Kinabatangan River (Sukau)

Getting there

By road from Sandakan to the riverside villages around Sukau, where the lodges and boat operators are.

What to do

• River cruises with a guide to look for proboscis monkeys, orangutans, Bornean pygmy elephants and crocodiles.
• Birdwatching: all eight hornbill species found in Borneo live here.
• Jungle walks and cave visits from the lodges.

The weather here

Animals are most active in the early morning and late afternoon, when the cruises go out. Afternoon storms can cut a cruise short, and after heavy rain the river rises and the banks can flood.

Good to know

• The Kinabatangan floodplain was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in September 2025.
• Most visitors stay one or two nights at a riverside lodge that runs the cruises.

Sunday 8 November has the least daytime rain in the weather forecast: about 1.6 mm between 8 am and 8 pm.

• Monday 2 November: Rain, 31°C / 24°C, rain 7.7 mm in the morning and 0.9 mm in the afternoon.
• Tuesday 3 November: Showers, 32°C / 24°C, rain 1.2 mm in the morning and 1.9 mm in the afternoon.
• Wednesday 4 November: Light rain, 31°C / 24°C, rain 1.3 mm in the morning and 0.5 mm in the afternoon.
• Thursday 5 November: Rain, 26°C / 24°C, rain 4.4 mm in the morning and 1.3 mm in the afternoon.
• Friday 6 November: Rain, 26°C / 24°C, rain 7.5 mm in the morning and 3.5 mm in the afternoon.
• Saturday 7 November: Rain, 27°C / 23°C, rain 3.3 mm in the morning and 5.3 mm in the afternoon.
• Sunday 8 November: Light showers, 31°C / 23°C, rain 0.7 mm in the morning and 0.9 mm in the afternoon.

Weather forecast issued Mon 2 Nov, 03:18 (MYT) from the MET Norway weather model; smoke forecast from Copernicus CAMS. Forecasts from models, not measurements.