All Encompassing Beautiful Borneo. Wildlife, Rainforests and Beaches with 3 nights in Kuala Lumpur

After meeting the group at the airport we will board our overnight flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Upon arrival in the morning in Kuala Lumpur we will take our transfer. We will be staying here for 4 nights  sharing twin rooms and breakfast is included each morning.,  If you would like a room to yourself  there is a supplement of £395 for the 14 nights. We have booked the rooms for the evening before so we will be able to get breakfast and check in upon arrival after our long flight.

This afternoon we will  experience our first taste of Malaysia with a fully guided feasting tour around the backstreets of Kuala Lumpur.  Mingle with the locals in the bustling Chow Kit Market, and sample 15 Malaysian specialities that the city’s locals love like flame-grilled chicken with peanut satay, soft drinks included and return hotel transfers are included.

The Travel Buddies trips work on the basis that as long as you are having a good time then that is what matters, if you don’t feel like coming on one of the excursions or joining the rest of the group for dinner one evening then that is absolutely fine. This is an adventure for everyone and there is nothing worse than having to go somewhere/do something that you don’t really fancy!

Feel free to do as much or as little research as you like, some members will know what they would like to visit as soon as they book the trip, Others will just turn up at the airport and have not researched at all. Either is absolutely fine. We all have different ideas as to what constitutes a great time away!

It’s a full day city tour of Kuala Lumpur today, with pick up/drop off from the hotel and stops during the day at so many of the incredible sights of the city giving us a great insight into the complex history of Malaysia. Stops include,  Batu Caves, the little India Brickfields, the Petronas Towers (admission extra), The National Monument, Sri Maha Mariamman Temple,Sultan Abdul Samad Building, KL Tower (admission extra), KLCC Park and The Oldest Batik And Handicrafts Centre In Klang Valley. There will be a stop during the day for lunch (not included).

This evening we can either take dinner in one of the restaurants at the hotel or try somewhere local.

Today we have a free day to explore Kuala Lumpur at leisure.

Dinner locally.

Today we will take a transfer to the airport and a short flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Upon arrival we will take our private transfer to our hotel, the Horizon Hotel where we will be staying for the next 3 nights.  

After breakfast we will take a ferry from Kota Kinabalu port  (15 minute journey tickets included) to Gaya Island, the largest island of the five islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park which lies just off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.

The island has superb beaches; walking trails through the rainforest where you will see an array of birdlife, wild boar, monitor lizards and possibly some macaque monkeys, and great snorkelling.

Free morning.

Afternoon exploring the Klias Wetlands as we cruise down the Klias River in search of proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, the rare silver langur, and other local wildlife.

At dusk, we will enjoy a village-style dinner before traveling through the mangrove swamp to see the fireflies’ flickering lights. Hotel transfers are included.

The next part of our adventure starts today as we travel on the West to East transfer overland to Sepilok/Sandakan with lots of stops along the way at the Kinabalu park for a wonderful view of Mount Kinabalu, Poring Hot springs and the Sabah Tea plantation for a delicious lunch in the rainforest cafe. (lunch and entrance fees are not included and will be approx £20)

This is not a guided tour. We will have an English-speaking driver and plenty of information on each of the stops along the way but we are free to explore each stop at our own leisure.

Arrival at our hotel in Sandakan will be in the evening.

Dinner locally at a traditional restaurant.

After breakfast, the first stop is the orang-utan sanctuary to watch the younger, playful orang-utans in the nursery before catching the 10am feeding. Our guide will take us to the Sun Bear sanctuary to watch the sunbears (the world’s smallest species of bear!) from raised walkways.

​Arrive at hornbill lodge Check-into our rooms and take a moment to relax before heading out on our first river cruise.. Over the next 2 hours, our guide will be on the lookout for proboscis monkeys, long-tail & pig-tail macaques, silver leaf monkeys, orang-utans, crocodiles, birds and more! After our river cruise, return to the lodge for dinner before joining our guide for a night walk.

As day dawns, we join our second river cruise and watch as the river comes to life. Keep an eye out for bird life including Borneo’s endemic hornbills and have another chance to spot multiple species of primates. Return to the lodge for breakfast then join our guide for a jungle walk looking for signs of orang-utans such as nests in the trees or even orang-utans themselves if we are lucky! Enjoy lunch overlooking the river and a chance to rest before joining our afternoon river cruise in search of more of the area’s unique wildlife.

After dinner,  we can take a night walk or add-on a night cruise in search of nocturnal wildlife along the river bank. (additional £12 approx).

Wake up early and join your guide for a dawn river cruise then return to the lodge for breakfast. Join our guide on our jungle trail for another chance to spot wild orangutans in the forest and learn more about the flora & fauna of the Kinabatangan river. In the mid-afternoon, head to Gomantong caves to explore Simud Hitam via a wooden boardwalk and learn more about the process of swiftlet nest harvesting,

orangutans are often spotted in the vicinity of the caves too.

As the sun lowers over the horizon, climb a steep staircase* to the top of the limestone outcrop and settle in for a chance to witness over a million, mainly wrinkle-lipped bats, exiting from the caves below, pursued by bat hawks looking for their evening meal. Return to the lodge for dinner and enjoy a night cruise Meals – B, L, D

*There are around 500 steps to climb to reach the view point above Gomantong caves and a reasonable level of physical fitness is required, the exodus is also usually visible at ground level from the car park. Please note that the bat exodus is weather dependent and, as with all wildlife sightings, cannot be guaranteed.

Today it’s up early to join our guide for a final dawn river cruise, before enjoying breakfast at the lodge and a visit to the  Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok.

We will enjoy a birds-eye view of the rainforest from Sabah’s longest canopy walk and take a walk on one of the trails.

After lunch in Sepilok we will wave goodbye to our guide and transfer to the airport for our flight to Kuching (please note that this is not a direct flight)

Our next 3 nights will be spent surrounded by nature at the Culvert Hotel Resort. The gateway to the tranquil beauty of Santubong and the Danu beach region of Kuching.  Nestled on the beachfront in the very heart of the rainforest we will take some time to relax, there is a small library should you fancy a good read and yoga sessions can be booked. There is no twin option here so everyone will have a room (Pod) to themselves.

We have not planned any activities for this last part of the trip but if relaxing is not really your thing, there are plenty more tours and opportunities for wildlife spotting and we can assist in getting these booked for those members that would like to.

Free Day.

This afternoon we will take our private transfer to the airport for our flight home.

Arrive London Heathrow.