for this trip and by all accounts, the accommodation is rustic – but if I were coming back – I would add it to the list.
• One night only in the Wetlands. I would probably have limited our stay to a single night on the way back to Sandakan. I would not have wanted to miss the fireflies – but otherwise there are better wildlife sightings and overall experiences to be had elsewhere. The pandemic has taken its toll on this lodge and despite hosting Sir David Attenborough in the past it needs to invest to compete with the proximal alternatives.
• Consider using an agent. Borneo is not the easiest place to navigate. It’s getting better – but it is still not that easy to communicate with the lodges. They also seem to hold large numbers of rooms in reserve for certain travel companies – so availability can be limited and challenging to confirm. You can expect miscommunication as standard. Having said that, I managed it – so it can’t be that hard. Just depends on how complex your trip is and whether you can be bothered with the hassle. Borneo Eco Tours is worth a look if you decide to use a local agent.    
• Travel light. We’re obviously carrying luggage for a year – but otherwise it’s much easier to travel light when moving location to location in Borneo. Given that you are going to be a sweaty mess – not much point in dragging your finery around with you. I’d also add mosquito resistant clothing to your packing list.
• Take antihistamines with you. I have read and tried many different ways of dealing with mosquitos over the years – but regardless of how careful I am – I am prone to being bitten. Antihistamines take the edge off when bitten and seem to accelerate recovery time. They have been a revelation. Well done Jenn’s mum for the suggestion!