Borneo Wildlife Adventure

On arrival at Kuala Lumpur airport you will be met from the arrivals area and transferred to our hotel. Your Big Journey Company representative will introduce you to the rest of the tour group and brief you on the plans for tomorrow.

Today we will explore the spiritual Batu Caves. Here you can admire the beauty of the local area and encounter the mischievous monkeys looking to pick up treats from visitors. The caves are said to be around 400 million years old.

The Hindu temple sat at the top of 272 painted steps was added more recently, around 100 years ago and the 140ft golden statue of Lord Murugan at the foot of the staircase took 3 years to construct. 

Before heading back to the hotel, we will go on a panoramic tour of the city taking in the Petronas Tower, the National Mosque, Merdeka Square and the Bird Garden.

After breakfast we say farewell to Kuala Lumpur and head to the airport for our flight to Sandakan. 

After checking into your hotel, this afternoon you will head out on a river cruise to search for proboscis monkeys and the local birdlife that gather along the Kinabatangan River.

We make a very early start to the day today to be up and out for a morning cruise to see the local birdlife and will return to the lodge for breakfast.

If you are feeling energetic after breakfast, there is an opportunity to take a guided jungle trek and learn more about the local riverine forest. The trek will return to the lodge in time for lunch. If you prefer a more restful morning, you may enjoy participating in batik painting at the river lodge.

In the afternoon there will be a second river cruise to see more wildlife from the boat.

After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel in Bilit and make your way back to Sandakan.

Here you will visit the Sandakan War Memorial Park and Puu Jih Shih Temple, a Buddhist temple located at the hilltop of Tanah Merah with great views of Sandakan and Sandakan Bay.

You will enjoy lunch at The English Tea House before visiting the Agnes Keith House. Agnes Keith was an American author best known for her autobiographical books about life in Borneo before, during and after WWII. Her home has now been sympathetically restored and stands as an interesting insight into her life and this period of Borneo's history.

From here, you will transfer to Sabah and check into your hotel before going for a fantastic seafood dinner at a local restaurant.

After checking out from the hotel, transfer to the jetty for a boat ride to Selingan 'Turtle' Island. Selingan island is one of the most important nesting sites in South East Asia for Green and Hawksbill turtles. A lot of work has been put into making the beaches here a safehaven for turtles to lay their eggs and for the hatchlings to make it safely back into the sea.

You can spend the afternoon stretched out on the sandy white beaches, or swim and snorkel (snorkelling gear available to hire locally).

Today we have a full day of wildlife tours. We can obeserve the feeding time at the Sepilok Orangutan Centre. The centre opened in 1964 as the first official orangutan rehabilitation project for rescued orangutans from across Borneo. There are now roughly 80 orangutans living at the centre. We can also see the world’s smallest bear at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

This research and conservation centre aims to improve animal welfare and provide rehabilitation for Sun Bears. They work to improve education about and habitat conservation for the Sun Bear.

We get the chance to see proboscis monkeys that are found only on Borneo. The potbellied and red-faced proboscis monkeys are named for their long bulbous noses, but once you have seen one you will spot its many remarkable features! You'll learn more about this animal with a visit to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, sited among local palm plantations.

After the tours we head back to the hotel for some time at leisure.

We depart this morning as we continue our journey to Kundasang, stoping at a Bornean foot spa on the way.

There will be the opportunity to learn more about Borneo's history at one of the preserved POW camps in the area.

Later we will head on to Sabah Tea Resort. Have you ever wondered how the tea you drink has made its way into your tea cup? Sabah tea is only available in Borneo as they only produce enough to meet local demand.

Enjoy lunch here before checking in to your hotel. In the afternoon you will experience tea plucking and explore the tea plantation.

Today we start our day with a visit to Kundasang War Memorial Park. The park exhibits four different beautiful gardens – the Australia Garden, the English Garden, the Borneo Garden and the Contemplation Garden and Pool to represent the different nationalities.

We then continue on to Kinabalu National Park. Here we will go on an interesting guided walk through the botanical gardens in search of mountain plants and wild orchids. To reach Kota Kinabalu this evening we will pass through the scenic Crocker Range, stopping at Nabalu local market which is the best place to look for handicraft, souvenirs and also some local snacks.

The next few days we stay in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah's biggest city. 

We head out this morning to explore the Mari Mari Cultural Village which now operates as a museum, preserving Borneo ethnic culture and features information on five different ethnic tribes in one place.

Learn from the rice farmer of Kadazan-Dusun, the longhouse resident Rungus, the hunter and fisherman Lundayeh, the cowboy and sea gypsy Bajau, and the famously feared headhunting tribe Murut.

Enjoy a local lunch before returning to the resort where you have the afternoon to relax and watch another stunning sunset along the beach.

We will leave a bit later this morning - at around 10.00hrs, to visit to one of the local ‘Tamu’ open markets, where you can find local produce from the nearby villages and valleys such as tropical fruits, vegetables, Sabah fern, homemade traditional cakes, traditional homegrown tobacco, honey and of course fish.

We'll walk across a suspension bridge to see the forest from a different angle, before we continue to a famous ‘Up-Side-Down’ House & 3D Museum.

Everything inside the house, from furniture to household appliances, hover above your head, as the ceiling is actually the floor. The 3D museum is a fun way to engage visitors in thinking about the importance of protecting Borneo’s unique biodiversity, ecosystem and natural resources.

After lunch we drop by Imago Shopping Mall or Filipino Market, where you have to chance ot buy some souvenirs. By 17.00hrs, we visit Tanjung Aru beach to wait for the stunning sunset view.

After the sun has set you will be taken to Kampung Nelayan for a seafood dinner and a cultural dance show.

Today you will have to morning free until you get picked up at 15.00hrs. 

You will be transferred to Marina Sutera for North Borneo Sunset Cruise. Tonight we will enjoy a final farewell dinner together with your nature guide onboard.

It's time to say goodbye to Borneo. Selamat Jalan (Goodbye) and may you return home with many unforgettable memories!