Disembarked, Singaporean customs cleared, land legs firmly back on from our twenty day container ship voyage I would look forward to ten days in Borneo’s Northern Province of Sabah with long-time friend Bevan. Bevan was on annual leave and I was nearing the end of my ‘two years leave’ so on account of the hot and sweaty conditions in Kota Kinabalu most of our time was spent relaxing during the heat of the day.
One of the activities travellers come to Sabah for is to climb Borneo’s highest point, Mt Kinabalu, which is a popular two day hike and at 4,095m it affords incredible views. The Travel hack page provides a through list of tips for those wanted to plan and complete the hike to the summit; a fantastic experience indeed.
Bevan and I would take the long bus ride across Sabah’s jungle to Sandakan where there are reminants of ANZAC War history as there is a former Prison Camp where the infamous death marches begun back during WWII. However the main reason we came to Sandakan was to join a jungle river tour, so we signed up for a three day jungle/river tour through our hostel. Even in this remote part of Sabah, I was surprised how many other young intrepid travellers also joined. I guess tourism is the world’s biggest industry for a reason.
The tour began with a bus ride from Sandakan south towards the Kinabatangan River where we would board small outboard boats and be taken up stream to view the animals of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary from the river front. We’d see a number of animals along with stunning sunsets during our two night stay in the jungle getting to know the environment along with our fellow travellers. A thoroughly enjoyable time with the team despite the downpours, power cuts, ants and rats, but that’s life in the Jungle.
