Kawag Nature Lodge
Block 4, Ground Floor, MDLD 3286/3287, Lahad Datu 91112 Malaysia
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About
#3 of 9 Specialty lodging in Lahad Datu
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Kawag Nature Lodge (KNL) is the perfect jungle escapade for travellers seeking to unwind in nature’s warm and loving embrace in Sabah. Located in Kawag Forest, a Class 1 Protection Forest Reserve area, it is only 80 minutes drive away from Lahad Datu town. The lodge is surrounded by lush forest, Bornean wildlife, network of streams and rivers and literally sits on the oldest geological formation of crystalline basement, approximately 200 million years old. Our activities will get you closer to this amazing natural environment. We have river tubing, picnic by the the waterfall, fish spa, jungle trekking and night drive to spot nocturnal wildlife. KNL is equipped with basic hotel facilities and amenities to ensure your stay is comfortable in the wilderness. The lodge restaurant serves local delicacies, has a 24-hour electricity, clean and cosy rooms with air-conditioner and fan, and hot water for showers.
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Property amenities
Free internet
Restaurant
Hiking
Bicycle tours
Kids stay free
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Airport transportation
Concierge
Public wifi
Breakfast available
Complimentary welcome drink
Walking tours
Non-smoking hotel
Laundry service
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Room features
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Desk
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Clothes rack
Walk-in shower
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
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Room types
Landmark view
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Malay
Location
Contact
Block 4, Ground Floor, MDLD 3286/3287, Lahad Datu 91112 Malaysia
Getting there
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46Reviews3Q+A8Room tips
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so beautiful place great activities many plant many animals friendly staf Among the interesting activities is the activity of tubing through the very clean river, at the same time be able to see trees And wild animalsry it feel yourself
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Date of stay: April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
We had an amazing 4D3N stay at the lodge and we booked through Borneo Refugia Adventure. At first we were unsure how the surroundings would be as it is not primary forest in Kawag, but that did not matter at all! Animals know no boundaries and you have chances of seeing everything here. We were super lucky and had some amazing wildlife encounters. Much thanks to our superb guide Donny who did everything to make our walks as good as possible with many good sightings. As it is with nature and wildlife you still have to be in the right place at the right time, we were. During our stay we saw lots of wildlife such as; a herd of about 30 pygmy elephants, 4 orang-utans (at different times/days), long-tailed macaques, monitor lizards and lots of birds such as hornbills, pitta, eagles…
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Date of stay: November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from HafeonaJ, Sales and Marketing Officer at Kawag Nature Lodge
Responded 16 Dec 2018
Dear Ms Annika, We are delighted to know that you had an amazing experience during your stay with us. We appreciate your time in sharing your experiences and rated us 5 stars in our services, value and location. We are looking forward to welcome you again in the near future. With kind regards, The Management Teams Borneo Refugia Adventure Sdn Bhd
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Traveling in Borneo is different from many places frequently traveled. The purpose of the trip is to view the unique wildlife. The accommodations are spartan and far different than other well-frequented tourist places. Please keep that in mind, regarding personal accommodations, and the trips purpose. You are here to see the pygmy elephants, and that is the focus. The rooms in the lodge are clean, a queen size bed was present, the conditioning worked, and the bathroom was fine. Dinner was served and was fine, simple, and well-prepared. The accommodations paled to the drive in the open bed of the truck to find the pygmy elephants, which we did as well as some hornbills, and even a wild orangutan.
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Date of stay: November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
We enjoyed our 2 nights' stay at the Kawag Rainforest Lodge which has basic amenities but its room was clean and comfortable, not to mention it's surrounded by the vast peaceful greenery of the Borneo rainforest. Our unforgettable experience was taking the jeep for the night ride through the forest in search of nocturnal animals. The friendly trained guide from Borneo Refugia tour operator was able to spot even the slightest movement of such animals in pitch darkness, to the delight of everyone on the jeep.
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Date of stay: July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Hafeona J, Sales and Marketing Officer at Kawag Nature Lodge
Responded 4 Sep 2018
Greetings from Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge! Thank you for your review. It's good that you have a great moment at Kawag.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Overall the stay was enjoyed by our party very much. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The food at every meal was excellent and they even made special chilli sauce so we could make it spicier. The activities during the day were well planned out but the guides were flexible if you wanted to do something different. On all the walks we did there were leeches but if you keep all your clothes tucked in you shouldn’t get a leech biting you. The only disappointing thing about our stay is they we did not see as much wildlife as we had hoped to have seen but that cannot be blamed on the lodge itself. Overall the stay was very nice.
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Date of stay: July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Hafeona J, Sales and Marketing Officer at Kawag Nature Lodge
Responded 12 Aug 2018
Hi Petras. Thank you for your review. We are glad that you have been served well by our friendly staff.We hope that your positive review will encourage more peoples to visit us. Have a nice day!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We booked our two nights stay through Borneo Adventure by internet. From the airport pick-up to the bus station drop-off at Lahad Datu, everything was perfectly managed. We had an excellent and pleasant experience at the lodge, in the middle of the jungle. We were the only two guests, so it was very quiet, no phone connection, only jungle noise around, so relaxing ! The overall accommodation is great and the staff was very attentive, smiling and friendly. Warm welcome with useful informations, and the possibility to buy leeches socks which have proved useful against leeches close to the ground. We had been warned on booking that, at this time of the year (end of December) the region receives much rain and leeches proliferate. However, the many leeches did not spoil our…
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Date of stay: December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Hafeona J, Sales & Marketing Officer at Kawag Nature Lodge
Responded 1 Mar 2018
Thank you very much for sharing to us your experience, we’ve enjoyed reading your reviews. We are glad that you had a great time at Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
+1
This Lodge was originally a research centre and was later converted into a lodge once the research was completed. The amenities are quite basic and the rooms are rustic. But the entire place is so beautiful. You are suddenly plonked right into the middle of a rainforest and have nothing but jungle for miles around. It is a peaceful feeling to be at one with nature. Nature lovers would die for such a place. The 3 days we stayed here were definitely not enough. Everyday we used to go for jungle treks through the secondary rainforest around our camp. The leech infested paths were a small price to pay for the actual experience of trudging through the wonderful forest spilling with different insects, lizards, birds and animals. The sun hardly breaks through the thick forest roof…
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Date of stay: December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Hafeona J, Sales and Marketing Officer at Kawag Nature Lodge
Responded 9 Jan 2018
Thank you for sharing your views. We would like to share some information about Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge (KDRL). KDRL is owned by the Sabah Forestry Department. It was built in June 2012 and completed in December 2014. The Lodge started its operation on 1st August 2016. Borneo Refugia Adventure Sdn Bhd has been entrusted by the Sabah Forestry Department to manage and sell KDRL. In May 2016, a Scientific Exploration has been conducted in KDRL to record scientific information about Kawag Forest. The Lodge is new and were open for eco-tourism purposes and it is located at the buffer zone in Danum Valley Conservation Area (DVSC) where the world renown Danum Valley Field Centre is located. We are happy to know that you had a wonderful time at KDRL. We hope with your sharing, more viewers will come and visit us at Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge. Have a nice day!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I have never felt so cheated before... Let's start with the environment: The forest is beautiful, peaceful area in the rainforest. The staff is friendly (although some of them don't speak English) and the guides do what they can to show you the fauna. However, the animals are very difficult to see (we didn't see anything apart from insects and thousands of leeches). We paid extra (70 euro/person) for a trip to the primary forest, definitely not worth it as we did not see any animal there either. Now let's talk about the hotel: The price paid (230 euro/night/2 people), is way too expensive for the facilities of the hotel. The rooms are as basic as any hostel found anywhere else around Asia: dirty purple walls, super basic bathroom, very old furniture, found several big spiders…
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Date of stay: September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
Positive points: Rooms are nice, food is fine. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Our guide was great. Negative points: We were very disappointed with the rainforest. They told us at the office in Lahad Datu that the lodge is situated in the secondary forest, but it wasn't made clear to us that it is very new secondary forest and had been heavily logged in the recent past. So the flora and fauna were not as you might expect. Maybe nice for people with little experience of the rainforest, but not for us. Definitely not worth our money!
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Date of stay: August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
We went here as an alternative to going to Danum Valley Field Centre or the extremely expensive Borneo Rainforest Lodge. The Kawag Rainforest is just outside of the Danum Valley Conservation Area. Beautiful dense (secondary) jungle. The lodge is great and there were very few people there. We stayed for 4 nights. The first two nights there were 2 other people there and the second two nights there were 3 others. So it was very quiet and very peaceful. The rooms are fairly basic but definitely good enough. We had one of the 'deluxe' rooms which have a balcony overlooking the forest. 3 meals a day are included in the price. The food was excellent. The best we ate in Sabah. The service was always excellent and the staff very friendly and helpful. We went on a guided…
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Date of stay: July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge
LOCATION
MalaysiaSabahLahad Datu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
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