Danum Valley to Sukau Rainforest Lodge – March 14th

Sukau Jetty
Sadly at 10 am it was time to leave the Danum Valley.  This of course, necessitated another two-hour drive on the very rutted dirt road and then 30 minutes on pavement before stopping to eat our provided lunch at the Borneo Ecotours office in Lahad Datu.  Then we embarked up another 2+ hour drive (on a paved road) to the town of Sukau on the Kinabatangan River.  

A boat from the Sukau Rainforest Lodge was waiting for us and we had a short 15 min boat ride to the lodge. The Kinabatangan River is the 2nd longest river in Malaysia at 560 km (348 miles).   

The Sukau Rainforest Lodge is more rustic than our lodge in Danum Valley but very comfortable.  We had one of their little villas with a deck right on the edge of their jungle area.  We were later told when the fig tree outside our villa fruits, the orangutans, and birds congregate there, but alas, the tree was not fruiting.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by their gong. Different number of beats means different things (dinner is ready, wildlife siting, etc.). Next we were welcomed and shown how to wear the Malay sarongs that were in our rooms. We were told that our first river cruise was at 5:00 PM. 

In the hour before our cruise, we sat on our deck and watched the family of long-tailed macaques in the tree outside, they didn’t seem to care that the tree wasn’t fruiting.  Chris made the mistake of looking the male in the eye and was growled and charged at…does anyone find it surprising that Chris disobeyed the “don’t stare at the macaque rule??”

As soon as our group of 7 (the new arrivals) boarded the boat, we headed upriver a short way as a group of Pygmy (Borneo) Elephants had been spotted on the riverbank.

Pygmy elephants are one of the Borneo Big 5 (Orangutans, Pygmy Elephants, Rhinoceros Hornbills, Saltwater Crocodiles, and the Proboscis Monkeys.

The boats need to keep their distance, so we were a little way offshore but we still had great views and got good pictures and videos with our iPhones (by this time my camera had completely broken.)

In addition to the elephants, we saw another Crested-Serpent Eagle, a Rhinoceros Hornbill and of course the ever present long-tailed macaques.

At 6 PM we headed back to the lodge for a 7 PM dinner.  After that, we headed to the dock for the Night cruise at 8 PM. Before we even boarded the boat, we saw a Buffy Fish Owl sitting on a post on the dock.

Buffy Fish Owl

For the night cruise we traveled slowly along the riverbank.  We saw a couple of snakes wrapped around branches (only snakes we saw on the trip).  

We also saw a White Breasted Water Hen, a Blue-Eared Kingfisher, and a Stork-Billed Kingfisher. 

White-Breasted Water Hen

Stork-Billed Kingfisher

Blue-Eared Kingfisher

Besides the wildlife, it was a beautiful  star filled sky.  I think Chris had more fun watching the stars than the wildlife.

We went back to lodge around 9 PM and went to bed as they would knock on our door at 5:30 AM for the 6:00 AM cruise.

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