Arriving into Kota Kinabalu on my own was a little daunting at first. However it couldn't have been easier, everyone in Malaysia speaks good English and are willing to help you find you way.

I was hoping that while I was in Kota Kinabalu to be able to continue my travel traditions and climb Mt Kinabalu but unfortunately due to an earthquake earlier in the year the peak is closed whilst they reconstruct the path until December which would have meant waiting around for a couple of weeks to secure a permit.

There is lots of other things to explore in Sabah, PODs Hostel were very helpful and from there I was able to book my onward travel to Kinabatangan where I spent 3days experiencing the jungle way of life at Nature Lodge.

The Kinabatangan River is the longest river in Sabah and spans 560 kilometres from its headwaters in the mountains of southwest Sabah, to its outlet at the Sulu Sea, east of Sandakan. During my stay alongside the river we took multiple cruises along the river to spot the different species of monkeys and birds in their natural habitat as well as trekking into the jungle where I was literally eaten alive through my trousers by mosquitos - an experience not to be repeated!

Just in case it rains, we were advised to always bring along a raincoat or a disposable poncho when going on a cruise. However the sun was shining and the 8 of us on our boat all forgot and within 10minutes of starting our first boat cruise the heavens opened for 45minutes and drenched us head to toe! With only one dry bag for all our cameras on board we just had to laugh it off. On the bright side once the rain stopped the animals are more active on the edge of the river and I managed to see plenty of of animals, such as the silvered leaf monkey, a wilderness of long-tailed macaques, proboscis monkeys and even wild orangutans.

The most anticipated animal to be spotted, which is also the most rare is the Bornean pygmy elephants. These elusive mammals are very hard to spot unless you’re very, very lucky. Myself and several other tourists managed to see a herd of these adorable elephants moving along the riverbank during our last morning cruise.