Flight: MH2504 Kuala Lumpur - Kuching 09.15 - 11.00

Meet & greet: Upon arrival at Kuching airport, you will be welcomed to Borneo by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel.

Guided tour of Kuching: After freshening up at your hotel, you will be taken on a tour of this riverside city established by Sir James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak. Many of the buildings in the city centre date back to the colourful days of Brooke’s rule including Fort Margherita and the former residence of the White Rajah. See Old Chinese temples and bustling markets on almost every corner, and explore the mile long “waterfront” promenade. The stalls in the main bazaar offer an impressive collection of tribal carvings, handicrafts, antiques and souvenirs. Another interesting place to visit, time-permitting, is the Sarawak museum which dates from 1891.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hilton Kuching (River View Room)

Full day tour of the Bako National Park: This morning proceed by road to Bako National Park. After visiting the Park's information and exhibition centre, start an easy trek through mangrove forest to observe the mud skippers and blue-fiddler crabs. You will then enter a forested trail where it is possible to see the curious looking proboscis monkeys, before arriving at the plateau which is home to various botanical delights and several species of the carnivorous pitcher plants. This is a fascinating hike through several different ecosystems and vegetation along the way, from mangrove swamp to rainforest, then kerangan and padang forest. Return to Kuching in the afternoon.

Please Note that today’s schedule may change depending on the tide and sea conditions. This tour is not always possible during the wet season (November to February) owing to sea conditions. The duration of this tour during the wet season is shorter (approx. 5 hours) as it is often necessary to leave the park earlier owing to sea conditions.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hilton Kuching (River View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey to the Batang Ai National Park: After breakfast, you will set off by road for the Batang Ai National Park. This is a drive of around 4 hours with stops at a native market and a pepper farm en-route.

Boat journey to Nanga Sumpa Lodge: Upon arrival at the Batang Ai jetty, board a longboat and travel across the lake and then upriver to Nanga Sumpa, a journey of around 2 hours although the exact time will depend on river conditions.

Evening activities at Nanga Sumpa: Upon arrival at Nanga Sumpa, settle in to the lodge and enjoy a local dinner. This evening you will have time at leisure to wander around the Longhouse and interact with the Iban community. Visitors should never venture into the forest away from the lodge without a guide.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Nanga Sumpa Lodge (Basic Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Full day exploring Batang Ai National Park: Following breakfast at the lodge, set off with your guide to trek along the jungle trails near the river. After an hour or so, you will reach your private long-boat and continue upriver. Your destination is the scenic Enseluai waterfall. Along the way (if conditions are suitable) your boatman may stop to demonstrate fishing Iban-style using a jala or throw net. Arrive at the waterfall and have some time to relax, swim and enjoy the rainforest surroundings while your Iban hosts prepare a riverside Barbecue lunch. Return to the lodge in the afternoon and an opportunity to spend more time with the residents of Nanga Sumpa longhouse or do some more walking in the jungle with your guide (please do not set off on a walk away from the lodge without your guide). After dinner this evening, relax on the ruai (common verandah), spend time with the Iban people and enjoy some local rice wine.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Nanga Sumpa Lodge (Basic Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Boat & road journey from Batang Ai to Kuching: After breakfast this morning, travel back downriver and cross the resevoir to meet up again with your driver. Once back on dry land, set off to Kuching by road, stopping en-route to see the afternoon feeding at the Semonggoh Orang-utan centre. Depending on conditions and stops, the boat journey today is about 2 hours and the drive is about 4 hours.

Afternoon tour of Semonggoh Orangutan Centre: En route back to Kuching you will stop at the Semonggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, located 22 km from Kuching. Set up in 1975, this sanctuary is set in 740-hectares of virgin forest and home to orang utans, honey bears, hornbills, porcupines, storks, barking deer and monkeys. Most of the animals were rescued from captivity and are being rehabilitated back to health in a natural environment. The highlight of the visit is to observe the orang utans being trained to fend for themselves before being released into the wild. After visiting the centre continue to Kuching.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hilton Kuching (River View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After a leisurely breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel by your guide, and transferred to Kuching Airport in time for your flight to Mulu.

Flight: MH3823 Kuching - Mulu 11.20 - 12.55 

Please note that the direct flight between Kuching and Mulu does not operate daily and it may be that you have to fly via Miri today. Please speak to your consultant for more details.

Private transfer: On arrival in Mulu, you will be met by your local guide and taken to the Mulu Marriot Resort for a 2 night stay.

Afternoon tour of the Mulu National Park: After settling in to your resort, take a 3 kilometre long walk with your guide along a raised wooden platform to reach Deer Cave, the largest cave passage in the world. Also explore Lang Cave, regarded as the most beautiful cave formation in Mulu. If weather permits you will be taken to the bat observatory point to watch millions of bats flying out from Deer Cave. Return on the same walkway and settle in to your lodge for the evening at leisure.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa (Deluxe Rainforest Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Morning tour in Mulu National Park: After breakfast, at your lodge travel by longboat to visit Penan Settlement to witness the lifestyle of the Penan community. Continue by longboat to Mulu National Park and visit Wind cave, Young Lady Cave and Clearwater Cave. Take a picnic lunch at Clearwater Hut and if you wish, you may enjoy a swim at the Clearwater pool.

Afternoon at leisure: In the afternoon, return to your comfortable lodge to relax by the pool or indulge in a spa or massage treatment. For those more actively-inclined a range of further excursions can be arranged locally.

Evening Night Walk: This evening, join a small group led by an official Mulu Park guide on a tour of the forest at night. Walk along the 1.5km plank-walk which meanders through Kerangas forest, home to Borneo’s famous pitcher plants, riverine, swamp and limestone vegetation. The guide will use an audio transmitter to relay information without disturbing the timid wildlife. Immerse yourself in the night sounds of the rainforest; watch the blinking fireflies float before you or search for luminescent fungi. Quietly move through the forest looking for animals that hide during the day but emerge in the darkness which protects them from being seen by predators.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa (Deluxe Rainforest Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After a leisurely morning and an opportunity to do some more walking, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to Mulu Airport in time for your flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Flight: MH3254 Mulu - Kota Kinabalu 14.40 - 16.10

Please note that the direct flight between Mulu and Kota Kinabalu does not operate daily and it may be that you have to fly via Miri today. Please speak to your consultant for more details.

Private transfer: On arrival in Kota Kinabalu, you will be met by your local guide and taken to the Shangri-La Rasa Tanjung Aru Resort for a 3 night stay.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort (Sea View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Full day tour to Kinabalu National Park: This morning depart Kota Kinabalu by road for the 2-hour journey through scenic countryside, small towns and scattered villages to the Kinabalu National Park. Established in 1964, this was one of Malaysia's first National Parks and is now a World Heritage Site due to the diversity of habitats present on and around the slopes of SE Asia's highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu. The surrounding forests are some of the richest in the world with more than 2000 flowering plants including 1200 species of Orchids, various species of Rhododendron, Pitcher Plants and the largest of them all, Rafflesia. On arrival in the park your guide will lead you on a trek along one of the many graded trails into the montane forest. This is a good opportunity for bird-watching, nature photography, and learning the medicinal uses of the forest plants. You will then have the chance to visit the information centre in the Park Headquarters, and the Mountain Botanical Garden to see the unique flora that can be found in the National Park before heading back to the city in the late afternoon.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort (Sea View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure: Today is at leisure to relax and enjoy the great facilities at your hotel, explore the city independently or arrange further excursions and activities through your guide (payable locally). The hotel can assist you with arranging snorkelling trips out to the nearby Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort (Sea View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After breakfast, you will be collected from the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort and transferred to Kota Kinabalu airport for your flight to Sandakan.

Flight: MH2046 Kota Kinabalu - Sandakan 11.30 - 12.10

Private transfer to Sepilok: Upon arrival, you will be met by your driver and transferred to your hotel in Sepilok. 

Afternoon suggested activity: This afternoon, you may want to pay a visit to the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Here there is an impressive information centre and excellent canopy walkway. At dusk there is a very good chance of viewing the Borneo Giant Flying Squirrel gliding from tree to tree. The entrance is a nominal MYR15 per person and your lodge can help to organise transport.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the MY Nature Resort (Wooden Chalet)

Meals: Breakfast

Morning visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre & Sun Bear Conservation Centre: This morning, you will visit Sepilok, home to one of only four Orangutan sanctuaries in the world. Founded in 1964 the Centre helps once captive Orangutans learn to climb and fend for themselves in the wild with the hope that one day they may return to the forest. To start the tour there is a short film shown at the information centre giving some background on the history of the project, and the day to day work being carried out. Then proceed on foot along raised boardwalks through the rainforest to a series of platforms where milk and bananas are provided twice a day to the semi-wild Orangutans who are in the process of returning to the forest. There is an excellent chance that Orangutans and several species of monkeys will arrive in numbers, which is a spectacular sight and provides the opportunity to photograph these amazing creatures at close range.

After visiting the Orangutans, continue to the nearby Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), where there are around 28 rescued bears.  Sun bears are the smallest and least known members of the bear species, and their populations are rapidly diminishing in Southeast Asia. Habitats are being destroyed by deforestation and sun bears are being brutally killed for commercial exploitation. Baby sun bears are one of the cutest young animals in the world, so after their mothers are killed they are captured as pets and are locked in tiny cages. The mission of the BSBCC is to rescue these captured Sun Bears, and promote conservation through animal welfare, conservation, rehabilitation, research and education.

Road journey to Sandakan Jetty: After seeing the orangutans & the sun bears, you will be transferred by road to Sandakan's jetty.

Shared river journey to Abai: On arrival at Sandakan jetty, board a shared boat for the journey to Abai, on the Kinabatangan River. Pass through pristine mangrove forests along the Kinabatangan River delta, with the chance to see proboscis monkeys, birds and reptiles en route.

Afternoon shared wildlife cruise: This afternoon you will be taken on a shared cruise along the Kinabatangan River with other guests from the lodge in search of the local wildlife. There is the chance of seeing orangutans, macaques, red and silver leaf monkeys, elephants, crocodiles, civet cats, otters and proboscis monkeys. The local bird life includes egret, kingfisher, oriental darter, bee-eater and hornbill.

Please note: that all excursions on the Kinabatangan River are operated by expert local guides and all will be on a shared basis with other guests staying at your lodge. Private excursions can be arranged, please ask your consultant about the extra cost involved.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Abai Jungle Lodge (Basic Lodge Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Shared wildlife excursions on the Kinabatangan River: After breakfast you will set out on a full day's discovery of the local area and its wildlife. At 350 miles long, Kinabatangan is Sabah's longest river. In the extensive flood plains around Sukau this meandering river has created several ox-bow lakes, making it an ideal environment for viewing some of the most interesting wildlife and bird life found in Borneo. This sanctuary is one of the two known places in the world to be inhabited by ten species of primates, of which four are endemic to Borneo, and is thought to have the highest concentration of proboscis monkeys and orangutans in Malaysia. Amongst the larger mammals known to inhabit the sanctuary are elephant and rhinoceros, and 200 bird species have been identified including 8 species of hornbill. This afternoon there will be the opportunity to join another wildlife cruise.

Shared speedboat journey to Sukau: At the advised time this afternoon, checkout of the Abai Jungle Lodge and travel by shared speedboat to Sukau, further down the Kinabatangan River, where you will check in to your new lodge and relax for the rest of the day or participate in further activities organised by the Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge (Basic Lodge Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Shared road journey to the Danum Valley: After breakfast, you will be transferred by road to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley, a journey of approximately 3.5 hours with a change of vehicle in Lahad Datu.

Afternoon / evening shared activities: After lunch, you will take to the ‘treetops’ as you experience the sights and sounds of the jungle from a suspended walkway in search of the local wildlife. In the evening there will be the chance of experiencing a night-time drive in a jeep in search of nocturnal animals (weather and space permitting).

Please note your excursions at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge will be operated by expert local guides and will be on a shared basis with other guests staying at the lodge. As on the Kinanabatangan, private excursions can be arranged, please ask your consultant about the extra cost involved.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Full day shared wildlife excursions: After breakfast the lodge's expert team of naturalist guides will describe the wildlife excursions on offer for you to choose from. There are walking trails with varying lengths and degrees of difficulty from a gentle stroll along raised wooden platforms close to the lodge, to a more strenuous trek to ‘Kadazandusun’ which is the valley-top burial site of a tribal leader. Other excursions include an hour’s water tubing in the Danum River or trekking along the Segama River. Dinner will be followed by a night-time walk around the lodge in search of nocturnal animals (weather permitting).

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning at leisure: This morning, you have some time at leisure to explore the surrounding jungle and do some further wildlife viewing. Lunch is included at the lodge before your depart.

Shared transfer to Lahad Datu airport: This afternoon, you will be transferred to Lahad Datu airport for your flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Flight: MH3023 Lahad Datu - Kota Kinabalu 17.30 - 18.25

Journey to Gaya Island: On arrival at Kota Kinabalu airport, you will be met by staff from your resort on Gaya Island and transferred to Jesselton Point in the city. From Jesselton Point you will take the resorts shared speedboat to Gaya Island, a journey of just 10 minutes into the South China Sea.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gaya Island Resort (Bayu Villa)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Days at leisure on Gaya Island: These days are at leisure to relax in comfort on this wonderful tropical island. A large range of watersports, including diving and snorkelling can be arranged through your resort for those who don't want to simply relax by the pool or on the beach. Or if you feel like an outing, the city of Kota Kinabalu is just a 15 minute speedboat ride away.

Accommodation: Stay these nights at the Gaya Island Resort (Bayu Villa)

Meals: Breakfast

Boat & Road journey to the airport: After a leisurely morning, travel by boat to the mainland and on by private car to the airport.

Please note that you will have to check out of your room at the Bunga Raya in the morning but will be able to store your luggage and use the shared facilities until it is time to transfer to the airport. If you wish to book a late checkout from your room, please speak to your consultant at the time of enquiry.

Flight: MH81 Kota Kinabalu - Kuala Lumpur 19.50 - 22.15

Flight: MH2 Kuala Lumpur - London Heathrow 23.55 - 05.25 (overnight)

Meals: Breakfast