Hotels in Tommanggong

Tomanggong is a small town located 180 kilometres from Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysia. Tomanggong is majorly surrounded by forests, wildlife reserves and Danum River flowing through the small town. It is connected only by land roads. There was an airport in Tomanggong but it had ended its services and now can only be accessed from nearby airports such as Kinabatangan airport and Lahad Datu airport. It is placed under the jurisdiction of Kinabatangan district of Sandakan division.

Estimated population of Kinabatangan is around 150, 000 people as of 2010 and the demography is largely made up of the people of “Sungai” tribe, which is one of the indigenous groups native to Sabah. The area is wet and humid and there are swampy lowlands which are home to Sabah’s more representative birds and mammals, for instance, hornbills and probosics monkeys. There are also limestone outcrops being scattered all over the place with caves being the natural habitat of swiftlets. As a whole, the economy is driven on oil palm plantations, forestry and wood-based industries.

How to Get There

By Plane

There are flights to Kinabatangan and Lahad Datu from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which are provided by both Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia. Upon touchdown, from the airport, guests can head downtown to Tomanggong using public transportation or rent a car.

By Car

People driving from Kinabatangan may drive via Route 13/AH5/AH150 for immediate access to Tomanggong. The journey could take up around 3 hours and 40 minutes depending on the traffic situation.

Similarly, people driving from Lahad Datu may drive via Jalan Lahad Datu - Tungku for immediate access to Tomanggong. The journey could take up around 2 hours and 30 minutes depending on the traffic situation.

Tourist Attractions

Gomantong Caves

Gomantong Caves are an elaborate cave system located inside the Gomantong Hill in Kinabatangan, Sabah. The hill itself is the largest limestone outcrop available in the area of the Lower Kinabatangan. Considering its placement inside Sabah Forestry Department forest reserve, the caves and its surrounding area are protected area for wildlife with special attention to the orangutans. The main cave is divided into the more accessible Black Cave and the larger White Cave located way above, which names refer to the type of nests produced by the swiftlets. The Black Cave is open to the public whereas White Cave is only accessible to the experienced climbers. The only way of access is the wooden walkway which goes into the interior. These caves have been highly established for its high quality edible swiftlet nests which could fetch very high prices on the market especially for the white ones. Besides from the swiftlets, there are also other animals such as bats and bathawks.

Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary

Another place of interest is the Kinabalu Wildlife Sanctuary. The establishment of the wildlife sanctuary is relatively new. It is reactionary to a shocking discovery of a decapitated elephant head floating down the river back in 2006. As a countermeasure, the area is gazetted under the State's Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997 and placed under the watch of Sabah Wildlife Department. Located closely to the Kinabatangan River, the wildlife sanctuary is home and natural ecosystem to the pygmy elephants, orangutan, proboscis monkeys, saltwater crocodiles, rhinoceroses, hornbills and other various species of flora.

Borneo Nature Lodge

Located in close proximities to the riverbank of the Kinabatangan River, Borneo Nature Lodge offers a beautiful scenery of the place, being a resort that does not discard the greeneries, instead adapting and making use of the greenery to give the best experience to the visitors. Activities organized in the resort include river cruise, jungle trekking, bird watching, village and night walks as well as tree planting. Accommodations are also provided in-house hence travellers do not have to worry about where to stay.