MALAYSIABook your stay at lonelyplanet.com/hotels MALAYSIAN BORNEO – SABAH •• Sungai Kinabatangan
Sleeping & Eating
Although most tourists rush in and out of
Sepilok faster than the flash of a camera, it’s
well worth spending the night in this sleepy
township. Most accommodation options are
scattered along Jln Sepilok, the 2.5km-long
access road to the rehabilitation centre.
Sepilok B&B (%089-534050, 089-532288; http://www.sepilok
bednbreakfast.com; Jln Arboretum; dm/s/d RM23/40/60) The
former head of Sabah’s reforestation division
manages this unpretentious option, which has
a palpable summer-camp vibe. It’s popular
with large groups, who pile into the simple
dorm rooms accented with pale-pastel cur-
tains. The B&B is opposite the forest research
centre, about 250m off Jln Sepilok and 1km
short of the SORC entrance.
oPaganakan Dii^ (%089-532005; www
.paganakandii.com; dm/d RM28/98; ai) Hands
down the best budget place to stay in
Sepilok (if not all of Sabah), this welcom-
ing and quiet retreat sits deep within a deer
preserve on the far side of the highway. Chic
design details (made from recycled materi-
als), crisp white linen and friendly staff will
have you thinking that the owners surely
left a zero off the price tag. Transfers to the
Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre are included
in the price.
Sepilok Forest Reser ve & Labuk B&B (%089-
533190, 089-223100; [email protected]; dm/d/chalets from
RM28/65/180; as) Dorm and double rooms
(located in the Labuk B&B portion of the
property) are fine – it’s the chalets that are
property’s pièce de résistance.
Uncle Tan’s (%089-531639; http://www.uncletan.com; dm/
tw incl all meals RM38/100; i) Uncle Tan built a
reputation among backpackers for provid-
ing great river tours along the Kinabatangan.
Now he’s set up shop right in the heart of
Sepilok with a couple of thatch-roofed ga-
zebos and a stack of backpacker shacks –
they’re pretty dank but unbeatably cheap.
Most accommodation in the Sepilok area
serves breakfast – some offer guests three-meal
packages. The rehabilitation centre cafeteria (meals
from RM5; h7am-4pm) vends sandwiches, noodle
bowls, rice plates, snacks and beverages.
Getting There & Away
If you are coming directly from Sandakan, a
taxi should cost no more than RM35 (either
from the airport or the city centre). Bus 14
from Sandakan (RM3) departs hourly from
the city centre and stops at the RDC. If you are
coming from KK, board a Sandakan-bound
bus and ask the driver to let you off at Batu
14 (RM30).
Taxi ‘pirates’, as they’re known, wait at Batu
14 to give tourists a ride into Sepilok. It’s RM3
per person for a lift. Travellers spending the
night can arrange a lift with their accom-
modation if they booked in ahead of time.
Walking to the rehab centre is also an option –
it’s only 2.5km down the road.
To reach the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey
Sanctuary, have the bus drop you off at Batu
19 (Mile 19; 32km from Sandakan), but note
that it’s too far from the highway to walk, so
you will have to arrange transportation from
the junction (it’s a 15-minute drive). If you’re
coming from KK it is the same price as being
dropped off at Batu 14 (Sepilok); if you’re
coming from Sandakan the driver may ask for
an additional RM5. Transport from Sepilok/
Sandakan to Labuk Bay costs RM110/RM130
per person for a share van.SUNGAI KINABATANGAN
If an artist were to paint a portrait of the mighty
Sungai Kinabatangan, they’d need a palette
of green, blue, and brown...lots and lots of
brown... This mighty muddy river is Sabah’s
longest, measuring a lengthy 560km from its
headwaters deep in the southwest jungle to the
marshy delta on the turquoise Sulu Sea.
The Kinabatangan’s great menagerie of
jungle creatures is an ironic by-product of the
rampant logging and oil-palm industries. As
plantations and camps continue to gobble up
virgin rainforest, the area of unruffled jungle
becomes thinner, forcing the animals to seek
refuge along the river’s flood plains. Dozens of
tin boats on ‘wildlife river cruises’ putter along
the shores offering tourists the opportunity
to have a close encounter with a rhinoceros,
hornbill or perhaps a doughy-eyed orang-
utan. Even if you went ape over Sepilok’s
crew of ginger beasts, seeing an orang-utan
in the wild is a truly magical experience (we
saw three!).Sleeping & Eating
In Kinabatangan lingo, a ‘three-day/two-
night’ stint usually involves the following:
arrive in the afternoon on day one for a
cruise at dusk, two boat rides (or a boat/hike
combo) on day two, and an early morning
departure on day three after breakfast and a
sunrise cruise. When booking a trip, ask about503