From Kota Kinabalu: Bongawan River Cruise & Firefly Tour - Proboscis Monkeys & Dinner Included

We did two tours with Eddie: the River Cruise and Mari Mari Cultural Village, and both were great experiences! Eddie is people person and a local who does it all: driving, coordinating the trip, guiding the group, storytelling, and even taking photos from the best angles! He knows the locals, and the locals know him, which makes the experience feel more authentic. Even with a packed itinerary, we never felt rushed. On both tours, we also got to try some local snacks, which was a nice bonus! Unfortunately, we didn’t get a clear view of the proboscis monkeys, which was a bit of a shame. However, that’s part of the experience when seeing wildlife in its natural habitat, and we wouldn’t trade that for a visit to a zoo! Just a note that the back of van is not for the weak. Due to bumpy road and uncomfortable seats, we jumped a few times and hit our head twice! Overall, we had a great time.

Our guide was brilliant, lots included, the fireflies were definitely the highlight!

Timmy is an absolutely wonderful guide — thoughtful, professional, and able to speak four languages, even some local dialects. Thanks to his commentary, we had such a fulfilling and lucky time.

I was traveling solo but met lovely people on this tour. The guide Eddie was just brilliant and our driver was excellent. The pace was just right and we managed to avoid the rain. I enjoyed the visit to the mosque and the chocolate factory with the tastings. There was no pressure to buy anything but if I had room in my luggage, I would have. The cruise on the river was the highlight. We saw lots of monkeys and even a baby one with their Mother. Then we went to the beach for sunset. You could buy a beer if you like to watch the fire show. Then it was time for dinner my the river and back to our hotel. I would highly recommend this tour if you are in Kota Kinabalu. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to have Eddie as your guide. He is so friendly, informative and made everyone feel relaxed.

Our guide Eddie was excellent & ensured we all got the most out of the tour, despite the early rain.