Sukau Rainforest Lodge stands on the banks of the Kinabatangan, one of the most important rivers in Borneo, in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Albert Teo, founder of Borneo Eco Tours, built it in 1995 as an ecolodge, a base for watching wildlife that would also show how a lodge can be built and run sustainably, and Borneo Eco Tours still owns and runs it, with about 80 per cent of the staff local. The lodge has 40 rooms. Deluxe Rooms follow a traditional longhouse arrangement, each with a sunroom and a bench looking into the forest, and the 20 newer Borneo Villas, about 32 square metres, have private balconies and more space between them. All have air conditioning, ceiling fans and screened windows and doors. Gomantong Hall has a small library and the Gecko Bar serves drinks. The river is home to Bornean pygmy elephants, orangutans and proboscis monkeys, and the lodge's tours set out to find what it calls the Borneo Big 5. Guests are met in Sandakan, which has flights from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur, and reach the lodge by speedboat along the river in about two and a half hours or by road through oil palm plantations in about two.
- Nearest airport
- Sandakan Airport, then about two hours by road or two and a half hours by boat
- Rooms
- 40 rooms, including 20 Borneo Villas
Insider tip Choose the speedboat transfer from Sandakan: it takes longer than the road but gives the best chance of seeing pygmy elephants, orangutans and proboscis monkeys on the way.
Why I choose it A long-running ecolodge on the Kinabatangan River, for Borneo's pygmy elephants, orangutans and proboscis monkeys.