Highlights of Borneo

• You will be received by an English-speaking guide at the Kuching International Airport and a transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to a Hotel of your choice in Kuching. Check-in to your hotel, your guide will introduce you to the city of Kuching. Go on a tour to explore the city of Kuching. The city brings together several 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 at 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. Night stay in standard rooms is arranged
• Meals included: None

• We have breakfast at the hotel before we start on a 30 min drive to th e 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 hotel in Kuching. The rest of the evening is free for some more of city exploration. Overnight stay at the Hotel.
• Meals included: breakfast and lunch

• A day of activity starts with a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. We then travel to the 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. 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 an Iban Longhouse. On arrival, interact with the resident families, 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. Overnight stay is arranged at the longhouse is very simple accommodation. This will be in the community hall of the longhouse and you will be provided with mosquito net, mattress, pillows, and blanket.
• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and Dinner

• The longhouse is as close to nature as civilization gets, the morning will be greeted by the singing of
• cockerels as you wake up and start your day. Observe the first rays of the sun wake up the longhouse and how the natives prepare for the day in the rice fields and the pepper farms. After a traditional breakfast join the Iban people in a blowpipe demonstration. The blowpipe is an ancient hunting weapon of Borneo's natives. We now start our nature walk which will be about an hour through the farmland of the Ibans to arrive at a small stream. A typical native lunch, cooked in bamboo over an open fire, will be served by the stream. This can change if rains are heavy, then lunch will be at the longhouse itself. After lunch proceed by longboat downriver to the Aiman Batang Ai Resort & Retreat. Check-in at the resort.
• In the afternoon you can venture on another short nature walk including a canopy bridge (subject to weather conditions). The rest of the day is free at your own leisure to use the many facilities of the resort. Night stay at Aiman Batang Ai Resort & Retreat, Standard Room.
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

• We enjoy a good breakfast at the resort and take a ferry back. The drive from here to Kuching is by air-conditioned vehicle and we do stop en-route for lunch at a local cafe. Night stay is at your hotel of choice in Kuching. The rest of the day is free for you to continue exploring Kuching on your own.
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

• We have breakfast at the hotel and then check out. Transfer to the airport for o ur flight to Mulu. 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

• 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.

• We have our breakfast at the hotel and then transfer to Mulu airport for our flight to Miri (airfare not included). A courteous English-speaking guide will be at the Miri International Airport for facilitating your arrival, we now take an AC vehicle for a 3-hour overland transfer to the city of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of the Sultanate Brunei. Your check-in to the hotel will be facilitated by your guide and then the rest of the day is free for you to relax or explore this new city. The night stay is arranged at the hotel.
• Meals included: Breakfast

• We enjoy an early breakfast at the hotel and prepare for a check-out. The day’s activities start with a visit to the morning market, Brunei Museum, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque (on Thursdays and Fridays both mosques are open to Muslims only and the tour will cover a view from the garden area only) and finally a photo stop at the entrance of the Istana Nurul Iman, the biggest residential palace in the world and the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei.
• Today’s lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant, we now continue our city exploration with a visit to the Royal Regalia Museum, which was built in 1992 to commemorate the silver jubilee of His Majesty's The Sultan of Brunei accession to the throne in 1967. The museum houses a collection of royal paraphernalia and also an exhibition on the constitution of the nation. This magnanimous museum visit is followed by a scenic boat ride around the biggest Malay water village in the world.
• This is a boat ride of contrast, on one back of the river you will see the fast developing, modern and glittering capital city of Brunei and on the other side of the river, you will see the nostalgic serenity of the Malay water village.
• You will be visiting the home of a local villager, you can witness the daily livelihood of a typical villager living in houses on stilts on the Brunei river. Enjoy some local refreshments while visiting the village home.  Once the city tour is over you will have time for a relaxed stroll along the Waterfront or to visit the shopping mall at Yayasan Complex.
• We will arrange for a transfer to the Brunei International Airport in the late evening. Take a flight to Kota Kinabalu. A courteous English-speaking guide will be at the Kota Kinabalu Airport for facilitating your arrival and transfer to your hotel of choice.  Night stay at your hotel.
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

• We enjoy breakfast at the hotel and take the road through the ridges of the Crocker Range to the Southern end of the Kinabalu Park. The drive is through a beautiful land where we will get to see native villages, handicraft stalls, rubber plantations and fruit orchards. We now break for lunch and proceed to the Kinabalu Park Headquarters. Your guide will take you to the exquisite Mountain Garden in the park. You will be able to see a large collection of rare orchids and plants endemic to Borneo in this garden. The Kinabalu Park is home to Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia, which towers a good 4,095m above sea level (13,431 feet). Trek along a cool forest trail to see and learn more about this area’s unique insect-eating plants, orchids, and the lowland dipterocarp forest. In the late afternoon, check into the Kinabalu Pine Resort for the night.
• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• A quick breakfast at the resort is followed by a checkout, we then take a 2-hour drive back to Kota Kinabalu. Transfer to the jetty is arranged for a 20 min boat ride that takes us to one of the coral islands within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. The islands have shallow reefs and pristine beaches, spend the day swimming in blue waters or snorkeling amongst the corals or just relaxing on the beach. We have a simple box lunch for the day and after a quick shower return to the mainland in mid-afternoon. Transfer to a hotel of your choice is arranged. The rest of the evening is free for you to explore the surrounding areas. Night stay at the hotel is arranged.
• Meals include: Breakfast and lunch

• Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and sometimes at leisure at the hotel before a transfer to the airport is arranged. Take your departure flight for onward journey from the Kota Kinabalu airport.
• Meals included: Breakfast

Notes

• Due to fluctuations in demand hotels can be changed without prior notice. We do assure you that any substitution will be within the offered category
• Shangri-La Hotel in Kota Kinabalu is not a classified as a 5Star-property under Shangri-La Hotel & Resort chain
• 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 in Bako, boat transfers & activities in the longhouse and land & boat transfers in Mulu, and boat transfers in Kota Kinabalu/Coral Island.
• Sightings of wildlife depend on several natural factors (e.g. weather) and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
• Please travel light for the overnights at the Iban longhouse and Aiman Batang Ai Resort & Retreat. Suitcases can be stored at your hotel in Kuching.
• A longhouse is a traditional place mostly untouched by modern facilities, be prepared for some discomfort. We will take the best care, but You will be accommodated in the community area of the longhouse with no privacy. A mattress, mosquito net, pillow, blanket and clean linen will be provided. Simple sanitary facilities are available. Please note - Pets like cats and dogs might be encountered in the communal hall of the longhouse and livestock such as chicken or pigs are roaming freely within the longhouse compound.
• 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