Experience Kuching, Batang Ai and Mulu Caves

• You will be received by an English-speaking guide at the Kuching International Airport and a transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to the Hilton arranged. Check-in to the hotel, the day is at leisure – explore the hotel or the nearby areas. Night stay at the hotel is arranged in standard rooms.
• Meals included: none

• Enjoy a lavish spread at the Breakfast before starting for a half day tour to explore the city of Kuching. The city brings together a number of cultures and has a flavor of all including the Malay, Indian and Chinese culture. You will also get to learn about the rich history of Sarawak
  The tour highlights include the Gambier spice streets, India street, Urang Sarawak Gallery, the oldest Chinese temple in Sarawak, Kuching South City Hall, as well as the Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita. The tour will include visiting a Malay Village, the old State Mosque that is situated on the waterfront and the Civic Centre with the Chinese graveyard. Other places of interest that should not be missed are the Kuching Waterfront with a view of the Astana, the former "White Rajah Palace", and other colonial buildings. Once the city tour is over we return to the hotel for a relaxed afternoon. Night stay in standard rooms at the Hilton.
• Meals included: Breakfast

• A day of activity starts with a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. We then travel to th e Semenggoh Nature Reserve, originally built to protect the Orangutans and to rehabilitate captive and orphaned ones back to the wild.
• The reserve has its own rare flora and fauna including the giant squirrel, pigmy squirrel and splendid variety of birds. Trekking trails make Semenggoh an ideal place for wildlife photographers and nature lovers.
• The highlight of the visit is a chance to see an Orangutan, your guide will help spot one during the morning feeding time. This is when the Orangutans swing down from the trees for a free handout of fruit. This reserve is one of the few places in the world where humans can interact with their shy jungle cousins.
• Our next destination is Batang Ai, where we spend time with the natives of Borneo. This is a 290 Km drive in an air-conditioned vehicle through the countryside. We will stop at local markets and enjoy the local flair throughout the drive. We will enjoy a few well-chosen stops along the way: the first one at Serian town, where we will visit a fascinating native fruit and vegetable market. The other stops include a visit to the pepper farm and a stop for lunch at "Lachau", a small upcountry Chinese village. At Lachau you may wish to make some last-minute shopping, for necessities such as insect repellent or for gifts for the Ibans.
• The long road will take us to a beautiful lake called Batang Ai. The local lifestyle is what we are exploring on this trip, we shift to a traditional long boat for a 60-90 min boat ride over the lake to reach our resort. After check-in, the rest of the day is free to explore the facilities at the resort and for some relaxation after a long drive. The night stay is arranged at the Aiman Batang Ai Resort and Retreat. 
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

• We enjoy an early breakfast at the resort and start our day with a visit to the former headhunters of Borneo. The journey to the Iban Longhouse involves a traditional longboat ride. On arrival, we interact with the resident families and relax over a cup of tea. Your guide will take you through the longhouse encouraging you to take part in daily activities. An elaborate local ritual is planned for your visit, The Ibans will sound their gongs and perform their traditional war dance in full ceremonial regalia. You will be invited to join in, this can be a lot of fun even if you do not understand the local language. A native lunch will be served in the longhouse and we recommend you try the traditional rice wine called “tuak”. We now return to the resort. The afternoon provides you the chance to explore nature around the resort. Go on a short trek including a canopy bridge. Rest of the day is relaxed at the Aiman Batang Ai Resort. The night stay is arranged in the standard rooms of the resort.
• Meals included: breakfast and lunch

• We enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the Aiman Batang Ai Resort before packing up for our return journey to Kuching. The long drive to Kuching will include a break for Lunch at our designated village.
• A transfer by Airconditioned vehicle to the Hilton in Kuching is arranged. Overnight stay is arranged in standard rooms at the Hilton
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

• We have breakfast at the hotel before we start on a 30 min drive to the small village called Bako. From here we take a 20 min boat ride to reach the national park. The national park covers the northern tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula and is spread over an area of 27 sq km.  Bako contains a wide range of vegetation – swamp forest, scrub-like Padang vegetation, mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest, delicate cliff vegetation and more. Bako also contains a rich variety of wildlife and a coastline covered with small bays, coves, and beaches. The park has a number of well-marked trails offering interesting walks ranging from short pleasant strolls to serious full-day hikes. Visitors to Bako are almost guaranteed to see wildlife.  Long-tailed macaque monkeys and silver leaf monkeys are ever present, wild boar is often found rummaging around the park HQ, squirrels and monitor lizards are also common. There is every chance of seeing the rare and unusual proboscis monkeys on trails such as Telok Paku and Telok Delima, particularly if you go out late in the afternoon. A packed lunch will be served.
• Once the tour is over we transfer back to the Hilton in Kuching. The rest of the evening is free for some more of city exploration. Overnight stay in standard rooms at the Hilton.
• Meals included: breakfast and lunch

• We enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the hotel checkout. Transfer to the Kuching inter national airport for your onward journey to Mulu is arranged. You will be received at the Mulu airport, a quick transfer to your designated hotel follows. Once settled in comfortably, change into your trekking gear. We now move to the Mulu National Park Headquarters for registration. Lunch is arranged at the park’s canteen.
• We start our adventure with a 45 min walk to the first set of caves. This walk is on narrow forest paths made of wooden planks that take you through riverine and lowland forests on limestone cliffsides.  The first cave we reach is the Lang’s cave which has an exquisite collection of stalagmites and stalactites. You are observing nature at its creative best, we recommend carrying a good camera for some stunning pictures. The next cave we visit is the Deer cave, this is famous for its passage which is the largest for any cave in the world. The Deer cave is also famous for its large (as many as 3 million) populations of bats. These caves are designated as world heritage by UNESCO.
• Once the exploration of the caves is done we move to the bat observation platform. The site of millions of bats coming out of the caves in the dusk is simply mesmerizing. It appears like black streams emerging from the caves. You will require a good camera as the light is low when the bats finally decide to venture out in the evening.
• We return to the park headquarters for a transfer to the hotel.
• Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch             

• Breakfast is followed by check out from your hotel.
• The day’s adventure begins with a half hour long boat ride. Our first shortstop is at a Penan settlement. This is your chance for understanding the old nomadic lifestyle of the people and indulge yourself in the local handicrafts market. The boat ride then takes us to the wind cave. A plank walk leads from the riverbank to the entrance of the Wind Cave. This cave is so named because of the cool breezes which you can feel at the narrow parts of the cave. This cave is part of the Clearwater system and has many impressive stalactites, stalagmites, flowrocks, helitites and rock corals. Some of these are illuminated in the ‘King’s” Room. A short walk takes us to the Clearwater springs, we take a short break here. 200 steps lead up through the forest to the mouth of Clearwater Cave. Clearwater is a fascinating cave system to scroll around, it has its own underground river system. Plank walks, paths and small floating bridges make this an easy and enjoyable experience. There are excellent photo opportunities for those who are bitten by the photography bug.
• We now climb down the steps to the picnic area. At the base of the steps, there is a crystal-clear pool, swim in the pool or just relax on the picnic benches and admire the rainforest scenery. Lots of beautiful flora and fauna around, watch the swarms of butterflies that are often found fluttering around near the river bank. Your guide will help spot the Rajah Brooke butterfly with its huge bright-green colored wings. A simple picnic lunch is arranged at Clearwater spring.
• Transfer to your hotel is arranged. The rest of the afternoon is available at leisure to enjoy the beautiful natural environment of the surrounding areas. There are a number of activities available at the Mulu world heritage area which one can join (separate from the tour). Interesting options include activities like canopy walk, a trek to a waterfall or a night walk. The park also has a short and easy botanical loop trail for you to explore. This trail has interesting information boards about the amazing flora of Mulu National Park. Mulu provides significant natural habitat for a wide range of plant and animal both above and below ground.
• If you missed the bats the previous evening, now is a great time to walk up to the observation deck, this natural spectacle is worth a view any day.
• Night stay is arranged at your hotel
• Meals included: breakfast and lunch.

• The morning is relaxed with a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. The last 2 days of natural wonders and the beauty of the place will all come back to you as you pack for the onward trip. We will have a transfer waiting to take you to the Mulu Airport for a flight to your next destination.
• Meals included: breakfast  

Notes

• We try our best to get the mentioned hotels, but during heavy bookings period, we may have to substitute within the offered category.
• The tour detailed itinerary may change due to unforeseen events - we will cover all that we have stated here only the program by day may change. For example, if our program states a city tour on Day 1, it may be postponed to Day 3 instead. This is mostly a last-minute adjustment and will be without any prior notice
• Some package can be booked on a private basis, but certain services may be on a shared basis only. This is to minimize impacts on the natural environment or if other circumstances require so. These services include boat transfers & activities in the longhouse.
• Sightings of wildlife depend on several natural factors (e.g. weather) and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
• It is customary to bring some gifts for the Iban longhouse people, which can be divided by the number of families. Your guide can assist you during one of the stops en-route to buy some suitable presents. This custom is only applicable to Iban longhouse tours.
• The longhouse stay is simple, and we request you to please travel light. Your luggage can be kept safe at your hotel in Kuching.