Borneo - Gomantong Caves & Jungle Elephants (Malaysia)

Today we were picked up by our guide at our hotel Four Points by Sheraton in Sandakan. Today’s destination was a river cruise on the Kinabatangan.

Table of contents

The Gomantong Caves

Our first destination today were the Gomantong Caves,which are located about 30 kilometers south of Sandakan (see Google Maps). The caves are known for the up to 1.5 million bats living there and especially the Salangans, swallow-like birds. Their nests are re-energized and exported to China. Because there the nests are dissolved in a soup and eaten – a real delicacy for Chinese. In Southeast Asia, the trade in swallow nests is a very big business. Many Chinese pay several hundred euros for this delicacy – 1 kilo can cost up to 20,000 euros. Above all, there are plenty of crawling animals in these caves, starting with spiders, spider runners and lots of cockroaches. A place to feel good 😉

The Gomantong Caves on Borneo

Hike through the jungle of Borneo

The Gomantong Caves on Borneo

A spider runner

Spiders

A centipede

A lot of cockroaches

A boat trip on the Kinabatangan River

After the visit to the cave we drove on to the Kinabatangan River. There was a small local lunch and then we set off with our guide and a boat guide for a river trip lasting several hours. We have seen different bird species and different monkey species, some also very close to the river.

The start of the river trip

Monkeys on Borneo

A Borneo Kingfisher

The jungle elephants on Borneo

But what we actually wanted to see were the jungle elephants. For two hours we drove up and down the river and were almost on our way back, because we just weren’t lucky. And then it happened: on the shore a large herd of elephants came out of the jungle and ran to the river to bathe. It was fascinating to see more and more elephants coming out of the jungle and going towards the river. An insanely beautiful experience that you probably shouldn’t experience often.

A group of jungle elephants on the Kinabatangan River

A group of jungle elephants

A jungle elephant comes from the jungle

A jungle elephant in Borneo

A wild elephant in Borneo

The jungle elephants of Borneo

The jungle elephants go swimming in the river

Especially the little elephants fought with each other or threw grass on their backs. In the end, 6 elephants were right in front of us in the water and some more on the shore.

Wildlife watching on the Kinabatangan River

Elephant on the Kinabatangan River

A jungle elephant in Borneo

2 playing jungle elephants

The jungle elephants go swimming in the river

When it started to dawn we went back to the shore and to Sandakan. What a great day ♥

All travelogues from South-East Asia (2013)

In this holiday through South East Asia we travelled through 5 different countries. Starting with our flight to Hong Kong (China), then on to Bangkok (Thailand), to the million metropolis Singapore, then into the jungle to the UNESCO World Heritage Angkor Wat to Siem Riep (Cambodia), on to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and finally to the island of Borneo (Malaysia). An unbelievably fascinating journey with an incredible number of impressions and experiences.