Malaysian Borneo Sample Itinerary
Day 1.
Arrive in Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah and spend the rest of the day exploring. Visit the interesting local museum, explore the great shops and make your way to the beach to watch the sunset and treat yourself to dinner at one of the numerous food stalls. Finish the day by heading to the central park to enjoy the nightly music and light show. |
Day 2.
Fly to Tawau, on the south-east coast of Sabah. From here you will take a shuttle to the port of Semporna and then a boat to your resort on Mataking, two green islands divided by a narrow strip of golden sand and surrounded by a colourful coral reef. Enjoy your own private chalet and 3 buffet style meals a day included. If you are a scuba diver, you will do your orientation dive after lunch. Mataking is also home to a turtle hatchery conservation project. One of the highlights is being able to release the hatchlings in to the water. |
Day 4.
One of the main reasons to head to this part of Borneo is to visit Sipidan Island, home to some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world. Huge schools of Jackfish and Barracuda abound along with reef sharks, turtles and stunning coral. However, if being in the water is not your thing, back at the resort is the perfect place to unwind. |
Day 6.
Spend the day at the local Orangutan sanctuary. Often the younger orangutans will come up close enough to be touched – an amazing experience for all! They have two feeding sessions each day and you may well find that you want to pop back to the resort in between them to cool down and rest from the heat a bit. |
Day 7.
You will be collected from your resort and taken to your lodge in the heart of Kinabatang Wildlife Sanctuary where, after settling in, you will embark on a river safari. Here's the chance to spot a number of primates including orangutans, gibbons and the weird-looking proboscis monkey along with crocodiles and a huge variety of bird life. The night time walking safari gives you the opportunity to get up close to the nocturnal animals of the jungle including the incredibly cute tarsier – known locally as the ‘ghost monkey’. |
Day 11.
There are a number of guided and non-guided walk options, one of the best for families is the 480 metre long guided Canopy Skywalk – the world’s longest tree based canopy walk - which takes you up amongst the towering trees among vivid butterflies, huge insects and lush ferns. The other must-do walk is to Mulu’s two show caves – Langs Cave and Deer Cave. Within Langs Cave you will get to wander through impressive stalagmite and stalactite formations whilst Deer Cave will blow you away with its sheer scale and size – it is the world’s largest cave passage with the capacity to fit St. Paul’s Cathedral inside it and home to over 3 million bats of various species. The best time to visit these caves is the afternoon so that you are there to view the amazing spectacle of these 3 million bats pouring from the cave mouth at dusk in search of food. |
Day 14.
Today sees the beginning of your headhunter longhouse experience. Your guide will collect you and drive you to the Batang Ai area, home to a number of traditional longhouses. Transfer to a longboat and be taken to your host family. Traditionally, a number of families (up to 40) will live in each longhouse which is presided over by the chief. You will have the unique opportunity to experience and share their day to day life. In the evening the villagers will welcome you properly with a traditional ceremony involving music, dance and the local rice wine, Tuak. |