About

4.5

#2 of 14 lodges in Sandakan

Location

Cleanliness

Service

Value

Rustic chalets and dormitory rooms set in Kampung Bilit Kinabatangan, be ready to watch abundance of wildlife from the comfort of boat rides. Transfers to and fro Nature Lodge Kinabatangan and meals are included in the tour prices.

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Property amenities

Free breakfast

Restaurant

Breakfast buffet

Airport transportation

Shuttle bus service

Outdoor furniture

Room features

Private balcony

Room types

Family rooms

Good to know

HOTEL CLASS

Languages Spoken

Malay

Location

Kampung Bilit, Sandakan Malaysia

Getting there

Sandakan Airport48 kmSee all flights

Lahad Datu Airport53 kmSee all flights

Car HireSee all Sandakan car hire

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463Reviews15Q+A63Room tips

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Yen wrote a review Nov 2023

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom31 contributions6 helpful votes

+1

3D2N visit via Borneo Dream bookings

Comfortable jungle amenities, well organised logistics, experienced punctual guide (thanks Mohamed!). Stayed in AC chalet, good food, gum boots provided for small fee for walks. Must bring - strong insect repellent and binoculars. Very lucky on river cruise to see heaps of proboscis monkeys, hornbills of all kinds, macaques, sea eagle, langurs and one huge croc (on last day thankfully, otherwise we’d be full of nerves). Walks - civet cat, frogs, owl, kingfisher, fly catcher.

Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends

Room Tip: November is start of wet season

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Paul R wrote a review Oct 2023

13 contributions3 helpful votes

Brilliant Experience

A fantastic experience and a great place to base yourself while exploring the Kinabatangan River. I did 3D2N. The hotel is nestled in nature, the rooms are clean, the toilets are clean and the food that is served buffet style in the restaurant is fantastic. The guides were knowledgeable and happy to help in every way. I highly recommend staying here.

Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled solo

Room Tip: Bring bug spray and long pants, mosquitoes are relentless. Also binoculars and a torch add to the...

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Travel With Zoe wrote a review Sept 2023

Malaysia1 contribution

I feel like home when I'm here!!!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed my stay. It's a good place to visit, I would like to recommend this to others. I really feel like home when July and Jennaira treat me like a family. Mohammad is our guide, he is an excellent guide, we love him so much!!!!!! I hope I can visit this lodge again for the elephant😜😜

Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled solo

Room Tip: Mosquitoes repellent, poncho and also binocular.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Joel B wrote a review Jul 2023

2 contributions1 helpful vote

Kinabatangan River Cruise

Such an amazing place. I had Mohammed as my guide and he is such a great guide, he knew loads about the wildlife and the jungle, as well as being able to spot everything! July, front of house, was so kind and helped me book my bud onwards. Great food and value for money!

Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled solo

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Rachael H wrote a review Apr 2023

7 contributions1 helpful vote

A once in a lifetime experience - thank you Mohammed!

We booked through Borneo Dream and had the most wonderful experience. Our guide Mohammed was fantastic - his ability to spot animals from hundreds of metres away was so impressive and his enthusiasm for his job made the experience even better. Thanks to Mohammed, we managed to see the Borneo Big 5 - pygmy elephants, proboscis monkey, crocodile, orangutan and rhinoceros hornbill. It was an experience I will never forget. Our accommodation at the lodge was comfortable and spacious. The meals were good and there is drinking water available to refill water bottles.

Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Response from Alexander Yee, General Manager at Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Responded 25 Jun 2023

Thank you for visiting us. And yes, you have seen the big 5!! Huge congratulations! Do help us pass the words around. Take care.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Anna B wrote a review Mar 2023

6 contributions

River safari

The guides were so knowledgeable about all the wildlife and pointed so many things out we wouldn’t have noticed. The receptionist was incredibly kind and friendly and the food was really good and had lots of options

Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Response from Alexander Yee, General Manager at Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Responded 25 Jun 2023

Thank you for vivisting us. Take care.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

M H wrote a review Feb 2023

Vantaa, Finland234 contributions70 helpful votes

+1

Okay place with room for improvements

I’ve visited Kinabatangan river before and also seen multiple rainforests in my life, so I’m comparing my experience to my earlier experiences. THE GOOD: The chalet was big enough for two persons, there was a good shower with warm water. A decent hair dryer was a nice bonus. We liked the food they offered - all lunches and dinners had chicken and fish option. Of course the main star of the visit is the river and the nature around it. We took the two nights package and on every river cruise we saw a ton of monkeys, including rare proboscis monkeys. We also saw a big male orangutan, baby crocodile, hornbills and other birds. Sadly, no elephants this time. Our guide took us to different places of the river and was good at spotting things. He also stopped every time passengers saw something and seemed to know quite a lot about the nature. He was also friendly and funny. The giggling lady in the reception was friendly too and always ready to answer questions. We also liked that the package contains pickups and drop-offs and almost everything you need so it is very hassle-free to do the trip. In general, Kinabatangan river is great place to see wildlife. Often, animals can be a bit too far for mobile phone cameras, but they are close enough so that you don’t need a huge lens to get great photos. The itinerary is quite packed, but every activity is optional so you can adjust it to fit for yourself. Some tips: make sure you have bug spray with you or an army of mosquitos will eat you alive. Also, make sure to bring long socks, pants and shirt. Tuck the pants into the socks if you don’t fancy donating blood to leeches. They do have leech socks available, but the staff told us that they are quite expensive and not really needed. THE BAD: All that being said, the place could improve some things. When we arrived, it didn’t feel very welcoming experience. It felt more like being a part of herded cattle. Immediately they explained the itinerary and after that send us away to find our own chalets. Next, there was afternoon tea but when we went to the restaurant, no one was there. That was often the theme on the lunches and dinners. Customers had to handle everything themselves and staff was nowhere to be seen. Once that lead to a situation where everyone else went to breakfast early and when we arrived on time, some of the food was already finished. A little bit of human touch and service could do wonders. Like other have mentioned, the chalets are a bit dirty and rundown. We were not expecting a high end room, but having spider webs everywhere and sand on the floor was a bit of a disappointment. Furniture could benefit from a little maintenance. The beds did not have mattress pads so we could feel the springs in the mattress. We slept well, but having mattress pads would be a great improvement. For some reason rubber boots are no included in the price which is weird, because they are a must-have because of the mud. Apparently cleaning of the boots is done by the customers and it shows. Our boots were extremely dirty and one of the boots was wet inside. On river cruises the biggest annoyance came from the combustion engines. They are loud and every time we stopped, we had to smell the fumes from all the boats around us and that gave us a headache. Naturally, animals close to the boats receive the same treatment. When we saw the big orangutan building his nest for the night, there were multiple boats surrounding it and getting very close. The animal we clearly in stress and made noises and gestures, trying to make us leave him alone. It was just sad to watch. Many tourists realised this and said out loud that this is not good and we should leave, but guides just stayed there. This is unacceptable. Nature and animals should be the first priority and excitement of tourists should come after that. To be clear, this wasn’t just our boat. It was every boat. It is somewhat sad to realise that one of the reasons you can see so many animals in Kinabatangan river is that animals are being cornered by palm oil plantations. Of course, this is not the fault of the lodge, but just something that is good to realise when you visit the place.…

Date of stay: February 2023

Value

Location

Service

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

4 Helpful votes

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CourtneyG wrote a review Dec 2022

Alberta, Canada24 contributions5 helpful votes

Okay

Booked the 3D/2N package through River Junkie in late November. We went when the river was high, which drastically reduced our chances to see pgymy elephants and crocodiles, but we did get to see many species of monkeys, birds, and even a few orangutans! Rooms: We booked a private cabin and for a two star hotel, it was adequate. The bed was comfortable, they provided a towel, the AC worked well, and the shower was hot. My major complaint was that the cabin felt dirty: dusty throughout and particularly noticeable under the bed and the toilet seat was not cleaned. The furniture was also a bit rundown. Service: The staff were friendly, including our guide: Mohammed. He seemed knowledgeable about the area and allowed us to use his binoculars on the boat. As part of the package, you go on a couple of night walks and a jungle trek. You can "rent" boots and a flashlight from the lodge (RM 10/ each, cash), but I think they should be included in the package because there's no way you could do either of these activities without them. For our first day, our group had 7 people, which was a perfect number. Easy to hear the guide on the boat, a little tougher on the night walk if you're in the back. The second day when the next group arrived, they got added to our group, which made for 12. I believe the max number of people is 14, but even 12 was a lot. If you're at the front of the boat, it's hard to hear the guide in the back and on the jungle trek/night walk, if you're in the back, you're hooped- you can't hear what the guide is saying. While I'm glad we had this experience, I wouldn't do it again. Perhaps if I was a wildlife photographer, I would. But you're so far away from the wildlife that a camera phone isn't going to do the trick. Lastly, there's no wifi in the rooms. But if you have a data plan, you should be able to connect (at least with Celcom).…

Date of stay: November 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

1 Helpful vote

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SusanBinkie wrote a review Oct 2022

Hobart, Australia16 contributions22 helpful votes

Another must-do activity when in north Borneo.

I booked with Nature Lodge because they offer a 2 day 1 night tour from Sandakan to Kinabatangan River. Pick up is in Sandakan or Sepilok, and lunch is at your own expense at Mango Garden where the food was nice but the service incredibly slow (our meal was only just served by the time we needed to be back on the bus). Dinner and breakfast are included. The tour included transfers to the lodge on the river, an afternoon cruise, a night jungle walk, and an early morning cruise, and back to Sandakan. The accommodation was okay, with excellent air conditioning. Our boat guide was fantastic, and we saw a lot of wildlife. 2 days and 1 night is plenty. Highly recommended.

Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled with family

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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M. Broekkamp wrote a review Sept 2022

3 contributions1 helpful vote

+1

Perfect Trip

We booked our trip with River Junkies, and ended up at the Kinabatangan Nature Lodge. The chalets are good with plenty of room and AC. The camp is cozy and everybody is very friendly. The food was good too. We took the 3D2N option with several Jungle treks and river cruises. And it was amazing! Thanks to the best guide you can have, Mr Eagle Eye Mohammed, we saw all the animals we hoped to see. Proboscis monkeys, Stork-billed Kingfishers, Pig-tailed, long tailed and short tailed macaques, crocodiles, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Orangutan and even the legendary Borneo-pygmee elephant. We had rainy days, sunny days and fogs, but in all conditions there is plenty of wildlife to see! Special thanks to you again Mohammed, your knowledge, optimism, jokes and binocular eyes made sure with had a once in a lifetime trip!…

Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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