Borneo
Highland and lowland rainforests

Sunday 12 - Friday 24 September 2010 (13 days)

Join us for a cocktail of birds, mammals, butterflies and orchids on our adventure to the lowland and montane forests of the Malaysian province of Sabah in Northern Borneo.



The magnificent birdlife of Borneo, the world's third largest island, parallels that of the bountiful Malay Peninsula, but includes numerous species that do not occur there - among them thirty or more endemics.

We begin our tour of this remarkable island amongst the oldest rainforests on earth. Kinabalu National Park is a World Heritage Site and boasts Asia's highest mountain peak. Its maze of trails will lead us to a huge range of birds and, hopefully, the first of Borneo's endemics. Also to be seen here are more than 700 species of orchid and 600 different ferns - many of them found nowhere else on earth. Perhaps most intriguing amongst the plants are the Nepenthes pitcher plants, with their intricate traps for insects, eight species of which are found within this amazing National Park.

Next, we fly across Borneo and travel out to spend a night on an island where Green Turtles nest. Returning to the mainland, we continue on to some superb caves, complete with thousands of swiftlets as well as Wrinkle-lipped Bats. We stay until dusk to watch the bats emerge on their nightly forays over the forest. We'll then spend a morning at the famous Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre at Sepilok, and, if we are lucky, may encounter these superb apes in the wild at other places during the trip

We then stay at the wonderful Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, where we will explore the river and mangrove forest for elegant egrets, kingfishers, Oriental Darter, and vividly coloured bee-eaters and hornbills. This is a great spot for mammals too, and we have chances to encounter the extraordinary Proboscis Monkey, yet another of Borneo's weird and wonderful endemic creatures.

Our tour concludes with three nights at the delightful Borneo Rainforest Lodge, set deep in primary rainforest above a bend on the Danum River. The Danum Valley Conservation Area is one of the world's finest lowland rainforests and boasts a huge species list.

Click here for a full, printable itinerary

Price: £ 3,995
Single supp.: £ 235
Deposit: £ 400 per person

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of accommodation as detailed above, all meals, return flight London - Borneo, internal flights as described, airport taxes, minibus transport, admissions and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips to local guides and drivers, drinks and other personal expenses.

Leaders: Keith Grant and local guides


Borneo map

Outline Itinerary
Days 1-3We catch a scheduled flight from London - Kuala Lumpur, connecting with a flight to Kota Kinabalu, and arriving the next day. We then travel to Kinabalu National Park for a three-night stay. Two nights Kinabalu NP
Day 4We depart in the early morning for a 3 hr drive to Poring Hot Spring (126 km from Kota Kinabalu). Overnight Kota Kinabalu
Day 5We take a packed breakfast, and then an early morning flight to Sandakan, from where we take a one-hour trip by speedboat to Selingan Turtle Island. Overnight Selingan Turtle Island
Day 6We return to the mainland, and travel by road to the Sepilok rehabilitation centre, which returns orphaned and captive Orang-utans to the wild. After lunch at the centre, we'll continue on by road to the Gomantong Caves, the largest birds' nest cave in Sabah, famous for its swiftlets and their edible nests. We continue to the Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge. Overnight Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge
Day 7Overnight Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge
Days 8-10We travel on to the Danum Valley, one of the world's most splendid lowland rainforests, where we stay at Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Three nights Danum
Day 11We have another morning at the Lodge, and leave Danum Valley for Lahad Datu airport and fly back to Kota Kinabalu in the late afternoon. Overnight Kota Kinabalu
Day 12We should have time to visit the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre before returning for lunch back at the hotel, and our flight home via Kuala Lumpur, arriving on Day 13.