Weston Proboscis Monkey & Firefly River Cruise — Attraction in Borneo

I took the afternoon and evening cruise with a group about a week or so ago and we were the only tourists visiting this evening. This worked out well for us ... Important note - the group was all Australian (except for our package tour guide). As such, our values around the welfare of wildlife and tourism activities is clearly different to the bulk of the tourists that visit this attraction. I want to say - the hosts were very friendly and keen to ensure we had a 'good experience'. We were welcomed with a smile and nice afternoon tea before taking the afternoon cruise. Before leaving for the cruise we were offered the chance to see the feeding of a crocodile being held captive in a pit. We indicated that we did not want to see this. We would all prefer to see the crocodile in its natural environment. There was also an otter that appears to be the hosts pet - again this felt a bit sad to see. It was clearly a bit distressed at being kept in a cage but I should say the owner was kind in his own way towards the little animal. Again, we would just prefer to think of it in the wild with its family doing what otters do naturally. The afternoon cruise provided good views of proboscis monkeys in a mix of habitats in terms of quality. It was stated that many of the trees we saw leafless was due to the monkeys eating all of the leaves. My group (a group of environmental science students) all speculated this could be explained by a lack of connectivity to other habitats. Perhaps they were right.... The boat driver kindly had mosquito repellent sticks burning and helped the students take pictures on their phones through the optical equipment lenses. Dinner was simple and tasty Malaysian fare. The small whole fish wasn't our preferred dish - but they sure know how to make vegetables tasty. The venue is possibly in need of some TLC after the pandemic hiatus I'm sure they have struggled through. The Christmas lights were lovely though. The evening firefly cruise followed dinner. The group had heard about tour operators using torches to bring the fireflies close to the tourists (apparently an expectation of some tourists from certain countries - not known for inter-species empathy). This practice results in many fireflies dying in the river as a result of being disoriented from their display tree. As 'ecotourists' this did not sit well with us. We asked our package guide to tell the boat driver to NOT use the torches. We wanted as natural experience as possible in a boat. He was hesitant I believe - concerned we wouldn't have a good experience. Fortunately, as we were the only guests, our request was accommodated. We were so relieved. Everyone had a lovely experience viewing the fireflies flashing beautifully safely in their display tree - made even sweeter by knowing we were not the cause of any of them dying unnecessarily.

I write this review in the hope that other tourists will be brave enough to put these species first and make the request to the guide yourself. Practices like using artificial light to attract fireflies are not sustainable. These communities rely on these species' persistence. Please support them to run their business in a sustainable way that ensures they can derive these benefits for many generations to come. Speak up -...

I will try to provide some useful information for people considering visiting as part of one of the day trips here...

What to wear? Normal clothing is fine and there is no significant walking involved so you can wear flip flops just fine. You might want to pack something in case of rain but we didn't bother.

Will I see monkeys? Almost certainly. There are many monkeys from what we saw. Our tour guide said that on particularly hot days they retreat further into the forest where it is cooler so they may be harder to spot them if its particularly scorching hot. I'd recommend bringing binoculars if you have them although we forgot ours and still enjoyed seeing the monkeys.

Smartphone cameras are unlikely to get great photos of the monkeys. A half-decent point and shoot camera with a quite small optical zoom will be enough to get a decent shot though.

Will I see fireflies? We saw huge amounts of them and a few of them flew onto our boat. We were able to catch them and see them illuminate the palms of our hands. They were stunning. A real unexpected spectacle and something I'll never forget.

Other tips? You might be invited to buy some live shrimp from the locals. 1kg of shrimp cost 45rm and you can take them back to the jetty where the locals will cook the shrimp for you for 10rm. I've never had shrimp...

Proboscis monkey Location: Sabah, Malaysia

Borneo, Malaysia, has formed large Mangrove due to its warm climate and unique terrain. Among them, Sabah has five Mangrove a large number. Not only can you see the unique Proboscis monkey, but also fireflies flying all over the sky. It is a must-play experience on a trip to Sabah. The mangrove explores to chase Proboscis monkey, and the locals who drive the boat will take us to the place where Proboscis monkey are most likely to appear. Fortunately, I have seen it many times. Basically, they get together in groups, and the boat will run away if it is too close! Proboscis monkey are polygamous. Males have larger noses, and their wives and concubines are always in groups and live in harmony. Interestingly, sometimes a few males will stand taller than who is handsome, and the wives and concubines are watching.The scenery of the city's mangroves is very beautiful, especially when the...