Bilit Adventure Lodge on Kinabaganan River.

Kinabatangan River.

After a day spent resting back at Sepilok we climbed into a van and headed off to Bilit. This journey was the only sign that there had been some form of uprising in Sabah. At the turn off from the Sandakan – Kota Kinabalu highway we passed through a police checkpoint. There were numerous police, packing some serious automatic rifles.

Evening on the river brings the opportunity for more adventure.

Before we knew it we were turning off the highway and driving down a local road which was unsealed to the village of Bilit. Here we were loaded on to a river boat and took a short boat trip across to the edge of the jungle and Bilit Adventure Lodge. This was not five star accommodation, but it was more than adequate for a jungle adventure. Staying here includes a number of activities that allows tourists to get close to nature.  This is done with the direction of a great group of local guides who really know a lot about the jungle flora and fauna.

White Egret skimming through the air.

Early morning hunting.

Blue Eared King Fisher snapped while sleeping

First up we took an evening cruise along the river and fascinated by the variety of wildlife. There were numerous occasions to photograph birds and monkeys. The highlight sof the evening included the Proboscis monkeys who were settling down for their evening beside the river, numerous pig tailed Macaques and long tailed Macaques who  were out and playing along the edge of the river. We were also interested in the WWF monkey rope bridges that have been placed across the tributaries to give the monkeys a safe way to cross the river so that the crocodiles don’t eat them.

Amazing tiny cricket.

Crocodile ready to slip away into the river.

CHeck out these thorns, long enough to penetrate an elephant's hide.

Jungle cat, very healthy and most contented.

Mr Leech on the prowl, looking to latch on to some unsuspecting carrier.

We returned to the lodge for dinner which was a very nice buffet of local food. All of the meals were provided within the package and provided energy for the activities. After dinner we were able to enjoy a couple of drinks beside the river before we took part in the Night trek through the jungle. This involved hiring Leech socks and gumboots and paying a local guide RM 10.00 for a fascinating hour long walk to spot nearby wildlife. As the jungle comes within metres of the accommodation it is not a long trek. We were amazed by the variety of animals that we saw during the evening. One of our favourites was the Tarsia, a small primate that is very cute. We also caught a glimpse of the Palm civet racing up into the treetops and a Malaysian civet that has a variety of spots. We did meet one or two leeches. Later Ruth was not happy to discover a leech had attached itself under her hair. On our second night I was the only person staying at the lodge who was interested in doing a night walk. This meant I had the local guide to myself, it was great. We spent quite a bit of time with a Tarsia, I was amazed by the way it leapt from tree to tree. We also saw a number of mouse deer that were out and about grazing on the forest floor. These are so tiny and very hard to spot. Their eyes are what give them away.

So many different frogs!

Tarsia hanging on and hoping we would go away.

These are so cute.

Eyes as big as saucers!

These guys are very agile and leap from tree to tree.

Early each morning the lodge offers a cruise on the river. It pays to get up before dawn and make your way to the dining area which is an open platform nestled above the jetty at the edge of the river. It is a great place to enjoy the sunrise with a cup of coffee. The boat left around 6:00 am. During our morning cruises, we were lucky enough to squeeze into the boat both mornings because there were empty spaces. Being up so early is always rewarding in any natural setting because it is the changing of the guard. The animals that have been sleeping are waking beginning to move around in search of food. We managed to be entertained by interesting birds and monkeys. The highlight of the morning cruise for me was meeting up with crocodiles that wee lazing on the river banks.  Their eyes keeping watch on us as they effortlessly slipped into the water. They really do resemble logs once they are in the water. It was a little concerning when they submerged under the water and were no longer visible.

Early morning on the river, the Proboscis Monkeys are waking up.

This is a large male, with an impressive hooter.

Another crocodile, looking ready to attack.

This large male was sleeping in.

Their tails are very thick and very long.

After a hearty breakfast, that was ready on our return to the lodge, we set off on a jungle trek to the Oxbow lakes. This was a leisurely stroll through the jungle following a path that was made by elephants. Of course it goes without saying that there were numerous signs of animals using the same path. The walking was flat and there was plenty to look at. The Oxbow lakes are filled during the rainy season when the river spills over its banks  and into the flood plains.  Once the floods subside these low lying areas are left as lakes. There were numerous birds including the darter, what we would call a shag. In the water there was an abundance of fish. Our guide had brought along bread to feed them.  He broke off the crust and droped some crumbs in to get them interested in eating. Then holding the end of the slice of bread he fed the fish. There was a frenzy of feeding, and the small fish became a solid mass of fish that followed the bread up out of the water. Some bigger fish could be seen lurking just below these little fish. If you are brave enough to put your hand into the water these fish will happily give you a fish spa. They are very effective and even remove the hair from your hand. I was surprised by the strange tickling sensation of these hungry little fellows nibbling away at hairs on the back of my hand.

A nice catfish caught just out from the lodge.

A strong black Nescafe to start the day.

Sunrise, the spectacular display was worth getting up to see.

Another catfish caught by the locals.

Checking the fishing lines.

Our 3 days, 2 nights at Bilit Adventure lodge was everything we expected of our jungle adventure. We seem to have this habit of heading off for our holidays at the end of a busy term, [planning to relax and read a little. In reality we end up being on the go from dawn until dusk because there are so many wonderfully interesting things to see and do. Our entire time in Sabah we found this to be the case. Especially at BAL, of course we wouldn't want it any other way.  We returned to our base at Sepilok Jungle Resort for our final night. We enjoyed the hospitality of the staff and owner John here.  I would have to say that Sabah and in particular, Sandakan should be on the list for anyone who wants to appreciate the way life should be away from the big cities. It is especially exciting to realise that there are many dedicated people working very hard to protect these habitats and save the rare and endangered species that rely on them.  I am in awe of these people and the difference that they make.

The river is a key transport system in this par of Malaysia.

Early morning in Bilit.

The mist continues to rise.

Pulau Selingan (Turtle Island):

One of our long held desires has been to see turtles in the sea. One of the must see things on our list was the sea turtle. We were fortunate to be able to work in an overnight trip to Selingan to take part in the turtle programme, where we would get to view a turtle that had come ashore to lay its eggs and take part in the release of baby turtles back in to the ocean.  At 9:30 we boarded a speedboat that took us on the 40 km in 60 minutes. The sea flat calm and we zipped along nicely. The guides tell me that Selingan is close enough to swim to the Philippines. We stayed in an air-conditioned chalet which is well concealed from the beach and all meals were provided. We had the afternoon to spend at our own leisure, in my case I hired snorkeling equipment and spent it in the water enjoying the coral reef area and the abundant fish life. No turtles were seen at this stage. Of course we had Kermit and I was able to get some great underwater photos. After 6:00 pm none is permitted to go on to the beaches and at 6:30 everyone meets at the restaurant where they go upstairs and view a small turtle museum  The exhibits in this area are very interesting and give a good explanation of the history and reasons for protecting the turtles. At 7:00 pm we viewed  a movie which gave more information. That was enough to get us all excited we just might get lucky and have the opportunity to view a turtle laying its eggs.

The Clams were amazing

I couldn't help myself, each clam was so different.

I never realised that they had such a variety of colours

There were quite few giant clams.

The coral was so colourful. They reminded me of tiny Christmas trees

These fish were very colourful and aggressively protected their  patch of coral

I was pleased when this fish stopped still long enough for me to catch his photo.

This cheeky fellow swam right up to my mask.
I loved my afternoon in the water enjoying the fish and coral.

Everyone had to stay off the beach after 6:00 pm in the evening.
 During the afternoon we enjoyed swimming  here.

The whole process of climbing up the beach and laying eggs takes its toll.
After laying the eggs the mother turtle rests. 

After the movie it was time for dinner, buffet with a range of tasty local dishes. Drinks could be purchased from a small shop. After dinner it was waiting time, everyone waits in the dining area for the call that a turtle has arrived. Apparently the turtles wait offshore until they are convinced it is quiet onshore. It takes them about an hour to slide across the sand and dig their hole for laying eggs, during this time they can be easily disturbed. Once they have positioned themselves over the hole and start laying eggs they go into a trance and as long as they are not approached from the front they lay eggs. As many as 140 eggs can be laid in one clutch. This part of the process takes an hour to an hour and a half. We were called about 9:00 pm because a medium sized Green turtle had come ashore and was laying her eggs. It was amazing to think that turtle have been on this planet for 600 million years and we were able to see this continuation process taking place. Once the eggs are laid a local ranger removes the eggs and carefully places them into a bucket for transplanting to the hatchery. The female covers the hole with sand and was quite unaware that they had been removed. At this stage we were able to go around to the head and take photos without the flash. The turtle would spend around an hour resting after she had completed her egg laying task. She just lay peacefully while the local ranger cleaned her shell of barnacles, then measured her and checked her for tags. This particular turtle was tagged which confirmed that she was from this island and the this was her second clutch of eggs this year. 

Once the laying is done, the ranger moves in and gives the turtle a  a clean and polish.
She was also measured and checked for a tag.

There were 140 eggs in this clutch. 19 turtles on the night we were there.
1440 eggs were collected and buried in the hatchery.

Once we had viewed all of this we followed her eggs to the hatchery. This is a fenced off area where the eggs are buried in the sand. The fence is designed to keep out snakes, rats and monitor lizards. The hole had already been dug and the eggs were gently placed in the hole a wire mesh about the size of a bucket was placed around the hole to protect early hatchlings from getting lost. The information regarding , type, date, number of eggs recorded on a sliver of bamboo and placed inside the mesh. This has to be done quickly to prevent the eggs from dying.

These guys work very hard collecting eggs and saving turtles from extinction.

Our batch of eggs recorded.

The last job to be done that evening was to release 140 turtles that had hatched four days earlier. These guys were in a shopping basket and looked ready to go. They were released onto the sand and a guide stood in the water with his spotlight on. The turtles headed towards the spotlight. Once in the ocean they began their life in the ocean. The chances of them surviving to return to this beach and continue the ancient egg laying process  is not stacked in their favour. For us it was amazing to think that this has been going on for so long and that man made issues are impacting so badly that turtles are badly in need of help to survive. 

These guys are  4 days old and ready to swim off to begin their life in the ocean.

Off they go!

Rainforest Discovery Centre:

The evning was clear and still, offering great reflections.

We ended up with a day to wait for the opportunity to do an overnight trip to the turtle island Selingan. Rather than spend time in town, which is over 14 km away we decided to spend most of the day in the Rainforest Discovery Centre. It is a 20 minute walk from the Sepilok Jungle Resort and has a range of paths and displays that make it a great place to view the rainforest. 

This spider was hanging out in a shelter where we waited out a shower of rain.

On our first afternoon we had walked here to see what it was about. We had found the canopy walkway which would be one of the best we have been on. The birdlife around here is amazing, binoculars would make them easier to identify. All the same a great place to wander. We also enjoyed exploring some of the many paths. But we only managed to cover a small area because it got dark on us, so we were keen to go back. There is an entry fee, we managed to get in as a local because we could produce our i-passes to show that we lived and worked in Malaysia. RM 14.00 including the camera fees. I think it would RM 28.00 for tourists actually a pretty good considering you can stay as long as you like.

The giant of Sepilok, this tree was spectacular.

First stop of the day was to view the spice gardens and orchids. Not many orchids were in flower, however those that were blooming were quite beautiful.

An interesting spider waiting for dinner.

We walked along the jungle pathways, which once again were like roads with a number wooden walkways. Eventually we found our way to a shelter just as it started to rain. So we spent an unplanned hour relaxing in the shelter enjoying the views and the rain. We did find a colourful spider hanging out on it’s web which helped us fill in the time. Once the rain stopped we found our way up on to the canopy walk and made our way to the café for lunch. In the middle of the rainforest is a great little café that serves fried rice drinks and even chocolate cake. While we sat there enjoying the lunch we noticed a brightly coloured bird up in a high tree. It was quite unlike other birds that we had seen. Later we found out it was a Pita. It was out of the range of a clear photo for our camera.

Ruth demonstrates the size of the buttress roots on this enormous tree.

Once we were fed we decided that we should make our way to the Sepilok Giant. This seemed as though it would be a bit of a trek. What we had not thought about was that after the rain there would be leeches out looking for blood. We went about 50 meters into the forest the first leech jumped on to my knee. He was quickly dealt to and Ruth was next to find one.  Both of us in shorts and sandles probably wasn’t too bright. We continued on regardless with regular spot checks on each other for leeches. This trail was more like benched tramping in NZ, except of course the tropical plants and insects. We enjoyed exploring the trail and finding a number of creatures. We found the Sepilok Giant which is a tree of similar size to the NZ Kauri, Tane Mahuta. It has enormous buttress roots which provide home to a number of bees nests. These are the stingless bees that often find humans in the jungle and like to drink their sweat. On one side we were standing and could hear the low hum of what must have been a mighty big bee’s nest below the tree. There did appear to be a number of very large trees within this part of the forest. Each one with a very large head, that makes one wonder just what animals were living high above the ground. All the way along this part of the track the forest was alive with the singing of cicadas and countless different birds.

A very colourful bird.

After a brief rest we carried on back to the canopy walk as it was getting later in the afternoon and we were hoping to see more birds getting ready to roost for the night. The canopy walk is wide enough for people to walk in both directions, or to stop and take photos. There are also a number of viewing platforms that give great vantage points for viewing out over the tops of trees. We did see the occasional hornbill winging its way  across the treetops. There are also three tall viewing towers that climb to the height of 26.5 metres. These are worth climbing up and sitting quietly on to view the life going on in the tree tops. We didn’t have binoculars so we were limited to what we could see with our own eyes. This would be a birdwatchers paradise. Before we knew it time had slipped by and we needed to make our way back to SJR. We had spent the whole day exploring the Rainforest Discovery Centre and would recommend it to other travellers to Sandakan.

I think this is a Pita, very colourful also very far away.