Klias Wetlands Boat Tour, Borneo- 2015
Way back in 2015, my family and I were fortunate enough to embark on one of the highlights of our trip to Sabah in Borneo, the Klias wetlands. Famed for their populations of Proboscis Monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), endemic to Borneo, along with numerous other wildlife species including birds and other primates, they comprise a large peninsula of mangrove swamp near Kota Kinabalu. After a quite a long drive, we embarked on rustic tour boats led.by expert guides deep into the mangroves. Almost immediately we saw a decently sized troop of female proboscis monkeys led by a large, healthy male. With such a unique anatomy and low numbers, they were thrilling to see in the wild. As we cruised through the river and came to a more brackish region of the wetland, we saw 2 Collared Kingfishers (Todiramphus chloris), high up on a tree branch. Directly after, I saw a large Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), swimming across the river to another island which happened fast but was again thrilling to watch. Afterwards, we saw another, smaller, troop of proboscis monkeys led by an even larger male in a thicket of trees. They jumped between branches which provided great photo opportunities to us. Along the way back, I saw some Crab-Eating Macaques (Macaca fascicularis), a vulnerable species, close to the river's edge. They were common, but again provided great photo opportunities. Close to the disembarking spot, we viewed some Great Egrets (Ardea alba) plucking mudskippers from the shoreline. Later we enjoyed a show of thousands of fireflies on the riverbank at dusk, an incredible sight. Alltogether it was an incredible show of a healthy Bornean ecosystem that I would recommend to anyone.
Life List Animals:
Asian Water Monitor- 1
Collared Kingfisher- 2
Great Egret- 5
Proboscis Monkey- 16
Crab-Eating Macaque- 3
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