We booked 3d/2n package with visit to Gomantong Caves. Upon arrival we were greeted by friendly staff and lunch was waiting for us. After a quick refresh off we went onto our fist river cruise. I was hoping for some wildlife but was surprised how much we saw during our short stay! Proboscis monkeys, macaques, crocodiles, many birds species including a few specious of king fisher, no luck seeing an orangutan but luck seeing a pygmy elephant approaching a river bank and crossing river just in front of us! We were able to follow the elephant for some time until it decided it had enough bathing and cooling off in the river and climbed onto to the other river bank and went off. Such an amazing wildlife encounter, we couldn't stop smiling!
Overall the program is packed but it increases chances of spotting wildlife from boat at different times during the day and night. We also opted for a jungle trek to nearby ox-bow lake to stretch legs. They guides here are really friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.There is hardly any light pollution and I loved the night skies, absolutely amazing.
Food served buffet style was varied and tasty, staff were really friendly, polite and helpful. Filter water was available all day. Our room was spacious with working fan/aircon, safe and beds were comfy. We enjoyed relaxing in hammocks between the river cruises. We had a wonderful experience with some amazing wildlife encounters to remember.
We had 2 nights/ 3 days here as part of our tour. It was really well presented and maintained. The entire place was built on stilts to protect the nature and grounds. The rooms were all located along boardwalks off the main building. The rooms were absolutely huge with separate toilet and bathroom. The shower was big enough to have a dance in. The main room was a combined bedroom / family room. Lovely and clean. The beds were great. The staff here were all fantastic and eager to assist. The meals were buffet style Malaysian and were hot. The highlight of the lodge was the boat cruises along the river. We had 3 cruises and probably loved the dawn one the best. But that was when we saw a number of Orang utans in the wild. Fantastic. There were heaps of Proboscis monkeys and Macaque monkeys to. All to be seen while seated in the boats. This is what Borneo is all about. Would recommend and love to return.
overall stay was wonderful. Spacious room, 2 double beds in each room. Separate shower and toilet. Suitable for Family as each 2 chalet is adjoining and has a connecting door.
buffet spreads are amazing, freshly cooked meal everytime.
Guide and staffs are outstanding. Our Guide, Man is doing beyond his duty. Never failed to amazed us, and he deserve a praise.
Mobile coverage is not really that great. Wifi is available, but limited.
Myself and my Wife Alex stayed for a couple of days during our honeymoon. Our guide was Paul who was fantastic - we cannot thank Paul enough for all of his help from start to finish. Food was great and all of the staff were very friendly. Bilit was a nice and relaxed stay during our honeymoon and you are really made to feel like home. We were made to feel special by having a room upgrade for our honeymoon and flowers laid out for our last night- this was a really nice touch. Would definitely recommend and would definitely stay again. Thanks Andy
We recently visited the Bilit Rainforest lodge as part of an organised tour. We are a family of four with two teenagers.
We landed in Sandakan and were picked up by our lovely guide and embarked on a 3 day jungle tour.
Our first stop after two hours drive was the Gomantong Cave inside Gomantong Hill in Sabah.
All I can say is that it’s an experience! We were lucky enough to see two wild orangutans while walking to the cave! The cave itself is an assault to the senses. The smell of bird and bat poo is indescribable. The other treat in the cave is cockroaches galore. Millions of them. Large ones, small ones, everywhere!
If you want to take photos in the cave you need cash to pay a camera fee. The cost is 30 ringgits per camera. Phones are free. This charge is fairly common so make sure you have cash on you.
After the cave we headed to the Bilit Jetty to cross by boat to the Bilit Rainforest Lodge. The boat ride across is a short 5
minutes and you arrive at the Lodge. The Lodge is rustic and beautiful. It’s what you expect in the jungle.
The rooms are functional and as we expected. We had two interconnecting rooms in a duplex hut configuration. For a family it was perfect.
The food is all served buffet style in the communal dining room and is perfectly fine and functional. The service is lovely. All the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. There is a bar where you can buy drinks and a small shop where you can buy snacks. The wifi at the resort never worked when we stayed and didn’t work when it came time to settle our bill. Once again cash would have been better.
The best part of the stay were the river cruises. We did an afternoon cruise for 2 hours on the day we arrived. On the second day we did an early morning (6.30am) and late afternoon (4pm) cruise. We saw everything we’d hoped to see. Pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, hornbills, snakes, crocodiles, wild orangutans and more. It was amazing! It was what we came to Borneo for.
On day three we left the Lodge and headed with our tour guide to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok. After being in the jungle it honestly felt like a poor second. It was really busy and overflowing with tourists and felt a bit like a zoo. We may have felt differently about it had we done it first.
Overall we’d highly recommend the Bilit Rainforest Lodge.