All 4 in 3 days here: ~70%
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Southeast Asia, Malaysia 1064 spp. recorded
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary sits in eastern Sabah, Malaysia, protecting a lowland tropical rainforest that follows the winding Kinabatangan River and its flood‑plain swamps. Towering dipterocarp trees, vines and mangrove edges create a mix of riverbank, jungle and seasonal wetlands, supporting both land and water species.
5.495° N 118.131° E
🦜 Nature
461 Species sighted
80,186 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Mar Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 775 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~30%
Recent sightings in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
LIVEiNaturalistSounds of Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
Morning soundscape2:26
Malaysia · 2018
© Christopher Adler · XC453131 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
48Jan
51Feb
65Mar
52Apr
56May
57Jun
52Jul
51Aug
51Sep
58Oct
46Nov
49Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Silau Tenegang
-
Kinabatangan River · Sukau
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Oriental Pied Hornbill~70%-10%
Saltwater Crocodile~70%-10%
Green Imperial-Pigeon~70%-10%
Proboscis Monkey~60%-10%
Black Hornbill~60%≈
Common Water Monitor~60%-10%
Crab-eating Macaque~60%-10%
Dollarbird~60%-10%
Blue-eared Kingfisher~60%-10%
Great Egret~60%-10%
Stork-billed Kingfisher~50%-20%
Common Bronze-back~50%+10%
-
Kinabatangan River · Sukau Rainforest Lodge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Saltwater Crocodile~80%≈
- Common Water Monitor~70%≈
Flat-tailed House Gecko~60%+20%
Prevost's Squirrel~50%+10%- Proboscis Monkey~50%-30%
- Common Bronze-back~50%+10%
Small-toothed Palm Civet~50%+20%- Oriental Pied Hornbill~50%-40%
Sunda Flying Lemur~50%+10%- Green Imperial-Pigeon~40%-40%
- Blue-eared Kingfisher~40%-30%
Maroon Leaf Monkey~40%+10%
-
Kinabatangan River · Bilit Lodges
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Gomantong Cave & forest reserve
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Maroon Leaf Monkey~90%+60%
Crested Serpent Eagle~60%≈- Prevost's Squirrel~50%+10%
- Oriental Pied Hornbill~40%-40%
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque~40%-10%
Bornean Orangutan~40%-10%- Flat-tailed House Gecko~40%-10%
- Crab-eating Macaque~40%-30%
Green Crested Lizard~40%+10%- Common Water Monitor~30%-40%
Rough Mabuya~30%+10%- Proboscis Monkey~30%-50%
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
2–3
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 584
🐒 Mammals 217
🦎 Reptiles 206
🐸 Amphibians 57
1064 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
116 Threatened 62 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (205 species at ≥5% of 1064 in the inventory)
19% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 2 reptile, 2 mammal)
67% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
108 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
23 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
35 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.0
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
Anyway, here’s the animals we saw during our Kinabatangan River cruise: - Proboscis monkeys - Orangutans - Long-tailed macaques - Stump-tailed macaques - Saltwater crocodile (an adult AND A BABY!!!) - Rhinoceros hornbill - Crane - Kingfisher - Snake of some sort It’s also possible to see pygmy elephants!
I saw wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys, tons of macaques (both long- and short-tailed), silver leaf monkeys, several types of hornbills, including the rhinoceros hornbill and so much more.
During my stay, I saw otters, several species of hornbills, freshwater crocodiles, and more.
We saw the Big 5: orangutans, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, hornbills, and crocodiles, plus some other weird and wonderful wildlife.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?
1,064 species
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary has 1,064 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Oriental Pied Hornbill (about 90%), Saltwater Crocodile (about 80%), Green Imperial-Pigeon (about 80%), Proboscis Monkey (about 80%) and Stork-billed Kingfisher (about 70%). Among amphibians, the most-seen is Chasen's Frilled Tree Frog (about 30%).
When is the best time to visit Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary for wildlife?
March and September–October
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in January.
Can you see a Bornean Orangutan in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Bornean Orangutan sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 307 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and October (about 70%).
Can you see a Proboscis Monkey in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Proboscis Monkey sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 830 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–July and September–November (about 80%).
Can you see a Saltwater Crocodile in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Saltwater Crocodile sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 504 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May, July and September–October (about 90%).
Where in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Silau Tenegang
The richest sighting zone is around Silau Tenegang, followed by Kinabatangan River · Sukau and Kinabatangan River · Sukau Rainforest Lodge, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary rates 4.3/5: 79th of 316 parks worldwide and 7th in Southeast Asia. 47 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
