Highly recommend BNL for some amazing tours in the jungle. The staff were so friendly and welcoming and our stay was fantastic. Vincent was the best tour guide we have ever met, so smart, enthusiastic and knowledgeable about everything we could possible imagine in Borneo. Highly recommend these guys for a great experience.
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We spent two nights at Borneo Nature Lodge as part of our independent tour of Borneo. The tours that they organized for us were truly fantastic. In addition to the morning and afternoon "classic" tours, we booked a private night walk and a night boat safari. They were all amazing experiences, especially the night safari was incredible! Our boat driver was so enthusiastic that he even made the tour longer so that we could manage to see the biggest kingfisher bird sleeping close up (and we did!). Unfortunately we found the accommodation really poor, especially for the price that we payed. I do not mind simple, but I do mind dirty. As other travelers pointed out, the bathroom was dirty and smelly (see photos), the room wasn't that clean either, the 'Watching tower" was closed and in general all the premises needed attention.They should find something to do for the guests in between the tours, since there are many many hours to wait and it is not possible to go anywhere or to do anything at all. The food was ok, but one evening it was not enough for everybody.
We were greeted at the airport by our tour guide Jame who was extremely friendly. We went to the Sepilok urang utan rehabilitation centre and Jame expertly guided us through giving lots of fantastic information and insight into the role of the centre. We then visited the sunbears nearby.
Then a 2 hour drive to meet the boat to take us down river to the lodge.
At the lodge we had a welcome drink and our lunch. Throughout the stay the food was tasty well made home cooking with a good variety of choice.
The room was simple with ACon and a ensuite with shower.
We then commenced with further tours down the river and a jungle trek we were very fortunate to see 2 wild urang utan and many other species due mainly to Jame superb treking ability.
We had a great time and would like to particularly recommend Jame (not just because he also happened to be a Liverpool supporter).
Stayed here as part of a tour of Sabah area. We enjoyed it. We found our rooms clean and comfortable. The staff worked hard and were attentive. The river holds many adventures - lots of sightings of birds, monkeys, elephants, and a crocodile. Umbrellas available during one rain storm. A wonderful experience.
This lodge was promoted as being a “featured” accommodation by our tour company (Peregrine). Naturally we had expectations of a great experience.
The lodge is very basic and severely in need of extensive maintenance.
The rooms are old, tired and barely clean.
The lodge claims to be an eco-lodge, yet it wraps glasses in individual plastic bags and provides soaps and shampoos in small plastic tubes (despite having empty liquid dispensers on the wall).
The upper level of the viewing platform is closed due to a lack of maintenance (the wooden steps have rotted)– this is a shame as there are fantastic opportunities to see monkeys and wildlife around the camp.
The lodge bar is closed as they do not have any ice (or any tonic water!)
Other than the lovely young lady who serves the food in the restaurant and acts as bar tender, the lodge staff don’t seem to care very much and sit around smoking and talking to each other in what used to be the bar. The food was bland and uninteresting.
The lodge offers a “Cultural Performance” as part of the stay. This comprised an employee from the kitchen and the young lady from the restaurant, dressed in sarongs, dancing to a couple of songs from a CD player. Very underwhelming!
The night jungle walk (extra cost) was guided by the Lodge guide. However, he did not explain anything and did not really seem to know where he was going. The lodge also did not provide the promised gumboots (they had not cleaned them) – an important piece of equipment in an area with lots of fire-ant nests.
The trips by boat on the river were fantastic and we saw a wide variety of animals and landscapes. However, while the boat was provided by the lodge, it was primarily our Peregrine guide who managed the outings. However, the Lodge guide/boat driver was very good at spotting wildlife.
Such a shame as this could be a fantastic lodge with a bit of staff commitment and some care and attention by the owners to the lodge structure and surroundings. The location is fantastic.
Staying here is all about being on the river. We arrived in the afternoon for a two night stay. We had a late afternoon trip on the river and then, on the following day, a morning trip and an afternoon trip. The river cruising was fabulous - peaceful, comfortable and we were able to see orang-utan, proboscis monkey and macaque monkeys from quite close range. Also saw an impressive assortment of birdlife. However, the accommodation was, to my mind, of a good backpackers style - not quite the four star we were expecting. Our room was reasonably clean and free from bugs (which I was very thankful for!), but was simple accommodation. Food was plentiful and tasty, and an effort was made to accommodate all dietary needs. However, you really need to have a good book with you, as when you are not on the river there is not much else to do. Some of the facilities were a bit tired and in need of repair (in particular, the viewing platform - rusted out nails and rotting wood prevented me from wanting to venture up on it). Staff were polite, but didn't tend to interact much.
