It’s notoriously difficult to guarantee close encounters with wildlife. There are simply too many variables – the weather, the behaviour of the animals and the activities of nearby humans. However, Tungog Rainforest Eco Camp, located deep in the Bornean rainforest, must be one of the best places to see animals such as orangutans in their natural environment.
As one would expect, it’s not easy to get there. Firstly, you need to drive six hours from the the city of Kota Kinabalu, then take a 20 minute water taxi along the Kinabantangan river – past numerous crocodiles – and then walk 10 minutes through the jungle.
Eventually the trees thin and you arrive at a site containing several basic huts built on the shore of a large oxbow lake.
En route to our hut, we saw a civet; a stripy cat resembling a miniature leopard. All of the accommodation is built on stilts, with a surprisingly well-equipped bathroom (flushing toilets!) located below a small bedroom and balcony. There’s no electricity and later that day we returned from a hike to find mice droppings on and around our beds. Still, we didn’t mind, considering the low cost of the accommodation and the priceless opportunities to see wild animals. Besides, another couple had bats in their bathroom, so we counted ourselves lucky.
Our days at the camp revolved around river cruises, hikes and reading by the lake. In the evenings we went on night walks through the rainforest. During our two-night stay, we spotted numerous varieties of birds, as well as macaques, proboscis monkeys and orangutans.
What will live with us longest though are the leeches. These blood sucking creatures are impossible to avoid so it’s best to remain alert. You often won’t feel them on your skin and the anti-coagulant they secrete prevents the blood clotting. Catch them early though and they can be flicked away with relative ease.
Although the leeches are ubiquitous, it is worth noting there are several considerably more fancy, and expensive, lodges available downstream for those who prefer not to rough it.
But you’re not in the jungle to be pampered. You’re there to be surrounded.
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