To travel to Sakau one generally takes a speedboat ride from the coastal town to the dense mangroves and don’t be surprised if it rains! Rain turns to sleet at that speed and it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t actually cold. I thought a tropical summer would be hot, humid and wet, but apparently it can be cold and wet!
But the scenery and wildlife more than make up for human comforts. The rivers are wide and a turbid, pale brown colour fringed in dense, rainforest mangrove vegetation no taller than around 10-15m. Looking around I really do feel a long way from home, in an ecosystem very different to anything I have ever seen. As we came around another sweeping bend I gasped at the sight of pygmy elephants in the wild. There was a small herd along the riverbank eating the aptly named elephant grass. Two of these mini-giants were in the water and I watched in wonder as they swam, fed and called to each other. It was amazing to witness. This is the real, David Attenborough-expedition-type experiences that make memories of a lifetime.
Along the route to Sukau we also saw proboscis monkeys. There was a single large male with his harem of twenty or so females dotted in the surrounding trees. The males have the long nose and the females a smaller upturned nose. Their babies are rather cute monkeying around while the parents perch calmly with their long tails hanging down.
The Sukau Rainforest Lodge is a slice of luxury for such a remote setting, however it is still an authentic experience with its unheated showers, decorative wood carvings, giant gong and traditional sarong attire. The accommodation is connected to the jetty by continuous boardwalks and at night the path to the candlelit riverbank restaurant is lit by flame torches; you might mistake yourself for being in an episode of Survivor rather than a documentary!
There is also a boardwalk that extends on an educational tour through to rainforest. One night we went night stalking along it and spotted various intriguing insects. With no torch on, the night jungle is pitch black and when deprived of sight the other senses are amplified. The cacophony of cicadas and frogs was deafening but when we heard growling we high-tailed it back to the safety of the lights and resort, almost tripping over the elephant crossings in the boardwalk.
Each day we would venture out on quiet, open topped motor boats in search of wildlife encounters. Beware the mandatory life jackets; they were marinated in the overpowering scent of eau de sueur touristique – I had to brace myself every time I went to put it on. Only the lure of exploring obscure, shady canals, arched with low hanging mangroves and looping vines could tempt me to wear it!
During the river expeditions I saw more proboscis monkeys, silver leaf monkeys, long and short tailed macaques, various hornbills, the world’s smallest raptor – the Borneo falcontit, and various other stunning bird species. A pair of hornbills were carving out a tree hollow to build a nest – what a sight! In another tree a monkey family were all lounging around picking at each other…mmm tasty snacks!
It was raining almost continuously during one of the cruises but we still managed to spot a flock of twelve hornbills, a tiny crimson kingfisher and more monkeys. One of the benefits though of being out when it’s raining is that it gave me the opportunity to contemplate how rainwater flows above the denser river water. The patterns and eddies of the translucent water running above the opaque river were beautiful.
