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Bilit Rainforest Lodge is located beside the Lower Kinabatangan River in the village of Bilit, approximately 2 hours drive from Sandakan. It is a set of amidst lush tropical forest and offers comfort and peaceful relaxation as well as a base for easy exploration of the incredible diversity of plant, mammal and birds at the Kinabatangan region. All chalets and the restaurant are made from local hardwood material and are designed to blend into the nature giving a unique local native ambience. The rooms are very spacious and comfortable with a minimum of 600 sq.ft. for standard chalets and 800 sq. ft. for VIP permier chalets. A boardwalk connects the jetty, restaurant and all the chalets.
This was second visit to this amazing place in the jungle previously staying in 2019. Perfect place to chill and relax with the sound of nature. No WiFi… what does that matter. The atmosphere certainly makes up for it. Sat in the restaurant in the evening watching the bats fly in and out , and the Civet cat that appeared to have adopted the lodge! Food was great and it was no trouble for the staff to attend to likes and dislikes. Staff were very hard working and were so friendly and welcoming. Room was basic but very comfortable with everything we needed. Thank you guys for making this part of our honeymoon memorable. I hope you continue to see your visitor numbers increase.. you all deserve it.
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Date of stay: June 2022
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.
So lets start with the positives. I have read many reviews about crap guides uninformed. Our guide Jon was the most amazing guide and spotted for us all sorts of wildlife including Pygmy elephants. Eagles. Kingfisher snakes crocodile hornbills. His English was brilliant. His knowledge was amazing and we loved him. This was our time once off the hotel edge and on the boat. Unfortunately that’s where it stops. The rooms are basic beyond belief. Not clean We had no hot water initially and then a Luke warm trickle. No making any beds up or any room service. No milk for coffee in the room no fridge. No WiFi in the resort offered at all. Then there is the food. The first 24hrs we got given plates of food No choice at all. Oven chips and s scoop of rice. With some…
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Date of stay: June 2022
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.
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…
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Date of stay: March 2020
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 AB_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 21 Apr 2020
Hi Xenie67, Thank you so much for your awesome review! We're so happy that you enjoyed your tour with us at the lodge! Spotting wildlife in Sabah is almost a guaranteed experience and it's wonderful you got to see a pygmy elephant cooling itself by the river, which is not something one sees often! And it's true, the night skies as seen from the lodge as well as around it is stunning and it's great that you got to experience it ~ We hope to see you staying with us again soon! For now, please stay safe! Until next time, cheers!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Excellent service, comfortable rooms, very good food, enthusiatic and knowledgeable guides, exciting river trips. We ejoyed this lodge as we saw more animals by the river than we saw deeper in the forest. 2 night / 3 days was a long enough time to stay.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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 AB_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 26 Feb 2020
Hi Forklift, Thank you for taking the time to write a review! We try our very best to ensure our guests' stay with us is enjoyable, comfortable and memorable. To hear that you loved your stay with us and even got to spot some wildlife from our lodge is truly wonderful to hear! We hope to see you stay with us again on your next trip to Sabah :) have a great week ahead!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We spent 2 nights / 3 days here as part of an independent tour. The lodge provides a real rainforest experience with good food and reasonable but basic rooms. The reason for staying here though is the staff - all from the local village - and the rainforest guides who escort you on the river trios, village walks and excursion to Gomatong Cave and the Sepilok Orang-utan and Sun Bear Centres. Our guide, Paul, was absolutely superb - we loved him! Friendly, funny and very knowledgable about the local animals, Paul made our trip very memorable. It's also worth noting that the lodge is a strong supporter of conservation and eco-tourism. We saw groups of animals along the river every 5 minutes or so - there's so much to see. If you love wildlife, this is the place for you.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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 AB_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 24 Feb 2020
Hi 408christopherp, Thank you so much for taking the time to post your review! We're so glad to hear that you had a blast while staying with us at Bilit Rainforest Lodge. The wildlife, together with the people, is truly what makes Kinabatangan unique thus protecting the wildlife as the local people's way of life is a priority to us. We hope to see you stay with us when you're in Borneo again! Cheers and have a great week ahead!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stayed here for 2 nights as part of a Trip A Deal tour. The bus dropped us off and we travelled to the lodge via boat. Great welcome, very clean rooms, lovely helpful staff and great food. I loved the sightseeing trips via boat. The wildlife is absolutely amazing. What a wonderful experience, highly recommended.
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Date of stay: September 2019
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 Aisah_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 1 Jan 2020
Hi pam j, Thanks for taking the time to write an awesome review! it's great to hear you enjoyed your stay at the lodge and that everything was to your liking! Witnessing wildlife in their natural habitat is truly an unforgettable sight and we hope you'll remember this memory with fondness :) we hope to see you staying with us again on your next trip to Borneo. Until next time and we hope you'll have a great 2020 ahead!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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…
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Date of stay: November 2019
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 Aisah_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 10 Dec 2019
Hi F7652NOkevinr, Thank you for the 5-star review! We're so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed your stay at the lodge! We agree, the river cruises on the Kinabatangan River are wonderful and to see wild orangutans in the wild is rare so you were very lucky indeed! We hope you'll stay with us again on your next trip to Borneo :) have a great week! Cheers!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What a wonderful place! Nothing was too much trouble and the team really looked after us from the moment we were picked up from the pier and taken to our Chalet. Rooms are spotlessly clean and the air con works well. My son is vegetarian and lovely food appeared for him at each of our meals. Paul, our guide, along with our fabulous boat captain made each river cruise special as they were so skilled and knowledgeable. We were even lucky enough to see the pigmy elephants. A very special place and stay giving memories that will last a lifetime
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Date of stay: November 2019
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 Aisah_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 20 Nov 2019
Hi Currir, Thank you so much for the 5-star review! It's so great to hear that you and your son had an enjoyable and memorable stay at Bilit Rainforest Lodge! Indeed, you were very lucky to see the pygmy elephants during the river cruise, truly an encounter that will last a lifetime! We hope to see you and your son staying with us again when you're both back in Borneo. Have a great week ahead, cheers!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was a highlight of the trip for me! I booked through River Junkies and everything went great - we did a 2D/1N trip. The bus picked us up from our Sepilok hotel right on time and we were off to Bilit Rainforest Lodge. When we got there, they provided a snack and drinks before boarding our first river cruise. We saw all kinds of wildlife on the cruise - proboscis monkeys, pig tailed macaque, long tailed macaque, silverleaf monkeys, various types of birds...and the elusive Bornean pygmy elephant!! It did start pouring rain on us while we were going to the elephant but the water was worth it to me to see the elephant (my pics are awful of the elephant because of the rain though unfortunately). The dinner provided was excellent and they had chicken, seafood, and vegetarian…
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Date of stay: November 2019
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 Aisah_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 17 Nov 2019
Hi Meaghan G, Thank you for the 5-star review! We're happy to hear you enjoyed your stay with us! The river cruise on the Kinabatangan River is definitely the highlight and you were very lucky to see the Bornean pygmy elephant, even though it was raining! But there's no rainforest without a little rain right ;) and indeed, the monkeys are very mischievous and playful so taking care of your belongings is good advice! We hope to see you and your family back in Borneo and staying with us again in the near future! All the best!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
So sad to have left this place after 2 nights and and 2 action packed days. Paul our guide was so enthusiastic and was never off duty. He looked after us from start to finish and made sure we saw as much as we could. The food here was delicious and plentiful, catering well for a vegetarian diet also. The staff were charming and attentive. Captain Ronnie knew exactly where to find animals along the river and we saw many types of birds, macaques, crocodiles, monitor lizards. Do not expect 5 star luxury but this place is very comfortable and you will be well looked after. Would return in a heartbeat.
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Date of stay: October 2019
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 Aisah_Customer_Care, Public Relations Manager at Bilit Rainforest Lodge
Responded 9 Oct 2019
Dear Uglynet, Thank you for the 5-star review! Your satisfaction and comfort means a lot to us, so we're happy to hear that you and your friends and family were well looked after. Sabah is great for wildlife spotting so we're glad that you got to witness some magnificent wildlife in your 2 night trip. We will be sure to pass the compliments to Paul and Captain Ronnie. We hope to see you all again soon! Cheers!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.