Mid-range eco-lodge
Situated in the Sukau stretch of the Kinabatangan River, Borneo Nature Lodge uses electric-motor boats to explore the tributaries and offers comfortable, air-conditioned chalets set beneath the rainforest canopy.
Welcome
Two and a half hours from Sandakan, twenty-eight air-conditioned chalets sit on the bank of the Kinabatangan River under the rainforest canopy. The lodge uses electric-motor boats to glide silently into the narrow Sukau tributaries without sending micro-vibrations through your camera. You navigate the water with the in-house naturalists to look for resident proboscis monkeys and the 8 species of Bornean hornbill.
You navigate the water with the in-house naturalists to look for resident proboscis monkeys and the 8 species of Bornean hornbill.
Borneo Nature Lodge operates as a mid-range eco-resort that balances necessary comforts with a verified conservation footprint. It sits right in the centre of Sukau.
Why stay here
Wooden skiffs fitted with electric motors for silent wildlife approaches in the tributaries.
Based in Sukau on the Kinabatangan River with excellent primate sightings.
There are 28 air-conditioned rooms split between the original and modern wings.
The lodge uses its own dedicated team to spot wildlife rapidly and position the skiffs for the afternoon light.
Solar power runs the standard electrical items, rainwater is harvested and the lodge participates in tree planting.
The rooms
The property divides its accommodation between the original eco-lodge and the newer Borneo Nature Lodge 2 wing. Both offer a high standard of cleanliness and comfortable amenities. A construction project to add a new clubhouse and support chalets runs from 1 January 2025 to 22 January 2027.
sleeps 2 · air-conditioned · timber frame
The original timber-framed chalets are built organically around the old-growth trees and connected by raised wooden boardwalks.
sleeps 2 · strict weight limit
One accessible room in the original lodge. Guests using it must weigh under 45 kg because transferring immobile guests safely into small wooden skiffs against the river current poses significant risks.
34 sq m · eco-thermal panels
Located in the Borneo Nature Lodge 2 wing opened in December 2025, these modern rooms are noticeably larger than the original chalets and feature private balconies.
34 sq m · eco-thermal panels
There are 3 king-bed rooms in the newer wing, built using advanced eco-thermal panels to insulate against the heat, featuring bidets and in-room tea and coffee facilities.
Completion due January 2027
A construction project to add a new clubhouse and support chalets runs from 1 January 2025 to 22 January 2027, with work strictly limited to daytime hours.
Dining
Your meals are served in the air-conditioned restaurant. You receive a wake-up call at 5:30am for coffee and toast, return from the morning cruise for a hot buffet breakfast, enjoy afternoon tea at 3:30pm, and end the day with a buffet dinner at dusk.
The wildlife
These are the residents the guides will be looking for on the riverbanks. Sightings are frequent in the wild forest and you will see the primates on most stays.
Accommodation
Rates on enquiry: no prices are published.
A stay of 2 nights gives you 4 scheduled river cruises to explore both the oxbow lakes and the narrow tributaries.
EnquireA stay of 3 nights allows extra time to navigate the river in the flat-bottomed wooden skiffs and join the optional night cruises.
EnquireA longer stay provides more opportunities for dedicated birders to target the rare Bornean ground-cuckoo on the Menanggul tributary.
EnquirePractical matters
All rooms in both the original lodge and the Borneo Nature Lodge 2 wing feature air-conditioning and ceiling fans.
The skiffs use a hybrid system. They run a standard outboard engine for the main river currents and switch to an electric trolling motor for silent approaches in the tributaries.
The lodge operates on a hybrid power system and you have 24-hour power in the chalets for charging devices.
Rain falls all year in Sabah. River cruises proceed in light rain with ponchos provided, but the team may substitute them with a boardwalk trek if heavy downpours make the river unsafe.
Getting there
The standard route is a 2.5-hour overland drive from Sandakan, Sepilok or the airport along highways flanked by oil palm plantations before reaching the public jetty in Sukau. From there, you transfer your luggage to a speedboat for a 5-minute transit across the river to the lodge's private wooden dock.
Extend the journey
Most guests consider Sukau Rainforest Lodge for a premium stay with a plunge pool on the same stretch, or travel downstream to Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort in Abai for the deep mangroves and fewer boats. You can also stop at Sepilok to walk the lowland forest boardwalks and observe semi-wild orangutans.
Our view
Contact the team to check availability at Borneo Nature Lodge and they will arrange your electric-motor river cruises to look for the resident primates.
