We had heard about Uncle Tan's wildlife adventures from cousin Alice (thank you!) before leaving the UK and had also heard lots of good things from other travellers - our favourite being from a couple we met on mt Kinabalu that had woken up to find a 2m python in their room! So even though we were a bit stiff from the climb we headed straight to the ops base in Sepilok the next day. After a visit to watch the feeding time at the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary (partly funded by a UK charity) to see some rescued and rehabilitated Orangutans in the process of being integrated back into the wild, we headed inland to the Kinabatangan river. As we were waiting for the boat to arrive Ben spotted our first wild animal; a huge monitor lizard swimming down the river.
We travelled up stream for about an hour and saw plenty of birds and a few monkeys on the way. As we had expected the site was pretty basic with open bungalows (no doors or windows), electricity for a few hours a day and no showers. This did however give us a very good excuse to miss out on the freezing cold showers we have been having in SE Asia so it wasn't too bad!
We were lucky to arrive in a group of 9 with a good mix of people which all got on well. This, coupled with the enthusiastic and friendly staff made all the difference and we had a great time going on night cruises, morning safaris etc on the boats during which we spotted all sorts of amazing animals including Orangutans, strange looking proboscis monkeys, long tailed maquaces, hornbills, eagles, kingfishers, monitor lizards and civets to name but a few! Our favourite had to be the Bornean Gibbon though, we were so pleased to see one in the wild after spending 3 days in Laos searching for them!
It was great to be 'in the wild' for a few days and to see so many amazing wild animals close up. The main reason that there is such a large concentration of animals along the river is the logging and deforestation of primary rainforest for palm oil plantations in the area has forced all of the animals to a narrow strip along the river. This was really sad to see but we have found out that the Government along with WWF and other charities are working towards providing a buffer zone of 100m rainforest either side if the river. Though this isn't ideal it is currently being implemented and will be a huge improvement on the current situation. It is pleasing to see that the Government is working towards a balance between industry and wildlife, whilst recognising the commercial value of tourism and how this can be used towards a more sustainable future.