You’ve seen all the Kinabatangan River in Borneo has to offer during the day — pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, even a Sasquatch-like figure. But once the sun goes down, the place really comes alive.

After dinner we climb back into the boat.

Our driver has a powerful flashlight so we can take photos along the way. He won’t point it directly at animals, but the light is strong enough that even if it’s shining next to them we’ll get a good view.

It’s a Kingfisher…

And a wide-eyed Buffy Fish Owl!

And a goanna lizard camouflaged in mud…

Our driver has impressive eagle-eyes. He spots this tiny frog from a hundred yards away.

There’s a proboscis monkey snoozing in this tree:

And here’s another Buffy Fish Owl:

Here’s a pair of black-and-red Broadbills:

And here is a SNAKE, writhing on a tree branch over our heads. Not scary at all.

(I’m quivering just looking at this photo.)

One more Kingfisher:

Next we head back to the area where alligators hang out. We didn’t see any during our afternoon river cruise, but hopefully we’ll have more luck this evening.

Yup. Lucky indeed — this guy gets a little too close for comfort!

He swishes through the water silently and then slides underwater, a slight ripple the only evidence of his presence.

But when that scaly spine emerges in the dark, a chill goes down my own spine.

After that spike in adrenaline, we return to the dock too buzzed for sleep. I eagerly spend the next few hours pouring over photos from the river. What a unique place.

Sandakan is on the eastern coast of Borneo Malaysia and easily accessible by a cheap, day-long bus ride from Kota Kinabalu (also known as KK, the main city in eastern Borneo). Or you could fly to Sandakan quickly and cheaply from KK. Sandakan is a good base for visiting Turtle Island, the Kinabatangan River, Labuk Bay Sanctuary for proboscis monkeys, and Sepilok sanctuary for orangutans. I’m in this area for only four nights and cover all of those places. If you’re in Borneo, it’s well worth a trip to this coast.