Borneo's Klias River: Sunset Wildlife & Firefly Magic Cruise

Excellent cruise led by the knowledgeable and funny Ms Khatta and Mr Roddy the driver. We got to see probiscus monkeys, kingfisher bird, hornbill, a crocodile and after sunset saw the fireflies flickering in the trees against the dark silhouette sky. The tour also included tea and snacks and dinner. Definitely worth the quick tour from the city. Thank you

If you haven't done the Kinabatangan River Cruise (which I did), then this tour is definitely worth doing. It was a good tour. My tour guide picked me up around 2.00pm from my hotel in Kota Kinabalu to get to Klias River Cruise around 4.30pm. We had a quick cup of tea and cakes before the first river cruise starting around 5.15pm. On the first cruise, we managed to see a lot of proboscis monkeys, macaques and a grey langur. We saw a monitor lizard climbing a palm tree as well. On one side we managed to see a crocodile along the river banks. Once the sun is set, we came back to base to have dinner, then did the fireflies tour at night after dinner. We have managed to see the fireflies around the trees and close to us - I actually caught one as it was in the palm of my hands but after 20 minutes, the rain came down hard and we had to get back to base and head to our minibus. The tour guide we had was great but it was a shame that the Fireflies tour was cut short due to torrential downpours.

Amazing evening, food was great, monkeys were there and fireflies were magical, be aware the travel to get there is quite long!

A truly great experience and tour package! Driver Selani was very prompt, contacted in advance and a safe driver. Tour bus was clean and air conditioned. The driver also pointed out points of interest along the 2 hour journey. You arrive at basecamp to a site which is owned and only for this tour company. It's fabulous- totally clean and suitable for western tourists. Western toilets with toilet paper and very clean. The food for afternoon tea and dinner is top quality too. Clean, safe and very very tasty. They also made sure to note my dietary requirements which is very important. Good variety and very filling. The tour was the highlight- our tour was the only one on the river and got to see many (from a far distance) probiscus monkeys. Lots of fun to see and they also give binoculars to share. The evening tour is magical seeing the fireflies and a once in a lifetime experience! The drive back is during the night and you are dropped to your hotel around 9pm safely. Tips are not forced and they do not ask for them. Totally recommend and a great trip!

We went to KK 15 years ago and booked some trips with Only in Borneo. It was very nice back then. So I booked the same tours again, when I went to KK recently with my daughter. Staff is very helpful. Trips are well organised; food is very good. Thank you very much Ms Vivian! And special thanks to our tour guides Mr Roger (hot springs, park, Rafflesia and canopy walk) and Mr Sulani (proboscis monkeys and fireflies)!

Kati is a great guide, full with explanations and anecdotes and with a great sens of humor. We had the chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat. We were well welcomed, the food was nice and the place clean.

Excellent tour to get a glimpse of the probiscus monkies and more. Tour guide Mr Sulani was so welcoming and knowledgeable. The trip is very well organised and is a great way to explore the area. On arrival, we had tea and treats which was great. The boat ride takes you in search of the monkies and other wildlife and was a good time spent. The meal after the initial boat ride was extremely well presented and very tasty. It rained as we ventured out to see the fireflies, but we still managed to view them as well as experience rain in the jungle. We had an amazing time. Thank you so much.

The tour is run by nice people, but is lacking a lot of important things. Regarding safety, our driver didn’t care much for traffic rules or our comfort. He sometimes exceeded the speed limit with 60%, and took many risky overtakes. Our life jackets were not up to standard and were falling apart and missing important straps. The roof on the boat didn’t extend over the sides so we got soaked right away because of the rain.

best river cruise ever. the company picked us up at hotel, we drove maybe 45 minutes out of town and hopped on small river boats. probably about 12-15 people on boat, not too bad, lots of boats in the area. the boat takes you up and down the river. after you go one direction you stop for dinner. surprisingly good home made meal (it was some type of chicken curry dish, some noodles and some snacks). there is tiny "quick mart" that you can buy a coke or some local snacks. afterwards you hop on boat again and go other direction out to the beach/ocean to watch sun set. then you sail back in darkness to see all the fireflies. we saw tons of monkeys: probiscus and others) an alligator, tons of giant monitor lizards, true untouched rain forests. the beach sunset was amazing super clean beach, nice ocean breeze and not super crowded at all, and the fireflies in the trees were beautiful. some of the trees honestly lit up like christmas trees from so many fireflies. afterwards we were dropped back off at hotel around 9 pm or so. i am a concrete jungle kind of guy, and if you are used to big city type vacations this was an amazing experience outside of my usual comfort zone.

A great trip for those who don't mind a 2 hour back and forth in the van. Our guide, Suliman, was wonderful in sharing so much information about the monkeys and everything else related to the Klias River and local culture. We highly recommend this tour!