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Holiday in Borneo - The charismatic orangutan

Monkey business in the tropical rainforest

Route: Kuala Lumpur - Kuching - Batang Ai National Park - Kuching - Bako National Park - Kota Kinabalu - Sandakan - Sepilok - Sukau - Kota Kinabalu - Pulau Tiga - Kuala Lumpur

Alluring cities, tropical rainforests, endearing orangutans and postcard-perfect beaches - these are only a few highlights of this short holiday in Borneo. Discover the jungles of Borneo and meet the indigenous people of this area as a guest in a traditional longhouse. Then trek through Bako National Park, where you'll stand face-to-face with rare proboscis monkeys. These monkeys and their funny wobbling noses are a unique inhabitant of Borneo.

From Kota Kinabalu you'll travel north to the world famous Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok- a real highlight of this holiday in Borneo. Then you're off to the heart of the jungle, close to the majestic Kinabatangan River which crosses through the state of Sabah. Finally, you'll fly back to the city to end this unforgettable itinerary on a paradise island right off the coast. If you have any time to spare, then you may want to combine this holiday in Borneo with a visit to the Malaysian peninsula.

Fancy building your own holiday in Borneo? Simply choose from our range of bite-sized Borneo tours. Alternatively, take a look at our range of suggested holidays in Borneo. Want to combine your holiday in Borneo with a trip to Malaysia? Simply take your pick from our bite-sized Malaysia tours or ready-made holidays in Malaysia.

Duration	13 days / 12 nights	Accommodation	Mid-class hotels, lodges and beach resort. Generally Comfort level 3 (see accommodation)
Price	£1424 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Transport, English speaking guide, entrance fees national parks, all meals during Borneo tours and B&B during city stays
Transport	Minibus, plane	Excludes	International Flights, Domestic Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur, Other meals

Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur - Kuching

On arrival in Kuala Lumpur you'll head straight to your connecting flight to Kuching to begin your holiday in Borneo. When you arrive at the airport, the driver and guide who will be travelling with you for the next few days will be waiting for you. Once you've settled into the car, you'll receive all the necessary travel information you need for your adventure through Borneo. After you've checked into your hotel, you'll have the rest of the afternoon to explore Kuching. We especially enjoyed the waterfront area by the river. This is a meeting place in Kuching, where you can enjoy great tasting food at one of the many food stalls. The typical, advert clad taxi boats will be waiting to take you across the Sarawak River for an excellent view of the city. You can also visit one of the Chinese temples, take in some culture at the famous Sarawak Museum, or perhaps visit adorable orangutans.

Day 2 - Kuching - Batang Ai National Park

This morning a guide will be waiting for you at your hotel's reception area. He'll take you on a ride in a mini-bus further into the interior of Sarawak. Along the way you'll visit a local market where you'll be tantalised by an array of aromatic spices. The mini-bus ride should take approximately 4 hours. Your driver will drop you off at the bank of the Lemanak River, where a boat will be waiting to take you deeper into the jungle- this is where your adventurous holiday in Borneo really begins! After a 1 hour boat ride, you'll reach your destination.

Your accommodation is located near the tribe; you'll spend the night in a rustic jungle lodge. After you've enjoyed your dinner you'll visit the Iban tribe. It's customary to leave behind the small gifts you purchased along the way, or a small amount of money, in the small baskets hanging by the door in order to appease the spirits when you arrive. Usually the chief ('tuai rumah’) will invite you to come in and take a look at his 'ruai'; this 'gallery' is filled with relics from the tribe's past. The local priest will lead an authentic 'Miring Ceremony' during which you'll be graciously welcomed by traditionally dressed women and men with a 'hgajat' (traditional dance) and a glass of 'tuak', local rice wine. At the end of the day, after an evening filled with lasting impressions you'll return to your jungle lodge to for a night's rest before you continue your holiday in Borneo tomorrow.

Day 3 - Batang Ai National Park

It's day three of your holiday in Borneo and after breakfast, you and your guide will head out to explore the area surrounding the longhouse. Your guide will give you a glimpse of life in the area and tell you more about it.

In the afternoon you can either go for a walk through the jungle or perhaps you may even want to try your hand at fishing 'The Iban way' using a fishing net. It may look like a piece of cake; however you'll see that it will take quite some practice to catch more than a few floating branches. Eventually you'll walk back through the rainforest to the jungle lodge. Walking through the humid forest is sure to create an appetite. No worries though, our cooks will prepare a delicious meal for you including all kinds of local delicacies. In the evening you'll visit the Iban once again and as always these gracious people will greet you with a smile. You'll spend the night in a jungle lodge.

Day 4 - Batang Ai National Park - Kuching

After you wake up to a tasty breakfast, you'll say goodbye to the friendly Iban tribe and continue your holiday in Borneo. A wooden boat will take you on a relaxing trip across the river and eventually you'll reach the shore where a mini-bus will be waiting for you. You'll spend the next four hours or so driving through the green landscape. Along the way you'll take a rest break to freshen up for your return to Kuching.

After you return, you'll have enough time to visit some of the local attractions in Kuching. During this part of your holiday in Borneo we recommend visiting the Sarawak Museum and the Masjid Bandaraya (Sarawak State Mosque). With an abundance of food served at the many stalls at the Main Bazaar, this is a great place to try local delicacies.

Day 5 - Kuching - Bako National Park

This morning you'll be picked up at your hotel and taken on a 40 minute drive to the small village of Kampung Bako which is made up of stilted houses and bears the name of your actual destination: Bako National Park. Here, you and your guide will embark on a 35 minute boat ride to the hidden Bako National Park.

When you reach the park, you'll find yourself in the middle of the jungle and surrounded by unique tropical plants and trees and in the distance you'll hear monkeys screeching. At 'Park Headquarters' you'll fill out a form requiring personal details and such and then you'll be treated to a cool drink and a short video about the park and its inhabitants: long tail macaques, silver leaf monkeys, bears and small species of deer. The most prominent inhabitant of the park is the famous proboscis monkey, which can only be found on Borneo. Locals also call this monkey 'Monyet Belanda' or 'Dutch monkey', as they believe it resembles the first Dutch people that once set foot on land here in search of herbs and spices. You and a guide will trek deeper into the jungle and by late afternoon you'll find yourself at a beautiful beach; just in time to watch the golden sun sink into the sea. You'll spend the fifth night of your holiday in Borneo in a modest cabin at the edge of the jungle, surrounded by the sounds of the forest.

Holiday in Borneo - The proboscis monkey

Day 6 - Bako National Park - Kuching - Kota Kinabalu

Today is the sixth day of your holiday in Borneo and if you would like to see as many monkeys as possible (as well as other animals), you'll have to get an early start. Before breakfast, you and your guide will head out to the mangrove where Proboscis monkeys feast on mangrove chutes and leaves. After breakfast you and your guide will once again hit the trail. You'll hike straight through the jungle and on to a deserted beach. After a refreshing dip in the sea, you'll trek deeper into the jungle before returning to park headquarters for lunch. After lunch a boat will take you through the mangrove forest back to the village of Kampung Bako. A bus will be waiting here to take you back to civilisation in Kuching. From here you'll catch a domestic flight to Kota Kinabalu, where you'll arrive in the evening.

Since Kota Kinabalu is quite modern, you won't come across many historic cultural sites. During this part of your holiday in Borneo, you could choose to travel by taxi to the city centre and enjoy the mouth-watering local delicacies. A great place to eat is the Filipino Market; you'll find quite a wide variety of food stalls here. At the end of the day you'll spend the night at your hotel on the edge of Kota Kinabalu.

Day 7 - Kota Kinabalu - Sandakan - Sukau

It's the seventh day of your holiday in Borneo and after an early breakfast, you'll be transferred to the airport for the first flight to Sandakan. A guide will be waiting for you on your arrival and will accompany you through Sukau during the next few days. Right after your arrival, a bus will take you on a 30 minute ride to the world famous Sepilok Orangutans Rehabilitation Centre. The centre prepares mostly young, orangutans that have been orphaned by deforestation for an independent life in the wild. At 10am its feeding time and you'll be able to see the adorable primates come out of the jungle to eat as much fresh fruit and nuts as they want- this is sure to be a memorable part of your holiday in Borneo.

From Sepilok you'll drive to Sandakan Harbour where you'll leave the mainland behind you and you'll board a boat for an incredibly beautiful ride across the Kinabatangan River, Sabah's longest river. This area is teeming with (proboscis) monkeys and you may even see Organutans and elephants out and about. On the water's edge you'll see colourful, tropical birds staring endlessly into the water in search of a nice bite to eat. Along the way, you'll have lunch in a small Abai village and then you'll sail to Sukau where you'll check into your charming, wooden jungle lodge. Late in the afternoon you'll go on a relaxing cruise on the Menangul River and you'll be able to watch the animals come to life as the sun goes down. The sunset itself is amazing, and a great end to the seventh day of your holiday in Borneo! You'll return to your lodge in the evening.

Holiday in Borneo - Orangutans on the move

Day 8 - Sukau

On day eight of your holiday in Borneo, there'll be plenty of wildlife spotting on the cards. In fact, you'll probably be awakened by screeching gibbon monkeys and the typical sounds made by hornbills. Early in the morning you'll sail towards nearby lakes where the animals on the shores will slowly come to life. You'll see otters, large lizards, crocodiles and of course very many monkeys. Later on in the morning you'll sail back to your lodge for breakfast. In the afternoon you can for instance go for a walk in the area or maybe sit back and relax with a book on the porch. Late afternoon you'll sail off in search of wild animals. Once the sun begins to set you'll sail back to the lodge for dinner and you'll spend your last night in the jungle lodge.

Day 9 - Sukau - Sandakan - Kota Kinabalu

After a relaxing breakfast, you'll begin day nine of your holiday in Borneo as you sail for about 2.5 hours until you reach Sandakan. If you look up high and the trees, you'll see the monkeys looking down on you as they scurry about. Once you arrive in Sandakan you'll visit a traditional village of houses built on poles where the Kadazan tribe lives. You'll then continue on to the lively Sandakan market where practically every single thing you could ever want is sold. After lunch in a local restaurant you may want to look around before driving on to the elevated Chinese Puu Jih Syh temple. The temple offers an incredible view of Sandakan Bay. Late in the afternoon you'll be taken to the airport for your flight back to Kota Kinabalu.

Once you arrive in Kota Kinabalu you'll check into your hotel and either dine in the hotel or you may want to enjoy a typical Malaysian meal in the city. After all of the impressions of the last few days, you'll surely fall asleep in no time.

Day 10 and 11 - Kota Kinabalu - Kuala Penyu - Pulau Tiga

Today you'll have an early start as you're picked up at your hotel at 7am. You'll drive across a winding coastal road with spectacular views of the mangrove and tropical beaches. After two hours, you'll reach the ferry at Penyu River and head out on a 40 minute boat ride to Pulau Tiga. This small island was the tropical setting for the American version of 'Survivors'. Don't worry though, you won't have to build your own hut or search for food; all meals are included during your stay and you'll spend the next two nights in a cosy chalet by the beach at a charming beach resort.

After lunch, take a plunge into the crystal clear sea before heading into the jungle to the other side of the island. Here, you'll find warm mud bubbling up to the surface of the earth; ideal for a nice warm, relaxing mud bath. After this, you can clean off in the sea. Back at the resort, you can spend time on the beach or go snorkelling at a nearby reef. Rather go diving? No problem, you can rent diving equipment at the dive shop. As the sun goes down and another day of your holiday in Borneo ends, you can enjoy dinner as you watch the last rays of sun dip below the horizon.

Days 12 and 13 - Pulau Tiga - Kota Kinabalu

After breakfast you'll have a little time left to relax on the beach or go for a swim before your holiday in Borneo draws to draws to a close. The boat back to Kota Kinabalu will set sail mid-morning. Once you reach Kota Kinabalu you'll catch your flight back to Kuala Lumpur.

The flight from Kota Kinabalu is operated by Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia. After a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur you’ll catch your connecting flight back home to the UK.

Holiday in Borneo - Snorkelling in paradise

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