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Sandakan · Sabah · The Expedition

Kinabatangan River Cruise 5D4N: three lodges, the whole river.

The Kinabatangan river cruise 5D4N is the deepest itinerary on the river — Sepilok's orangutans and flying squirrels, two nights at boat-access Abai with fireflies and the Pitas oxbow, then upstream to Sukau's famous Menanggul. RM3,880 per adult, all-inclusive.

Verified price — checked Sep 2026 Operated by a licensed Sabah tour operator (KPK/LN 10223) Free enquiry — no payment on this site Reply within 1 working day
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The trip in 30 seconds: the Kinabatangan river cruise 5D4N costs RM3,880 per adult (child 2–10: RM3,110), all-inclusive from Sandakan, verified September 2026. Night 1 in the Sepilok rainforest with flying squirrels at dusk. Day 2: orangutans, sun bears, then a boat down to Abai for fireflies. Day 3: dawn on the Pitas oxbow, jungle breakfast, village lunch. Day 4: upstream to Sukau for the Menanggul cruise. Day 5: boat home.

3 lodges · all-boat river travel Sepilok → Abai → Sukau Aerial view of Abai Jungle Lodge on the lower Kinabatangan River

5D4N Sepilok & Kinabatangan River Safari (Abai & Sukau)

N1: MyNature Resort, Sepilok · N2–3: Abai Jungle Lodge · N4: Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, Sukau — air-conditioned standard rooms

Sepilok orangutansFlying squirrelsFirefly night cruise4 wildlife cruisesPitas Ox-Bow LakeVillage visitMenanggul River4B · 4L · 4D

Once you board the boat at Sim Sim Jetty on day 2, roads disappear: everything from Abai to Sukau to home happens on the water. The itinerary works the river top to bottom — fireflies, oxbow dawns, a village table, and the Menanggul's primate-packed banks.

Full details

Included

4 nights across three lodges, English-speaking guide, all land and boat transfers, all meals (4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners), all entrance fees.

Good to know

Tour code RB-5D4N-SDK-SI-AJL/2-KRL · min 2 pax · child rate ages 2–10 · MyNature Resort has a rainforest-facing pool and a shuttle to Sepilok (2 km) and the Rainforest Discovery Centre — bring swimwear · pack a torch for the night walks.

From RM 3,880 per adult · all-inclusive Child (2–10): RM 3,110

Day by day

Verified against the operator's current itinerary (tour code RB-5D4N-SDK-SI-AJL/2-KRL). Times shift slightly with light and season.

Day 1

Sandakan → the Sepilok rainforest

Arrive on any flight landing before 4:00 PM and transfer to MyNature Resort, beside Sepilok. Explore the 1,500-foot canopy boardwalk before dark, be at the Flying Squirrel platform by 6:00 PM to watch them launch at dusk, and take a guided night walk before or after dinner. There's a rainforest-facing pool if you'd rather ease in.

Meals: D — MyNature Resort, Sepilok
Day 2

Orangutans, sun bears, then down the river to Abai

9:00 AM at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre — outdoor nursery, then the 10:00 feeding — followed by the Sun Bear Conservation Centre next door. 12:00 scheduled boat from Sim Sim Jetty down the coast and into the river to Abai Jungle Lodge; lunch on arrival. The 4:30 PM cruise runs the best stretch of the lower river until dark, then rolls straight into the firefly night cruise. Dinner on the jetty, then a guided night walk on the boardwalk.

Meals: B · L · D — Abai Jungle Lodge
Day 3

Oxbow dawn and the village table

6:30 AM cruise into Pitas Ox-Bow Lake, with a jungle breakfast served on the forest platform at 8:00. Late morning, visit Abai village and sit down for lunch in a villager's home — the operator's community program. Back on the water at 4:30 PM for another wildlife cruise, dinner at the lodge.

Meals: B · L · D — Abai Jungle Lodge
Day 4

Upstream to Sukau and the Menanggul

A slow morning on the boardwalk, then the 10:00 AM boat cruises upstream to Sukau — a river transfer that doubles as game viewing. Check in at Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, lunch, then the 4:30 PM cruise up the Menanggul River, the narrow tributary famous for proboscis monkeys settling in at dusk.

Meals: B · L · D — Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, Sukau
Day 5

Down the river, home

Breakfast on the river-view jetty at 6:30, then the 7:30 AM boat all the way back to Sandakan. Early lunch before the airport — book a flight departing after 2:00 PM.

Meals: B · early L

Where you'll stay

All three included in the package price — air-conditioned standard rooms, twin-sharing.

Night 1 · SepilokMyNature Resort canopy boardwalk in the Sepilok rainforest

MyNature Resort — rainforest-facing pool, 1,500 ft canopy boardwalk and the flying-squirrel platform at dusk.

Nights 2–3 · AbaiAerial view of Abai Jungle Lodge on the lower Kinabatangan

Abai Jungle Lodge — reachable only by river, with jetty dining over the water and the boardwalk night-walk trail.

Night 4 · SukauKinabatangan Riverside Lodge at Sukau seen from the river

Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge — river-view jetty breakfast and the closest base to the Menanggul River.

How the durations compare

All prices per adult, all-inclusive from Sandakan, verified against the operator's detail pages, September 2026.

DurationFromRiver cruisesSepilokSignatureBest for
Day tourRM 6001—Gomantong CavesHome by night
2D1NRM 7802—Overnight tasterTight itineraries
3D2NRM 8803–4On some packagesThe classic safariThe wildlife sweet spot; 7 packages
4D3NRM 2,8804✓ + Sun BearSelingan turtle nightAll three Sandakan icons, once
5D4N (this page)RM 3,8804 + firefly✓ + Sun Bear + squirrelsThree lodges, all-boatRiver depth: fireflies, oxbow, Menanggul

Not included: Malaysia Tourism Tax (RM10/room/night at check-in for foreign visitors; Malaysians exempt with IC), drinks, flights, travel insurance, tipping and personal expenses. Rates subject to final confirmation at booking.

Price you can trust

RM3,880 comes from the operator's own detail page, not a category listing — checked September 2026, with no hidden surcharges on this itinerary.

One enquiry, real answer

Tell us your dates and group; you get availability and a full written quote by email, usually within one working day. No payment is taken on this site.

Honest about wildlife

Sepilok's platform is the near-guarantee; fireflies light most nights on the lower river. Wild orangutans and elephants remain exactly that — wild. We won't promise what the jungle doesn't.

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Kinabatangan river cruise 5D4N, answered

The questions people ask before booking.

How much does a Kinabatangan river cruise 5D4N cost?
RM3,880 per adult and RM3,110 per child aged 2–10, twin-sharing, minimum 2 pax — all-inclusive of four nights across three lodges, all meals (4B/4L/4D), every land and boat transfer, entrance fees and all guided cruises and walks.
How is this different from the 4D3N?
The 4D3N trades a river day for Selingan Turtle Island. This 5D4N skips the turtles and goes deeper instead: the Sepilok rainforest night with flying squirrels, two nights at boat-access Abai, and the Menanggul River at Sukau. Turtles vs. river depth is the whole choice.
How many cruises are included?
Four wildlife cruises (Abai afternoons on days 2 and 3, the Pitas oxbow dawn, the Menanggul on day 4) plus the day-2 firefly night cruise — and the boat transfers between Sandakan, Abai and Sukau are river journeys in themselves.
Will I see fireflies?
The day-2 evening cruise runs into the lower river's firefly zone, where riverside trees flash after dark on most nights. Like everything wild here, frequent isn't the same as guaranteed.
What are the lodges like?
Air-conditioned standard rooms throughout: MyNature Resort at Sepilok (pool, canopy boardwalk), Abai Jungle Lodge (reachable only by river, jetty dining), and Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge at Sukau. Comfortable eco-lodge standard rather than luxury.
What are the flight timing rules?
Day 1: any flight landing in Sandakan before 4:00 PM. Day 5: the boat is back mid-morning with an early lunch before the airport — book a departure after 2:00 PM.
What's excluded?
Malaysia Tourism Tax (RM10 per room per night at check-in; Malaysians exempt with IC), drinks, flights, travel insurance, tipping and personal expenses.
The full-river expeditionRM 3,880 / adult
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