You might expect the best wildlife area near Kuching to be Bako National Park — so did I. But this little cruise along the Santubong River took the cake. We saw rare Irrawaddy dolphins, Proboscis monkeys, fireflies, and even bioluminescent plankton. (Crocodiles are usually on the itinerary, too.) If you’re wondering what to do in Kuching, add this to your Sarawak plans.
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The best wildlife spotting experience I did in Sarawak
This wetlands boat cruise near Santubong National Park was by far the best activity we did near Kuching.
I booked the trip through Seek Sophie, which connected me with Ooo Haa Adventure Tours. I can’t actually find the exact tour I booked on either of their sites anymore (and I only did it a couple of days ago). But you could reach out directly to enquire!
Otherwise, there’s this Get Your Guide trip that looks similar. However, anything with the terms “wildlife,” “wetlands,” “mangroves,” “Santubong River,” or “cruise” will likely include a similar list of stops.
For your reference when pricing it out, we paid 200 MYR per person.
What this wildlife watching trip near Kuching includes
A guided tour includes transport to the boat launch just outside Santubong National Park, a few hours on the boat, a boxed dinner (aboard the boat), water, and other soft drinks.
Depending on who you book with, the trip itinerary will look something like this:
- Drive about 45 minutes from Kuching
- Quick bathroom break at the boat launch
- Several short boat rides between areas looking for different animals
- Dinner on the boat around 6:30 for sunset, anchored just off a floating village called Sala
- Quick stop to spot the fireflies
- 15-minute boat ride back
- Arrive back in Kuching before 8:30
June and July are the best months for the Santubong River Cruise. The animals are more active and it’s the only time you can see the pink dolphins!
You can admire Mount Santubong throughout much of the trip.
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Wildlife along the Santubong River
There are 4 main events on the tour: crocodiles, dolphins, monkeys, and fireflies.
And you don’t even have to do anything to find them — the boat driver will take you straight to where they usually hang out. As a bonus, you may also spot gigantic jellyfish and tiny bioluminescent plankton. Here’s what you can look forward to seeing on your Santubong Wetlands Wildlife Cruise.
Crocodiles
Crocodiles in this area can reach up to 6 metres long — they also eat people kinda often. The guide told us not to even put our hand in the water.
I’d be inclined to think he was just being dramatic if he was the first person who’d told us about this. But it’s true, Borneo has a growing croc problem along its riverbanks. According to Malay Mail, the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department reported 8 crocodile attacks in 2025, up from 6 and 3 in the previous two years.
The Indigenous Iban people of Sarawak consider crocodiles sacred — they’re seen as reincarnated ancestors. Not only do they have spiritual significance, but the Iban also believe crocodiles can exact revenge for generations. And if you eat crocodile? They’ll be able to smell it and track you down.
So even though they’ve been attacking people more frequently, the locals have some pretty good reasons not to kill or eat the crocodiles.
I guess I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but what I’m trying to say is: Don’t bother packing a swim suit and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
Dolphins
The dolphins were the real motivator for booking this tour. The Irrawaddy snubnose dolphins are unique to Borneo. And, just as advertised, they have little snub noses.
We weren’t sure if we’d see them — no animal sighting is ever guaranteed — but we got lucky! We saw a family frolicking around for about 20 minutes.
While our guide never fed any of the animals (essential for an ethical tour), he did explain the dolphins’ relationship with the fishermen in the area. Basically, they’ve learned to hang around the boat guys as they’re pulling in their catch because they can grab any fish that don’t make it onto the boat.
If you visit around June or July, you can also catch the even rarer Indo-Pacific humpback pink dolphins. Pink!!! We were just a bit too early for our trip in May.
Proboscis monkeys
Besides orangutans, I feel like Proboscis monkeys are the mascots of Borneo. Another endemic species you can only find on this beautiful island, you’ll know a Proboscis monkey when you see one because of their silly noses.
We only saw one in Bako National Park, but spotted at least 15 throughout our Santubong River Cruise. They were all over the place, all playing and jumping through the mangroves.
We also spotted some macaques. But you’ll see those all over Southeast Asia and sometimes they’ll try to rob you, so they’re less of a highlight.
Read more: How to Get to Bako National Park
Fireflies
One the sun goes down, the boat brings you to the “Sarawak Christmas Tree.” If you’ve never seen fireflies in-person before it’s pretty cool. But ultimately just a few flickers floating around. The nickname was the best part of this for me.
Bonus sightings
We spotted two other sea creatures not mentioned in the tour description.
First, the largest jellyfish I’ve ever seen in my entire life — including in aquariums. Like I’m talking huge. Maybe ruler x ruler size. Another reason never to swim in the Santubong River. From the safety of the boat though? So sick. TikTok video for size.
Second, we got to see bioluminescent plankton. I’ve seen these many times before and it never gets old. These may have been some of the strongest ever, though. I thought there was a blue light under the boat they were so bright, but nope, just plankton!
In Sarawak they’re called “Blue Tears” and are actually a bad omen in the local culture. Fishers wouldn’t go out to sea if they saw them. I find that pretty fascinating, and it’s covered in more depth in this old Borneo Post article.
Naomi Lai
Naomi is a Canadian travel editor and writer with 13 years of international travel across Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, New Zealand, and beyond. She covers everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel — always from personal experience.
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