Bongawan Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies River Cruise, Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu City Mosque

Your afternoon begins at the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque on Likas Bay, completed in 2000 and one of the most photographed buildings in Sabah. Its blue-and-gold domes and slender minarets rise from a man-made lagoon, so the mosque seems to float on the water, earning it the nickname of the floating mosque. The design draws on classical Islamic architecture, and the reflections are especially lovely in the afternoon light.

The tour includes a visit to the grounds and the outside of the mosque. Visitors who wish to go inside need to wear the robes available for rent at the entrance, paid on site, and the mosque is closed to tourists on Fridays and during prayer times. Allow about 30 minutes here for photos around the lagoon.

A cocoa and chocolate factory

Sabah has a long history of growing cocoa, and the next stop is a small factory where you can follow the journey from bean to bar. You see the cocoa pods, learn how the beans are fermented, dried and roasted, and watch how the chocolate is made, before tasting a few varieties. Your guide also explains how cocoa farming has shaped village life in this part of Borneo.

It is a fun, sweet stop for all ages and a good place to buy locally made chocolate as a gift. Plan about 30 to 45 minutes here before the drive south along the coast to Bongawan, which takes about 1.5 hours through rice fields, villages and palm-fringed countryside.

The Bongawan river and its proboscis monkeys

Bongawan is a quiet rural district south-west of Kota Kinabalu, where slow rivers wind through mangroves and nipa palms on their way to the South China Sea. These riverbanks are home to the proboscis monkey, found only on the island of Borneo and known for the males' long, drooping noses and pot bellies. In the late afternoon the troops often gather in the riverside trees to feed and settle for the night.

Your guided cruise moves gently along the river so you can look for them, along with long-tailed macaques, kingfishers, egrets and other birds. Wildlife is wild, so sightings are never guaranteed, but the guide knows where the monkeys are usually found. Keep your voice low, never feed the animals and bring a camera with a zoom lens for the best photos.

The mirror sunset

As the sun goes down, the wide, still water and wet sands near the river mouth reflect the sky like a mirror, creating the effect locals call the sky mirror. On a calm evening the clouds turn orange, pink and purple both above and below the horizon, and the silhouettes of the palms complete the picture.

The colours depend on the weather and the tide, and the best moments usually last 20 to 30 minutes, so your guide times the stop carefully. It is a favourite moment for photographers and couples. Tea-time snacks and drinks are served during the trip, and dinner follows once the light has gone. Make sure your phone or camera is fully charged.

Fireflies in the mangroves

After dinner, the boat returns to the river in the dark to see the fireflies. Thousands of tiny beetles gather in the mangrove trees along the banks and flash their soft green light, sometimes almost in rhythm, so that whole trees seem to sparkle like decorations. It is a quiet, magical end to the day that children and adults remember.

Firefly numbers vary with the season, the moon and the weather; they are best on dark, dry nights and fewer after heavy rain. Please avoid flash photography and torches, which disturb the insects. The cruise lasts about 30 minutes, after which we drive you back to Kota Kinabalu, arriving at around 21:00.