The Kinabatangan River (Sungai Kinabatangan) is located in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It is the second longest river in Malaysia, with a length of 560 kilometres from its headwaters in the mountains of southwest Sabah, to its outlet at the Sulu Sea, east of Sandakan.
Each year, the lashing rains of the northeast monsoon cause the river to swell rapidly. Unable to disgorge into the sea quickly enough, the river frequently overflows its banks and spreads across the flat land of its lower reaches, creating a huge floodplain.
Kinabatangan is known for its remarkable wildlife and fascinating habitats such as limestone caves, dipterocarp forests, riverine forest, freshwater swamp forest, oxbow lakes and salty mangrove swamps near the coast.
The ecology of the upper reaches of the river has been severely disrupted by excessive logging and clearing of land for plantations. However, the original lowland forests and mangrove swamps near the coast have largely survived and provide sanctuary for a relatively decent population of crocodiles, and contain some of Borneo and Southeast Asia's highest concentrations of wildlife. Of special note are Borneo's indigenous proboscis monkeys and orangutans, pygmy elephants and Sumatran rhinoceros. The area is also known for its great variety of birdlife, including the storm’s stork and 8 varieties off hornbills.
The entry point to the Lower Kinabatangan is the quaint town of Sandakan, approximately 30 minutes by flight and 6 hours overland from Kota Kinabalu, state capital of Sabah.
See our volunteering or education programmes at Lower Kinabatangan .
Visit Turtle Island, explore Sandakan, climb Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak of Southeast Asia or make a trip to Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, for a tourist experience. Or visit numerous other natural and cultural wonders in Sabah.
| The Great Orangutan Project and Great Marine Project are made up of several programmes:
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