Borneo | Borneo Encompassed
Magnificent scenery, superb rainforest lowlands, endangered wildlife and fascinating cultures are only a part of the charm of Borneo. We explore colonial cities, walk through tropical jungles, travel rivers by longboat, discover caves of unbelievable size and stay in the longhouses of descendants of the legendary Headhunters of Borneo. This is a trip for the adventurous traveller interested in experiencing one of the last wild places in the world.
| Duration: | 17 Days |
|---|---|
| Tour Code: | ITW602 |
| Trip Style: | Standard |
| Departure Dates: | 11 Nov 2011, 09 Dec 2011, 06 Jan 2012, 03 Feb 2012, 02 Mar 2012, 30 Mar 2012, 27 Apr 2012, 25 May 2012, 29 Jun 2012, 20 Jul 2012, 17 Aug 2012, 14 Sep 2012, 12 Oct 2012, 09 Nov 2012, 07 Dec 2012, 04 Jan 2013, 08 Feb 2013, 08 Mar 2013, 29 Mar 2013, 26 Apr 2013, 24 May 2013, 28 Jun 2013 |
| Price: | $4,900 |
| Single Supplement: | $900 |
| Places you'll visit: |
|
| Highlights: |
|
Ideal for Solo Travellers
You will travel with a maximum of just 15 fellow travellers. This is small enough to avoid making a negative impact on the places you go and the people you meet, but large enough to have a good time with other travellers from around the globe.
If you are willing to share a room we will find a member of the same gender for you to share with. If we are unable to find someone, then you will get a single room without having to pay any supplement. And for those wanting their own room the single supplement won't break the bank.
Trip Details
GROUP SIZE: 15 max.
Day 1: Kuching
Upon arrival in Kuching you are met and transferred to the hotel, where you meet your tour leader who will conduct a pre-trip briefing in the evening. The group may then adjourn to a nearby restaurant for a local dinner (cost not included).
Day 2: Lemanak River - Iban Longhouse
We visit Semonggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, outside Kuching, where we have the chance to spot some orang-utans, which are being rehabilitated for re-introduction back into the wild. A 225-kilometre road journey takes us through lush green countryside dotted with paddy fields, pepper gardens and rubber plantations, flanked by rugged jungle-clad mountains. Along the way, we stop off at the farmer's market in the town of Serian, visit a pepper garden and view some carnivorous pitcher plants.
After stopping for lunch at a roadside bazaar deep in Iban country, we arrive at Lemanak jetty mid-afternoon for a longboat ride up the Lemanak River. Along the way we pass through typical Borneo countryside with longhouses tucked behind almost every bend in the river. Arriving at Ngemah Longhouse, we proceed to visit the 'entire village under one roof', before enjoying dinner, which features delicious fresh jungle produce and is served in the longhouse.
After dinner, we proceed for the evening's entertainment, which includes traditional dancing, music, games and a glass or two of tuak (rice wine) with the longhouse chief. The Iban are a fun-loving people and visitors are expected to join in the festivities! We sleep overnight in the longhouse, but please be warned that the amenities is very spartan! You must be prepared to live without the creature comforts of home. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 3: Iban Longhouse
After breakfast, we enjoy a blowpipe demonstration and even get to try shooting one ourselves! We then take a short walk through the forest, accompanied by Iban trackers, and learn about the traditional uses of rainforest plants in Iban culture.
After returning to the resthouse for a short rest and to freshen up, we proceed up the river by boat to visit another Iban village. Weather permitting we enjoy a traditional Iban lunch, served by the riverbank. This gives us a chance to taste food cook by using bamboo. We return to the Serubah longhouse - our accommodation for the night. Again, please expect the facilities to be quite basic! Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 4: Kuching
After our two-day longhouse experience, we return to Kuching. You may wish to reorganise your luggage this evening, as it is possible to fly any excess baggage from Miri direct to Limbang, which is where we arrive on Day 8 after emerging from the jungle. (There will be a small delivery fee of RM3.40 (US$0.90) per kg for this service, charged by Malaysia Airlines.)
For the next few days we require only a backpack. Whilst trekking, we carry our own baggage, so it is a case of 'the less, the better'. A medium-sized pack is ideal for the next five days. You will need to bring along a sleeping sheet, but a sleeping bag is not vital, as it does not usually get very cold. Good walking shoes, strong sandals and a mosquito net are also recommended. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch
Day 5: Mulu National Park (Long Pala)
We catch a one-hour flight from Kuching to Miri in the morning, which will give us a chance to shop for any last-minute requirements, before we head into the jungle. Miri is a modern boomtown, which can attribute its success to the discovery of oil.
In the afternoon we take a scenic flight inland to Mulu National Park, which is renowned for its spectacular network of caves. (Note: a camera fee must be paid to for use of cameras inside the park). We spend a memorable night at the charming Royal Mulu Resort. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 6: Mulu National Park (Camp 5)
After breakfast we head out by boat to Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave, where we can enjoy a swim in the crystal-clear waters. Clearwater Cave contains one of the world's longest underground rivers and, together with dry passages totalling some 107 kilometres, is considered the longest cave system in Asia. A three-hour jungle walk then takes us to our overnight accommodation at Camp 5. Facilities are very basic at this jungle hut; you will be sleeping on wooden floors, however sleeping mats are available for hire at a nominal fee. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 7: Iban Longhouse
Our trek continues through lowland forest on a section known as the Headhunters Trail. Kayan warriors used this route as they made their way through the jungle to invade the homeland of the Murut. The trail is well used by the locals, however few tourists follow this route. Our five to six hour walk brings us to the Terikan River. Here we continue our journey by boat to our longhouse accommodation. We are welcomed by members of the Iban tribe and our stay at the longhouse provides a unique opportunity to learn some of their traditions and customs as well as seeing how they have adapted to the modern world.
In the evening, we enjoy the communal feeling of the longhouse as we relax on the covered veranda. At night we will again be sleeping on a hard wooden floor, but very basic sleeping mats will be available. However we still strongly advise that you bring good sleeping sheets! Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 8: Limbang
After breakfast we continue down the river by boat to Nanga Medamit, then travel by local bus to the town of Limbang, where we expect to arrive around noon. Here we will be re-united with our main luggage transported from Miri. The afternoon is free to explore the town and to readjust on our return to ‘civilisation'. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch
Day 9: Kota Kinabalu
We walk to the wharf and board the express boat to Labuan, a duty-free island, where we stop for a few hours to do some shopping. This stop is mandatory due to the boating schedule. We then catch another express boat for the second leg of our journey across the South China Sea to Kota Kinabalu. We reach Sabah's capital in the late afternoon. Meals included: 1 breakfast
Day 10: Gaya Island - Kota Kinabalu
We go down to the waterfront jetty where we catch a boat for about 20 minutes to Gaya Island (Pulau Gaya), one of the five islands that make up Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park -a marine reserve named after Malaysia's first prime minister. We trek on 2 kilometres of jungle trails and learn about some of the unique medicinal plants, tropical hardwood trees, coastal vegetation, tropical dipterocarp rainforest and the ecology of the mangrove forest.
We then transfer across to Mamutik Island (Pulau Mamutik), where we have a chance to relax and swim in the warm tropical waters or enjoy some snorkelling before returning to Kota Kinabalu in the mid-afternoon. Please note that snorkelling gear is available for hire. However it is necessary to bring a towel, a hat, walking shoes, insect repellent, a water bottle, swim wear and sun block lotion along with you. Meals included: 1 breakfast
Day 11: Sandakan - Sepilok
We transfer to the airport for a short morning flight to Sandakan. On arrival, we proceed to Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. At this centre we walk on wooden boardwalks for 10 minutes through the rainforest, where we witness the morning feeding of orang-utans. This is then followed by a video presentation that tells us about these amazing apes.
In the afternoon we enjoy a short tour of Sandakan town, which includes a visit to the water village, the local market, a Chinese temple and the Australian War Memorial. We stay a night at a jungle lodge in Sepilok. Meals included: 1 breakfast
Day 12: Sukau
We travel to Sandakan jetty for a boat journey along Sabah's longest river, the Kinabatangan, to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. En route we have opportunities to spot birds and other wildlife in virgin mangrove, wetland and rainforest habitats. After settling in at our accommodation, we set off in the late afternoon and take a river cruise on a motorised boat to look out for some of the 10 primate species that live in this area.
A highlight is spotting proboscis monkeys, often seen on the treetops along the river. Wild orang-utans, long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, monitor lizards and various species of hornbills and kingfishers are also often sighted. If you are lucky, you may even see some wild Borneo elephants, recently identified as a unique sub-species of the Asian elephant. We return to our lodge for a solar heated hot shower, a candle lit dinner and a slide show conducted by our resident naturalist. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 13: Sukau
We wake up to the calls of gibbons and hornbills. A 6am morning river cruise up the Kinabatangan River gives us a chance to view more birds and wildlife. We then proceed to the Kelenanap ox-bow lake for a short jungle walk (weather permitting). Here we really get to experience the wilderness of Borneo. You have the option to participate in our conservation project by planting trees on part of our 64 acres of adopted land.
In the afternoon we enjoy another river boat ride in the search for more wildlife. After dinner there is an optional night safari cruise (at additional cost), which gives us a chance of spotting some of the many nocturnal species of animals that inhabit the area. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 14: Danum Valley
This morning, we travel overland for 27 kilometres to Gomantong Caves. We need to walk 20 minutes through the rainforest to get to the cave entrance. Your guide will then brief you on the cave's fauna that includes bats, swifts and crabs among others, and explain their contribution to maintaining a balanced ecology and significance to the local economy. When in season, we can witness the collecting of birds' nests by the local people, using bamboo ladders and poles. These nests, made of the birds' saliva, are a culinary delicacy in Asia.
We then drive for two hours to Lahad Datu for lunch and continue for another 83 kilometres through selectively logged forest, cocoa and softwood plantations before arriving at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, located beside the Danum River on the edge of 438 square kilometres of undisturbed lowland rainforest. This area is home to an incredible variety and diversity of wildlife with over 275 species of birds and 110 species of mammals recorded, not to mention the abundant plant life.
Many of these species are critically endangered and the reality is that you will probably not see animals such as Sumatran rhinoceros, but a stay at Borneo Rainforest Lodge for a couple of nights is sure to be a major highlight for any nature lover. There is irony in the fact that this wildlife reserve is created out of a huge logging concession area. Apart from the wildlife spotting opportunities, Borneo Rainforest Lodge is a first class nature resort complete with all the usual luxuries and your stay will be a memorable one.
This afternoon we get to explore nature trails and walk along the Riverside Trail, in search of wildlife. Please remember that you need to wear strong and comfortable footwear and be prepared for leeches, especially if it is wet.
In the evening we see a slide presentation on the Danum Valley area, before taking a night drive (weather permitting) through the rainforest in search some of the area's many nocturnal species, including civet, flying squirrel, porcupine, sambar deer and leopard cat. If we are incredibly lucky, we may be able to see slow loris or clouded leopard. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 15: Danum Valley
Today we explore other parts of the park. Before breakfast, we go on an early morning bird walk. We spend the whole day exploring the forest for birds and mammals. Following a path leading up to an escarpment lined with ancient burial coffins (Coffin Cliff), we also trek to a waterfall and enjoy a dip in refreshing rock pools. After lunch at the lodge we enjoy a jungle walk through trails leading to a canopy walkway. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner
Day 16: Kota Kinabalu
After a morning trek and a last chance to do more wildlife spotting, we return to the lodge for lunch. We then transfer back to Lahad Datu, where we catch our flight back to Kota Kinabalu. There are many wonderful eating places such as the various open-air hawker stalls that serve up all sorts of delicious Malaysian food. Going out for dinner (optional) would be a great way of spending our last evening together. Mea included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch
Day 17: Kota Kinabalu
The tour ends after breakfast. A transfer to the airport is not included; however your tour leader will be on hand to advise you as to the options available. Depending on the time your flight departs, you may have a free day to have a look at some of the attractions of Kota Kinabalu. Formerly known in British colonial times as Jesselton, it is quite a modern place as most of the old town was totally destroyed during the Second World War. Other attractions include the Filipino Market, State Mosque, Sabah Museum and a 'water village' near the airport, which is basically a village built in stilts. Meals included: 1 breakfast
Inclusions
- 16 Breakfasts, 12 Lunches, 9 Dinners
- Local flights: Kuching to Miri, Miri to Mulu, Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and Lahad Datu to Kota Kinabalu
- Services of an expert local English speaking tour leader throughout the tour
- Local guides at some sites
- Arrival transfer
- All transport
- Sightseeing and entrance fees
Accommodation
- 1 night Park lodge
- 3 nights Longhouse
- 1 night National park shelter
- 6 nights Comfortable hotel
- 5 nights Jungle/rainforest lodge
What's Not Included
- tips
- camera fees
Terms & Conditions
Click here for our Terms & Conditions
For more information, availability and pricing and options, please contact our expert travel specialists at Inspired Travel Worldwide on (02) 9449 8598 or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
:: Click to enlarge
