Hornbill Lodge — Hotel in Borneo

Booked through River Junkie. Had a great experience. Room was comfortable and clean. Be aware that the further rooms require walking up a lot of steps. We were lucky enough to have the second closest room and we still had a couple sets of steps to walk up. Not an issue for us but just something to be aware of. No WiFi in rooms but WiFi in dining/lounge area was fine. Food was pretty good. Meals are served buffet style and dishes are changed slightly each day but generally consist of a soup, a noodle/rice dish, sauteed or stir fried veggies, a tofu/tempeh/vegetarian mixture and a meat dish. There was also an omelet and waffle station for breakfast. Coffee/tea/juice included. Alcohol and soft drinks extra but are priced reasonably. There are plenty of tables and lounge chairs in the dining area, enough for each group to have their own table if desired but tables are large enough to accommodate multiple people sitting together if people want to mingle. We did the 4D/3N tour with Gomantong caves. Generally the day’s itinerary was as follows (give or take 30 min on the times): 530am coffee/tea, 6am dawn boat cruise, 730am breakfast, 9am jungle walk, 1230pm lunch, 4pm afternoon boat cruise (On the day we went to the caves this was replaced by the cave tour), 630pm dinner, 9pm night walk (or evening cruise if included in package or added on). We felt it was a good balance of activities and down time, allowing plenty of time to eat and wind down in between activities. Boat rides were comfortable and not overcrowded (I think 10-12 max to a boat). Hikes were not too strenuous but if going to the caves be aware there are over 500 steps to get to the top (it was worth it to see the bats though!). We saw a lot of wildlife, lots of monkeys including the Proboscis monkeys. A few small and one large crocodile (Since the water level was high it was not ideal for seeing large crocs when we went). Lots of Rhinocerous Hornbills which made them seem super common but apparently that is not the case. We saw other kinds of hornbills, kingfishers, Storm’s Stork, eagles, owls. We spotted a Slow Loris right outside the lodge during a night walk which was very cool. Unfortunately no elephants or orangutans spotted here for us but we ran into others who did spot them around the same time, we just weren’t so lucky. However we did have a lot of great sightings and were not left disappointed. We had no idea what to expect at Gomantong caves and it was really cool to see the millions of bats exiting the cave. However be aware it is not guaranteed as sometimes the bats will not leave. The view point is on a platform that overlooks the cave exit and we also saw some monkeys there. Before going to the viewing platform we did get a chance to walk a boardwalk inside the cave – be warned there are lots and lots of cockroaches on the rails/walls in the cave. They aren’t crawling on you or anything but they are definitely close and visible. Also be aware if bringing a camera (not a cell phone camera) there is an additional charge of I think 30RM so make sure to have cash if bringing one. Also our guide, Ramzen was excellent. He was great at spotting wildlife on the river and was very knowledgable about the animals and the region. It makes a difference when the guide is clearly excited and passionate about what they do and it his passion was obvious. The only negative I have is not related to the lodge at all but there is quite a bit of trash in the river (mostly water/soda bottles) which was sad to see however there are several communities right along the same stretch of river where the tours take place. Overall would definitely recommend Hornbill Lodge and River Junkie, for us it was well worth visiting and we had...

I have booked several trips with River Junkies over the years and have never been disappointed with the experiences, so when I saw they now have their own lodge on the Kinabatangan River, I knew for certain that this would be the perfect choice to celebrate my husbands birthday!

Travelling around Borneo can be intimidating, but the team at River Junkie make the entire experience effortless - a huge thank you to Kay for answering all my questions, and ensuring we had the best trip booked for our limited time!

We stayed 4 days 3 nights at the Hornbill Lodge, starting with a pick up directly from Semporna - the transfer itself was comfortable and the driver, Didi, was friendly, attentive and ensured we had everything we needed throughout (including finding a ln ATM for us when most were super busy / empty due to a big holiday!)

The resort itself is beautiful!! Nestled in the banks along the River, you feel completely immersed in the jungle. The resort staff are always smiling and incredibly approachable at all times. We were given a thorough briefing on arrival, and the handy whiteboard in the restaurant was great for reminding what time to meet and what activities were coming up next. The room was large and the shower fantastic and powerful :) We had air conditioning, tea/ coffee facilities and a gorgeous balcony facing the river where we saw numerous hornbills in the nearby trees and even an owl came by for a visit! The meals were simple but delicious and were always kept topped up so no one ever went hungry. We got the Hornbill Lodge reusable coffee cups, which were perfect for filling with coffee each morning for the early morning boat rides (highly recommend doing this!!)

As for the jungle / River tours- WOW!! We were fortunate enough to have both Apok & Khairol during our stay- both of whom were very knowledgeable about the wildlife, the area and the conservations in and around the Kinabatangan. They were both very friendly and very passionate about their work and took great pride in showing us as much as possible over our 6 cruises. We were incredibly lucky to tick off the "big 5" (orangutan, proboscis moneky, pygmy elephant, hornbill & crocodile) - with a special encounter with a mum and baby elephant, a 30 minute spectacular display from the proboscis monkeys jumping across the river near the Oxbow lake, and an early morning glimpse of an orangutan munching on breakfast!

Apok knew several of us on the boat were big on birds too, so took the time to ensure we saw as many endemic species as possible, helping to steady the boat so we could get those all important photos! The boats were spacious, comfortable and most importantly not spewing fumes, the best way to explore the waters!

We had a great hike up to the viewing platform (do not forget to take water!), a really interesting night walk and two night cruises. There were plenty of activities throughout the day to make the most of our time there, but also plenty of options to relax and simply soak up the beauty all around.

A huge thank you to the River Junkie and Hornbill Lodge team for helping to arrange a special cake for my husbands birthday, and for making the whole trip unforgettable- we absolutely...

first of all…

the hornbill staff is really amazing. They helped us with a bus transfer to semporna, the food was delicious every time (local buffet, also for vegetarians) and they are really kind. Everything was really well organised!

also a big thanks to our guide Adam, his great eyes helped us to spot a lot of animals and he also had a lot of stories and knowledge about them. aaaand he always has a smile for you! :) He drove us 1,5 hours down the river because he got some information that the elephants might be there and we had some luck and saw them.

the rooms are also really big and comfortable, i think they renovated everything! really nice (also AC)

the tours were so interesting. In our 2 night stay we did: 2x afternoon cruise, 2x morning cruise, 1x morning/midday walk and 2 times a night walk. (Dont expect to much from the walks, the guides really trying their best but its not easy to spot some well camouflage and shy animal with a „big“ group of people - but you can also have some luck to spot some so definitely try it) „and if not, keep in mind that its nature“

we saw: hornbills, orange utans, proboscis and a lot of other monkeys, crocodiles, elefants, eagles, kingfishers, a lot of crazy crazy insects, scorpions and so on….

Just one thing i would suggest to river junkie: I would have been very happy to get more background information about plants and the synergy of the entire rainforest, how they protect the kinabatangan area and maybe about the impact of the palmoil production….! But thats the only thing!

for tourists i would recommend to bring some binoculars, flashlights, insect spray + long clothes (moskitos) and some cash for tipping!! and of course a lot of good vibes! ;)

enjoyyy and thanks to the hornbill team!! hopefully they will protect this wonderful place!!...