Coisas para fazer em Sandakan

We had the most amazing and fun time on this tour. We loved our time on Kinabatang River where we saw macaque and proboscis monkeys, a Pygmy elephant, crocodiles and birdlife. Our guides Robert and Jeanette were very friendly and knowledgeable. The Bilit Lodge is simple but very clean and satisfactory. The food was also very enjoyable and tasty. Our only downside was that we booked late and couldn't secure accommodation in Sepilok so missed the opportunity to spend some additional time there. The tour company arranged alternative accommodation back in Sandakan but this meant we spent more time travelling on the first two days. Overall I thought this was very well organised and we loved the opportunity to get close up with the variety of animals. The people we met on the tour were all very lovely and safety protocols are followed on the river rides.

The day was well-managed by Johnny, our guide, who accompanied us throughout. The transfers from our hotel to the various locations were well-executed. We would have appreciated receiving confirmation details from the company prior to the excursion. Otherwise, everything else went smoothly.

The room was small, and the water heater in the bathroom was missing, which forced us to take cold showers. The worst part was that mothballs and air fresheners were placed in the bathroom, and their strong scent triggered my nasal allergies all night, keeping me awake! Imagine if someone had a G6PD deficiency; how could they possibly stay in this place? 🙁 Aside from this issue, the overall facilities were okay. Most importantly, the meals were much more abundant and delicious than I expected, and the staff was very friendly with an excellent service attitude, which is truly commendable! 😃

I was a little worried about the accommodation being either a resort or a homestay, but I was relieved to find it was a resort with air conditioning, hot water, and a refrigerator. The evening cruise was fantastic; we saw orangutans, proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, and Borneo elephants. During the night walk, we saw sleeping birds and slow lorises. On the morning cruise, we spotted a large crocodile. I know seeing animals depends on luck, but I was very satisfied with all the different creatures we encountered!

Infelizmente, como o resort na floresta estava lotado, fomos alterados para o Sandakan Hotel, não conseguindo vivenciar o clima da selva. O horário do roteiro começou às 7h30 com a recepção no aeroporto após o pouso, passando pelo caminho para pegar outros integrantes do grupo. De manhã, assistimos ao show de alimentação dos orangotangos no parque e à alimentação dos ursos-malaios; tudo dentro do parque foi feito a pé. Almoçamos no Banana Café, onde as bebidas podiam ser trocadas por outras mediante pagamento adicional. À tarde, no Rainforest Discovery Centre, conhecemos as espécies e a história de aves, rãs e plantas locais. Há muitos espécimes de besouros, borboletas e cobras lá dentro; um pequeno pavilhão de exposições que esconde recursos ricos. Em seguida, fizemos uma caminhada pela floresta tropical, explorando e procurando pequenos seres na selva. Durante o processo, o guia também perguntou qual rota queríamos escolher e ajudou a tirar fotos. Ficamos aqui por cerca de 1 hora, ouvindo as introduções do guia ao longo do caminho e recebendo respostas entusiásticas para quaisquer perguntas. Por volta das 15h, já estávamos no local de hospedagem para descansar. À noite, tivemos o jantar do hotel e o café da manhã do dia seguinte; embora as opções não fossem muitas, isso também nos poupou o trabalho de ter que decidir o que comer. No dia seguinte, restou apenas o traslado para o aeroporto. O único lamento foi não ter podido caminhar mais e explorar o resort na floresta, mas, no geral, também foi uma boa experiência.

It was absolutely fantastic! A must-do in my opinion! We had two exceptional guides! We saw everything possible (orangutans, sun bears) and had a super beautiful hike!