Written and photographed by Graham Simmons

he proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) has a huge, bulbous nose, a giant belly, and a long white tail that ends in what looks like a wide spatula.

Serious threat

Sadly, this captivating creature is under serious threat in its home territory, the island of Borneo. Because of widespread poaching, as well as loss of habitat through logging and land-clearing, fewer than 500 of these animals survive in Indonesian Borneo. In the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak combined, there are no more than 5000. The only country in which the proboscis monkey has survived and thrived is the Sultanate of Brunei, where over 10,000 specimens can still be found in the wild.

Mangrove habitat

Just ten minutes downriver from the Bruneian capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, the Brunei River is joined by the Damuan River. From this confluence through to the joint outfall of the Brunei River and Sarawak's Limbang River, an extensive network of mangroves makes the ideal habitat for the proboscis monkey as well as for many other creatures. For example, there is the mudskipper - a unique fish that can live underwater as well as on land. The mudskipper can sometimes be glimpsed hopping around on the muddy riverbanks searching for food. You might also see blue throated and red kingfishers plunging into the water to catch small fish, as well as white egret and night heron.

Clusters of fruit

Brunei's mangroves are mainly composed of bakau, a species of the Rhizophora tree that has been extensively harvested for its timber elsewhere in Borneo. Brunei is the only place in Borneo where the bakau tree is still widespread. In the backwaters of the Brunei River, the margins of the mangrove forests are fringed with nipah, the thatch palm, which has delicate fronds and clusters of fruit that provide the proboscis monkey with a delicious evening meal.

A favourite picnic spot

The very best time to see the proboscis monkeys is in the evening, when they come out of hiding to feed by the riverside. I join a late afternoon river cruise, just out of Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. The cruise sets off from Persiaran Damuan (Damuan Park), near the junction of the Brunei and Damuan Rivers. This park is a favourite picnic spot, with a river boardwalk and great views. Damuan Park is also the nearest you will get to viewing the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Istana Nurul Iman, with its 1788 rooms, unless you happen to be here for the opening that happens once a year, at the end of Ramadan.

Plovers and egrets

Our boat departs and soon veers to starboard, entering the narrow but super-scenic Damuan River. Ferns and nipah palms line the banks, and houses ranging from rustic to palatial dot the riverbanks. One plush homestead even has its own private jetty, complete with gazebo. The wildlife of the river soon becomes apparent. Our guides Abdul Rahman and Azri are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, pointing out the astonishingly varied wildlife around us. Plovers and egrets play overhead, occasionally alighting on the branches of semi-sunken trees. In the fork of another tree, a giant monitor lizard warms itself in the dying rays of the sun.

Not so much as a hoot

We reach proboscis monkey territory in the late afternoon, just as the big monkeys (up to 24 kilogrammes each in the case of males) are arriving in small groups at the mangroves fringing the Damuan River. Our boat makes a channel through the mangrove roots into a quiet clearing. Here we cut the motor, and wait in silence for the proboscis monkeys to arrive. A troupe of proboscis monkeys soon stealthily makes its way across the treetops. There is not even so much as a hoot, a call for which the proboscis monkey is famous. They seem to be wary, mostly keeping their backs to us.

Camera-shy

I speculate idly whether they are embarrassed by their big noses. If so, then one would expect that the females, who have smaller noses, not to be so reticent. The females are certainly less extraordinary to look at, but seem to be equally bashful. To see more of the monkeys in their chosen habitat, we make a couple more stops among the mangroves. Once again, the monkeys seem a little camera-shy - but I'm starting to suspect that in fact, they are totally indifferent to our presence. Instead, they are preoccupied with their task of ingesting nipah fruit and huge quantities of mangrove leaves, as they have to do in order to satisfy their nutritional requirements.   As Azri explains, this may be the main reason for their weirdly bloated bellies.

Spectacular aerial display

As the last rays of the fading day fall across the Damuan, we make our way back to the Brunei River. And then comes one of the most spectacular moments of the whole trip. A muezzin's call wafts across the treetops from a mosque hidden deep within the jungle, At precisely this instant, a phalanx of cattle egrets takes to the skies, skimming low across the water and then soars skywards in a spectacular aerial display. At times, the   bird  numbers  are so great that the sun is nearly blotted out. As we slowly make our way back to Bandar Seri Begawan, I have time to reflect a little. If the small wildlife sampling that we have experienced is indicative of the natural wonders that Brunei has to offer, what other great treasures lie concealed in its pristine forests? The words of British travel writer Patrick Synge come immediately to mind: 'There is something about the rain forests of Borneo that will always lure back the traveller who has once visited them.'

Fact File:

Getting There: Saudi Arabian  Airlines flies  regularly   to  Singapore, from where Royal Brunei Airlines connects to Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.

Proboscis Monkey Safari:

The Proboscis Monkey Safari, a trip of about three hours, departs every day from the Jerudong Hotel at 0700 & 1530 hrs. and the Bandar Hotel at 0730 & 1600 hrs. (Times may vary, so it's advisable to check these before setting out.)