To get you started, you must first make your way to Sandakan.
BY AIR
You can fly into Sandakan city through Sandakan Airport, which is located 15 kilometres away from the city centre. There are regular flights to and from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur. The main carriers are Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia. The flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan will take you 45 minutes, while from Kuala Lumpur 2 hours and 45 minutes. We recommend that you take the following flights into Sandakan:
Flight No. | Departs From (Direct Flights to Sandakan SDK) | Departure Time | Arrival Time |
MH 2042 MALAYSIA AIRLINES | KOTA KINABALU (BKI) | 0700HRS | 0740HRS |
AA 6492 AIR ASIA | KOTA KINABALU (BKI) | 0700HRS | 0750HRS |
MH 2710 MALAYSIA AIRLINES | KUALA LUMPUR (KUL) | 1030HRS | 1315HRS |
AK 5198 AIR ASIA | KUALA LUMPUR (KUL) | 0625HRS | 0915HRS |
BY BUS
If you choose not to fly, you can always take the bus from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan using several operators such as Bunga Raya Express, Sida Express and Tung Ma Express. The journey will take approximately 6 hours and we strongly recommend that you take the bus only when you are not in a hurry and have time to spare, as it would be ideal to arrive Sandakan one day before your tour commence.
Once you have arrived in Sandakan, you can make your way to Sukau Rainforest Lodge via:
- Boat
- Overland
At 1300hrs, you will depart for Sukau Rainforest Lodge from Sandakan Yacht Club, which is 15 minutes away from Sandakan Airport. The boat ride will take approximately 2.5 hours. As you cruise through the beautiful Kinabatangan River, you may see some of Borneo’s rare and endangered species including the Bornean pygmy elephants, orangutans and proboscis monkeys.
OVERLAND
The overland trip from Sandakan to Sukau covers 135 kilometres where 42 kilometres is on gravel road passing through palm oil plantations. The journey will take approximately 2 hours including a short 5 minutes boat ride from Sukau jetty to Sukau Rainforest Lodge.