Borneo culture and wildlife tour

Borneo culture and wildlife tour Overview

Let us take you through the best of Borneo, from Sarawak’s stunning Mulu Caves to historical Brunei, the majestic mountain of Kinabalu and finally for superb wildlife viewing at the multi-award winning Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

Borneo culture and wildlife tour

Let us take you through the best of Borneo, from Sarawak’s stunning Mulu Caves to historical Brunei, the majestic mountain of Kinabalu and finally for superb wildlife viewing at the multi-award winning Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

Best time for this itinerary: July and August

Day 1: Kuching

Arrive Kuching and transfer to your hotel.

Distance and journey times: 13 km, 30 to 40 mins

Day 2: City Tour

Today’s city sightseeing will take you to attractions such as the Chinatown, Cat monument, City Tower for a bird's eye view of Kuching city, the Malay Houses on stilts, Old State Mosque, Main Bazaar, India Street, Gambier Road, Wet Market, Colonial Centre, Textile Museum, Chinese Museum, Sarawak Museum, and Kuching Waterfront to view the ultra modern State Legislative Assembly building, alongside the historical Astana and Fort Margherita.

Day 3: Lemanak Longhouse

We depart Kuching for a 4-hour drive through the evergreen rainforest, fields of pepper and rubber. The first stop will be at Serian town where you will be taken to visit an excellent farmers' market. Continue the drive to the Lemanak River where a delightful longboat ride under the rainforest canopy takes you to the longhouse. Pay a courtesy visit to the headman of the longhouse before visiting the pepper garden and a brief exploration of the surrounding forest. In the evening a traditional style dinner sitting on the mat will be served, followed by a night of traditional ceremonial dances and merry merry-making. Overnight in the longhouse.

Distance and journey times: 260 km, 4 hrs

Day 4: Lemanak Longhouse – Kuching

After breakfast, witness and participate in the blowpipe demonstration and a guided nature walk which gives you an opportunity to learn about some medicinal plants, edible fruits, and leaves, the agricultural activities of the community and some game traps used in the past for trapping animals. We will stop by the river beach for a backwoods style picnic lunch where our foods are cooked in bamboo. After lunch, depart by longboat downriver and continue overland for your return journey to Kuching.

Distance and journey times: 260 km, 4 hrs

Day 5: Mulu National Park

Take a private transfer to the airport for a short flight to Mulu. Meet at Mulu Airport and transfer to your accommodation for check-in. After lunch, trek 45 minutes on a raised plank walk through lowland rainforest and peat swamp to Skywalk Canopy and Lang Caves. Walk inside the largest cave passage of Deer Caves. Witness the daily exodus of millions of bats at the Observatory at sunset. Overnight.

Day 6: Wind and Clearwater Caves

Take 45 minutes ride by longboat up Melinau River to explore Wind Caves. Visit Clearwater caves to see the subterranean river passage which at 100 km, is the longest cave system in South East Asia. Lunch at nearby Clearwater River and swim in the crystal clear water.

Day 7: Miri - Bandar Seri Begawan

Fly back to Miri and then transfer overland with your driver to Brunei. Overnight at Bandar Seri Begawan.

Distance and journey times: 156 km, 3 hrs

Day 8: Bandar Seri Begawan City Tour

A private sightseeing tour includes a photo stop outside the Royal Palace, Istana Nurul Iman "Palace of Light", which is the biggest residential palace in the world. Visit the magnificent, "The Jame 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque" before we take a boat ride through the famous Water Village with a chance to stop and walk around. Proceed to the Brunei Museum and learn about the birth of Brunei and see the Borneo ethnographic display, natural history collection, treasures of ceramic, glassware and carpets. Fly to Kota Kinabalu where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 9: Kota Kinabalu, Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park

Enjoy a full day at the Coral Islands within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, 15 minutes off the coast of Kota Kinabalu. From the jetty, take a speedboat to Mamutik Island and then continue in the afternoon to Manukan Island. Enjoy the white sandy beaches and pristine waters of the TAR Marine Park

Return to the mainland and then to the hotel.

Overnight in Kota Kinabalu.

Day 10: Kinabalu Park World Heritage Site - Poring Hot Springs

Drive 2 hours overland to the foothills of Mt. Kinabalu at 5,000 ft. After a short stop at Nabalu market to savour local fruits in season, visit the Education Centre and Mountain Garden. Continue on the 40 km overland journey to Poring. Explore tropical rainforest among the jungle trail leading to the treetop canopy walkway suspended 41 meters above the forest floor. Return to Kota Kinabalu. Overnight.

Distance and journey times: 92 km, 2 hrs

Day 11: Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre – Sukau

Transfer to Kota Kinabalu for a flight to Sandakan. On arrival at Sandakan Airport, transfer to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. Walk ten minutes through the rainforest on wooden boardwalks to witness the feeding of the orangutans. After lunch, transfer to Sandakan jetty for a two and a half hour boat journey to the multi-award winning Sukau Rainforest Lodge along Sabah's longest river, Kinabatangan. Take a river cruise in search of wildlife and birds. Enjoy a candle light dinner overlooking the riverbank. Stay overnight at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

Distance and journey times: 129 km, 2 hrs

Day 12: Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Take a morning river cruise up the Kinabatangan River to view the birds and wildlife. After breakfast, proceed for an educational tour along the lodge's Hornbill Boardwalk with an in-house naturalist. In the afternoon, we proceed for another river cruise for more wildlife. Stay overnight at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

The Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary which covers an area of 26,800 hectares, forms part of the Kinabatangan region which is the largest floodplain the Malaysia covering a total of 23% of the land area of Sabah or 16,800 sq.km. Gazetted in 2005 as a gift to the Earth, it has a diverse ecosystem from coastal mangrove swamp, to riparian, freshwater and dipterocarp and oxbow vegetation teaming with wildlife supporting ten species of primates including orangutans, proboscis monkeys, to Borneo pygmy elephants, 50 species of mammals, 20 species of reptiles and over 1,026 species of plants.

Birdlife is especially rich here (over 325 species have been sighted in the area) including eight species of hornbills, kingfishers, darters, owls, kites, eagles, broadbills, doves, storm storks, herons, hawks, ospreys, falcon, pheasants, parakeets, bee-eaters, woodpeckers, pittas, bulbuls, forktails, babblers, warblers, flycatchers, orioles.

Day 13: Sandakan - Kota Kinabalu

After breakfast, return to Sandakan by boat. Proceed to visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Take a bird's eye view of the centre from the canopy walk and hanging bridge and explore the botanical garden, home to various species of flora. Proceed to Sandakan Memorial Park for a short visit before a transfer to the airport for a flight to Kota Kinabalu. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Distance and journey times: 129 km, 2 hrs

Day 14: Departure

Pick up from your hotel and transfer to Kota Kinabalu International Airport for departure.

Distance and journey times: 8 km, 15 mins