Up the Kinabatangan River

Up the Kinabatangan

Anchored in the murky river waters of the Kinabatangan River

The fleet of 28 rally boats and the ESSCOM escort boats meandered our way up the beginning of the Kinabatangan River in Borneo.  The water was the color of caramel, thick with the sediments from runoff.  At the mouth of the river, we passed close to a barge and tugboat, a tight squeeze in the shallow waters of the entrance, leaving limited maneuverability for the deeper draft monohulls who only had mere centimeters between their keels and the shoaling river floor.  The radio chirped with assistance as boats ahead would call out depths read on their depth meters and alert the boats behind of shallow spots.  

Scuba diving anyone?  I think not.  Poor visibility, not to mention the crocodiles lurking along the shores!

Quickly, it was apparent that we needed to stay on the outside edge of the winding waters, where the river ran quickest and sediments didn’t have a chance to build up.  In one spot, a catamaran went across the shallow inside of the elbow, reading 2.6 meters, and another boat measured the outside of the bend at 10.8 meters!  Although either depth was okay for us (we draw 1.5 meters), it just felt a bit less stressful to stay in the deeper water.   

Mark launched the drone to get some shots of the snake of boats slithering single-file along the jungle-lined river.  When the drone took off, it must’ve startled a hornbill, causing it to zoom right across the river behind us!  The kids were thrilled and instantly inspired to get out the binoculars for more wildlife spotting.  Along the way we would see many more birds (too far away to know the type) and even a troop of probiscus monkeys hanging out in a tree beside the river.   It certainly is one of those, “Are we really here?” moments.

Elizabeth's watercolor view of a hornbill crossing Field Trip's bow

One of many early morning river explorations

The search for wildlife

Once anchored, we packed some necessities - snacks, drinks, binoculars, bug spray, and cameras - and hopped in the dinghy to explore Oxbow Lake, a section of the river that had become disconnected at one end.  Terry, Mike, and Terry’s cousin, Simon joined us in the dinghy trip, putting our dinghy’s maximum occupancy to the test!  I kept wondering where I’d go if we sank - where would the crocs be less likely to hang out?  In the tall grasses or in the tree-lined shore?  This would not be the place we’d want to capsize!

This plant covered the edge of the river.  Its leaves were like sponges!

Up the small tributaries with water the color of sweet iced tea

With jungle on either side of us, we made our way to the calm waters of Oxbow Lake.  A symphony of sounds surrounded us.  Birds serenaded.  Cicadas hummed.  Leaves rustled in the breeze.  Mosquitoes buzzed in our ears.  Monkeys skittered.  This was the Borneo I’d been waiting for.  We have entered the wild.

The glassy calm of an estuary along the Kinabatangan River

A fiery display as the sun rises on our first morning