White Water Rafting @Kiulu River

After my previous white water rafting experience at Kampar, I just cannot forget the fun and the thrill. This time I continue my addiction over it at Kiulu River, Kota Kinabalu. The cost for this adventure is at RM185.00/pax which is done by the same company that I was with at Kampar River which is Riverbug. I chose them not because they are the cheapest but they have the best customer service that I preferred. There are plenty of cheaper than Riverbug for you to choose from but I cannot guarantee about their customer service.

As early as 8.30am, we are picked up and drove for 90 minutes before reaching Kiulu River which is located at the Tamparuli area. We had our safety briefing by the professionals and we have to sign the Liability Release Form.

Off we go! There are a total of 3 rafts joining us with average of 5 - 7 people on a raft including the guide. In my experience, there are fun if just only 2 of us and there are different fun if you have 5- 7 people in a raft too. So it is really does not matter how many people in the raft. The most important part is the guide is fun and funny!

The Kiulu River looks dirty because of the soil. That's what I have been told by the guide. For me this is not a pleasant scenery to be seen because I am used with the crystal clear Kampar River.

Kiulu River is Grade I-II compare to Kampar River which is Grade I-III. The grade means the difficulty of the rapid. The higher the grade the more challenging the rapid is. Therefore, Kiulu is the easiest for any starter who would like to try rafting but not ready for any over challenging stuffs.

The weather is really hot! It is fun to have splashing within our raft or have a mini war splashing between each rafts. That is the fun if you have many rafts.

Alright, here we go with one of the Rapid at the Kiulu River. The rapid is not really strong so you will have little chance to fall off the raft or the raft capsized. 

The whole journey took about 90 minutes more or less. That will depend on our rowing speed and also if we spend too much time in swimming in the river.

Just let the raft slide and glide like a roller coaster. It is really fun! I love it!

There are a few spots which is not really deep but good place to have a nice swim. The water is cold and really comfortable especially you are going to be under the super hot sun for the whole 90 minutes.

There are a lot of hanging bridges like this along the river. This is their main connection to the mainland from the inner villages. There are some bridges with red flag on it means we must keep our volume down at the area because we might scare away the fishes in the river.

There are cables and water hose will be link together with the bridge to the village. Basically, not many crazy rapid to expect here so it is more like a sightseeing on the river.

Finally, we have reached the ending point. We are able to change to a dry clothes and took a nice bath here as well. Lunch is included in the package. There are coconut drinks and fruits to sell here too.

They have a flying fox adventure here too. It is optional and selling at RM48/pax. They claimed that is the longest flying fox in Borneo but I do not feel like spending a lot of money on this so I did not take a try. 

Overall, I really do encourage everyone to try this adventure especially to someone who does not know whether is the white water rafting is suitable for you or not. For those already experience rafting and would like something more challenging, please do not waste your time and money on this river.

Things to bring:

Sandal with strap / sport shoe, 

Short and T-shirt (Not white colour), 

Swimwear, Payment / Service Voucher, 

Extra pocket money, 

Insect repellent, 

Sun-block lotion, 

Change of clothes, 

Towel, 

Cap / Hat

Total Damage: RM370.00
Freakout Level: 2/5
Price: 2/5
Service: 4/5
Recommended?: Yes, for any first timer.