Sukau is sizzling

At the end of a lonesome road that turned off from the highway and meandered through endless palm plantations, arrived at a little boat ramp. We heave our luggage into a little boat, and are brought to a wooden ramp that creaks and whistles as we walk over it. We were at this family homestay on the Kinabatangan river.

Every chance we got we went out on the boat to explore the creeks and tributaries of this deep brown river that was surrounded by forest. The forest was teeming with wildlife! And the rain was pouring down on the first evening. We travelled in the rain as we watched crocodiles, a family of Pygmy elephants, kingfishers, macaques, hornbills and eagles that flew overhead. That's two of the Borneo Big Five on the first evening. As the storm subsided, a rainbow shone through, and overhead flew a Storm's Stork! The rarest stork species with lesser than 500 remaining in the wild.

Next morning started with a male orangutan feeding whole-heartedly on Durian fruits. He chomped through their thick skins like they were berries. Families of Proboscis monkeys cavorted on the branches above the river. The long-tailed macaques were an absolute riot on the branches and on the ground between the mangrove roots. There! Between the roots, the blue-headed Crested Firebacks peck at the floor. Monitor lizards lounge on the dead branches in the sunshine.

Before we see them, we hear them. The 30+ strong family of Bornean elephants trumpet loudly, and with clear anxiety, at the female and child that had wandered off too far into the forest. The matriarch of the group was not pleased and let them know. One female drew long grass out with her trunk and waved it about over her head before folding it into her mouth. One large female sat till her head in the water, oblivious to crocodiles, and used her trunk as a snorkel. The baby elephants did baby things and were just adorable.

We saw 6 of the 8 hornbills that are found in Borneo during our stay here. We were lucky enough to spot the endangered Helmeted Hornbill flying off into the canopy. The iconic Rhinoceros Hornbill helped complete our Borneo Five. With crocodiles with eyes the size of tennis balls, and kingfishers spiking through the water, and the primates tugging and jumping on the branches and the torrential downpour splattering on the chocolate brown river - Sukau was simply sizzling!Read more