Hi all,
Does anyone know if it is possible to turn up at Sandakan Jetty and arrange a cruise, locally, on the Kinabatangan River for a few hours without pre-booking with a tour agency. Would this be a cheaper option, as tour agencies can charge very high prices? Would anyone know a typical price for a family of 4 ( 2 adults and 2 children )?
Would it be worth staying at Sepilok for 2 nights at one of the lodges, or would that be too long a period?

Thanks

I am not sure if you can just find a boat for hire at the Sandakan jetty, but if you book into one of the lodges in Sukau area they will generally pick you up and take you to the lodge via boat.

We took a group from our international school to Sukau in September and stayed at Sukau Rainforest Lodge for 2 nights (owned by Borneo Ecotours who arranged our trip for us). It was a wonderful experience with cruises at various times of day to see the wildlife. We also went to Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary when we were in Sandakan, but one day is enough for that. Some time to explore Sandakan city would have been nice but we had to return to Kota Kinabalu to catch our flights home to Indonesia.

Good luck with your trip. It is an incredible place! I will go back again someday.