29 November 2016

Travellingbie : The Hidden Treasure of Sukau, Sandakan

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein

Pertama kali mendengar Sukau, soalan pertama saya, "Apa yang ada di Sukau? Kalau setakat nak tengok Kera Proboscis, dekat Sepilok pun ada." Mungkin ramai juga yang bertanya soalan yang sama seperti saya. Belum jelajah Sukau lagi macamana nak jatuh cinta? :))

Sukau, is located 135km from Sandakan and it takes around 2 hours driving to Sukau and it is situated along  the 2nd longest river in Malaysia, Kinabatangan River.

Getting There:
  1. By Airplane - From KL to Sandakan it takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
  2. By Overland - From Sandakan to Sukau takes about 2 hours.
  3. By Boat - from Sandakan Habour to Sukau takes about 2.5 hours
Sukau is well known with inhabitants for majestic birds, all 7 species of Borneo primates including Borneo's iconic Proboscis Monkey, Orangutans in their natural habitat as well as herds of Borneo Pygmy Elephants. The wildlifes are easily accessible. Some says that if you are lucky, you can see a group of elephants playing and bathing at the riverbank.

The initial plan was to spend 3D2N in Sukau.We started the journey at around 1pm from Sandakan after finishing my work. The main purpose was to see the elephants.

At around 3pm, we arrived at the destination, Sukau Greeview Bed & Breakfast. Before we checked in, a short briefing was given to 7 of us on the afternoon cruise. Among the 7 of us, only 2 are locals (that's us). Some of the tourists came from USA, UK and France. The room booking was on the normal room, but the manager was kind enough to upgrade our room to a new room at Green House. Alhamdulillah, rezeki :).
At 4pm, we started the afternoon cruise hunting for Proboscis monkey, orangutan, birds and elephants. The river was calm...so does the heart. The body was still in fever, but eventually...it started to remove the negative elements when facing the river and hear the sound of beautiful creatures around along the river. Cruising along Kinabatangan river and photo hunting for the 7 species of Borneo primates was enjoyable.

In Sukau, there are recorded 1000 plant species, 250 bird species, 90 fish species and reptilia and 50 mammal species cramped into the area. However, because of the plantation palms oil surrounding Sukau, it makes the mammals and other species rarely found nowadays. We never see any group of elephants along the river during the afternoon cruise and hope to see them on the morning cruise tomorrow.
The cruise along the river takes about 2 hours and it cost only RM50 per person per sessions.
While going back to the Greenview, i was amazed on how beautiful the sunset was. The sun set at around 545pm. The view was stunningly beautiful. MasyaAllah!
No words can ever describe such beauty. You have to witness it yourself. Alhamdulillah.
We reached the hotel around 6pm. The surrounding was getting darker and the lodge was beautifully surrounded and delighted by green lamps. We spend few minutes to capture moments, snapping fotos and went straight to the room. The night here was very quiet and if you have insomnia or very hard to fall asleep, try coming here and you will definitely fall asleep easily. There is no TV in the room. After isyak prayer, we went to sleep and prepare our-self for tomorrow's activities.

At 400am, i was awoke because of the heavy rain. It continue raining heavily until 530am and we thought that the morning cruise was cancelled. Surprisingly at 6am, the rain stopped and the sun started to shine. The staff knocked our door and told us that the morning cruise will start soon. I took a morning cold bath before we went out. The morning view after the rain was beautiful and refreshing. 
The morning cruise covers the other side of the river. The sun shine beautifully calm, we can see the eagles, hornbills and other species of birds are flying around. Species of monkeys including Proboscis are nearby and they are actively searching for food in the morning. Unfortunate for us that we cannot find groups of elephants around the river cruise. 
The morning river cruise also takes about 2 hours and it costs is RM50. The view was remarkably beautiful and i fell asleep while cruising back to the hotel. I think that was the most peaceful sleep i have lately.
Once we reached the hotel, a simple breakfast was served. Though it was not as delicious as normal hotel restaurant, it was just enough to fill the empty stomach. After breakfast, we've decided to check out since we did not want to joint the jungle trekking and the other activities. At 10am, we've checked out and decided to explore a bit of Kinabatangan area. There are a few tourists attraction here in Sukau besides river cruising at Kinabatangan river such as caving at Gomantong Cave, Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, jungle trekking hunting for elephants, mammals and others.
Stop by crossing Kinabatangan bridge before heading back to Sandakan
You will not get bored in Sukau, if you are nature lovers.
Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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