A river cruise in search of monkeys, a close encounter with baby orangutans, and a rainforest canopy walk are the sort of thing you can expect on this outdoorsy 11-night handcrafted Borneo tour.
FROM £2,286 PER PERSON
Subject to availability
DEPARTING FROM LONDON HEATHROW
Alternative departure airports available
ITINERARY
Jump on your flight and begin your Borneo adventure.
Touch down in the north of Borneo, at Kota Kinabalu airport. Meet your guide, then travel to your first hotel. Dinner’s served up with some cultural entertainment.
- Sit down to dinner in a local restaurant. Then, watch a live show of traditional Sabah dancing performed by a local dance troupe.
Stay: Promenade Hotel (or similar) | Meals: Dinner
Today, you’ll start with a city tour of rainforest-fringed Kota Kinabalu. There’ll be free time in the afternoon and evening.
- Tick off sights including the gold-dappled dome of the City Mosque, and the Menara Tun Mustapha – a circular tower of glass and steel.
- Splash the cash in Kadaiku, a souvenir shop selling traditional Sabah crafts. Here, you can pick up colourful artwork, and toy monkeys for children.
- With your free time in the evening, you can taste your way around Kota Kinabalu’s night markets, tasting everything from sizzling honey-glazed chicken to crispy seaweed dishes.
Stay: Promenade Hotel (or similar) | Meals: Breakfast
You’ll make a beeline for Kinabalu Park today. Your driver will take the scenic route through the Crocker Range mountains, allowing time for photography.
- Along your journey, keep your eyes peeled for the cloud-piercing summit of Mount Kinabalu, South East Asia’s highest peak.
- Spend the afternoon getting to know the pretty flora and fauna of Kinabalu Park. There are almost 300 butterfly species here.
Free time in Kinabalu Park in the afternoon and evening.
Stay: Kinabalu Pine Resort (or similar) | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Start your morning exploring Kinabalu Park’s botanical gardens. Then, visit a war memorial in Kundasang, followed by a trip to some hot springs.
- Snap colourful photos in the park’s botanical gardens. It’s all very off-the-beaten-track here, so you can expect peace and quiet during your visit.
- Visit the Kundasang War Memorial – it’s dedicated to the British and Australian soldiers who died in the Sandakan POW camps in World War Two.
- Spend time at the Poring hot springs. The warm water’s said to have healing powers – especially in the pretty Japanese baths, which are built on a terrace.
- Tiptoe your way over the canopy walkway in Kinabalu Park. This treetop bridge is suspended 40 metres above tropical jungle.
Free time in Kundasang in the evening.
Stay: Kinabalu Pine Resort (or similar) | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Animal enthusiasts will love today’s activity – a wildlife-spotting river cruise in Sukau at dusk, with a special focus on monkeys.
- You’ll be up bright and early for breakfast, before a five-hour journey to Sukau. Lunch is then served on arrival.
- Jump on the cruise and go in search of long-nosed proboscis monkeys. Look upwards – you’ll see them in the treetops, bedding down for the evening.
Free time in Sukau in the evening.
Stay: Borneo Nature Lodge (or similar) | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today’s all about the rainforest. There are two more river cruises on the agenda, as well as a tree planting activity and a cave adventure.
- Rise with the call of jungle birds, then go out in search of them on a short cruise along the Kinabatangan River. There’s time for a stroll, too.
- Plant a tree seed in the ‘corridor of life’ – an ever-growing, sustainable alleyway of trees connecting the coast with the forest.
- Take a trip to the Gomantong Caves, famous for its two cathedral-like chambers called the black cave and the white cave.
- After dark, board another river boat. This one will cruise along the water as the jungle’s nocturnal creatures are waking up.
Stay: Borneo Nature Lodge | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
You’ll travel to Sandakan today – it’s a three-hour drive away. Once there, you’ll have the rest of the day to get to know this tiny ocean-facing city.
Stay: Sabah Hotel | Meals: Breakfast
It’s all about Borneo’s animals today, with two conservation centre visits on the agenda. One looks after orangutans, the other sun bears.
- At the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, you can learn all about the work being done to save orphaned orangutans in Borneo.
- Then, head to another centre that rescues sun bears. These creatures have noses that look like they’ve been dipped in a jar of honey.
Free time in Sandakan in the evening.
Stay: Sabah Hotel | Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Take a tour of Sandakan. It’s home to some eye-popping landmarks, like houses on stilts and an intricate Buddhist temple. Then fly to Kota Kinabalu.
- See the Instagram-ready stilt houses at the ‘water village’ of Sim Sim. These traditional Malay wooden structures date back to the 1800s.
- Explore the Chinese Buddhist temple of Puu Jih Syh. It’s super pretty, decorated in fiery reds and gold and freckled with glowing lanterns.
- Stop for lunch in the English Tea House – a colonial-style English restaurant. Scones, bread-and-butter pudding and fish and chips top the menu.
Free time in Kota Kinabalu in the evening.
Stay: The Magellan Sutera Resort (or similar) | Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Free day. You can spend your last full day as you wish, relaxing on the beach or exploring Kota Kinabalu’s buzzy markets.
Stay: The Magellan Sutera Resort (or similar) | Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Return flights from London Heathrow to Kota Kinabalu International
- 20kg checked baggage
- 10 nights accommodation in hotels/lodges of 3* and 4* standard
- 10 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 5 dinners
- Airport transfers in Borneo, internal flight and mini bus transport
- English-speaking tour guide
- 15 activities/excursions as mentioned in the itinerary
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Flights to/from London Heathrow or your chosen UK airport
- Airport transfers in United Kingdom
- Travel insurance
- Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
- Optional activities
- Visa when required
- Vaccines when required
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