Sabah Trip 2019 - Sukau (Kinabatangan Wildlife River Cruise & Sukau B&B Part 1 )

Back in late May 2018 during the Kaamatan Holidays in Labuan, I decided to travel all the way Sukau by car from Labuan with a pit stop at Kota Kinabalu (KK). The whole journey starting from Menumbok to Sukau was about 8.5 hours despite with a distance of slightly more than 500km. The route I took journey was Labuan > Menumbok > Kota Kinabalu > Ranau > Sukau. 

Why did I embark on such a crazy journey? Because it was one of my 'dream' to travel all tourist corners of Sabah by car when I first transferred over to Labuan. Travelling by car to see the world is just a much different feeling compared to joining a tour bus, taxi or flight where you can appreciate all the sights at your own pace.

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I left early in the morning from KK and stopped by Restoran Yeong Hing in Ranau for lunch. This place is apparently famous for their duck rice. There were already a lot of people by the time I was there around 12 pm. 

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The restaurant is rather small and cramped so be prepared to wait for a seat.

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Taste wise it was okay. The duck was more of a lean variant compared to the famous duck restaurants which are more fatty and fragrant. 

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After lunch I continued my journey to Sukau. The drive from Ranau to Beluran was absolutely beautiful with winding mountain roads, flowing rivers and the clouds just at your face due to the high altitude. Not forgetting all the cute kampung houses which serves as a reminder on how under developed certain parts of Sabah are. 

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Past Beluran the scenery is not that great anymore with acres of palm oil trees now fill the entire stretch of the road. However this also means my phone still has 4G reception despite being in the middle of nowhere. 

I was also stuck for about 30 minutes at the fork near Kinabatangan which splits into roads leading to Sandakan and Sukau as major construction for the upcoming Pan Borneo Highway was going on.

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After what seemed like forever I finally arrived at Sukau! 😍 Without furder ado I immediately checked in at my stay for the night: Sukau Bed & Breakfast. Surprisingly there were many options for accommodations here but this place was the most decent and affordable for me. There were some places costing hundreds per night and it seemed to be a favourite with the Westerners. My room cost RM 75 which consisted of small chalet with a queen sized bed all to my small.

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The highlight of this trip, the Kinabatangan River where all the wild life resides around here, is just  within walking distance at the back of the B&B. 

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Admiring the river 
In general there are 3 sessions of the river cruise: 6am, 5pm & 7pm Different time slots allows you to see different wild life in their natural state. Unfortunately I arrived past 5pm and thus missing out one of the cruise. Nonetheless I immediately signed up for the night cruise. One cruise cost RM 60 (including one meal! yay) but I was told that nobody else signed up for the night cruise. If it was me alone it would be RM 100, which I immediately agreed. I'm very determined after having to drive 8 hours to reach here.

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The dinner was quite a feast and exceeded my expectations with three rather large dishes for one person. For me it was vegetables, venison curry and some friend stuff. 

Alas it was finally 7pm and time for the river cruise. After putting on a life jacket, my guide and I were off! At this point the entire river was pitch black and we were solely guided by moonlight and a big torch. Somehow by instinct and years of training, the guide was able to scan through all the trees beside the river in search of wild life in total darkness. 😲

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It was not long before I spotted the first animal of the night. From afar there sits an owl perching atop a tree in search of it's next prey.

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Somehow the birds weren't afraid of humans, as pictured by this blue and yellow bird (guessing it's a kingfisher). I went really really close for this shot and it didn't even flinch. Or perhaps it's dead asleep with eyes wide open?

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Two love birds.

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This ones definitely fast asleep. At this juncture there were also other boats from other B&B but theirs were packed. I feel like a 土豪 at this point as I had the entire boat to myself.

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Male & female (kingfishers).

Apart from these photos, I also spotted a hornbill, an orang utan swinging through the trees and some other animals. The guide was indeed very experienced and I was a satisfied customer. Special thanks to all the birds who just stood there the entire time allowing me to take many photos. 

As we head back to the B&B I took this time to admire the very clear skies with all the stars in clear view.

Next: Sabah Trip: Sukau (Kinabatangan Wildlife River Cruise & Sukau B&B Part 2 )


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