Real Borneo

10 days
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Small Group Tour
Travel across the biodiverse Sabah region, immersing yourself in nature and learning about the island’s Indigenous cultures on a 10-day journey through the seldom-travelled-to Borneo. From orangutan encounters and bamboo hut homestays to village trekking and sea snorkelling, you’ll find a nature lover’s paradise! Where else can you spot pygmy elephants on a r...
$1,380
From$986
See departure dates

Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Basic - 2 star
Physical level
Moderate

Highlights

    • Get the opportunity to meet our closest redheaded relatives at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and watch these gentle giants as they go about their day.
    • Hike to and from the rural village of Ratau, where you’ll mingle with the locals, take part in a cooking class, learn how to play the Gong and sleep in a traditional bamboo hut.
    • Take not one, not two but three river cruises on the Kinabatangan River to spot local wildlife – look out for pygmy elephants, crocodiles, flying squirrels and proboscis monkeys among the teeming birdlife.
    • Take a snorkelling excursion to Pandan Pandan Island, where you’ll have multiple opportunities to dive under the clear waters and look for sea turtles, fish life, colourful corals and rays. Then, kick back on the warm sands and lap up the sun!
    • Meet the rescued sun bears at the Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sepilok and learn about how this organisation works to rescue, protect, rehabilitate and hopefully reintroduce the sun bears back into the wild after they were mistreated.

What's this trip about?

    Travel across the biodiverse Sabah region, immersing yourself in nature and learning about the island’s Indigenous cultures on a 10-day journey through the seldom-travelled-to Borneo. From orangutan encounters and bamboo hut homestays to village trekking and sea snorkelling, you’ll find a nature lover’s paradise! Where else can you spot pygmy elephants on a riverbank one day and see proboscis monkeys the next (not to mention slow lorises, flying foxes and rescued sun bears). Treat yourself to this incredible trip in the shadow of rainforest-clad mountains, on the warm sands of islands and in the middle of the serene jungle.

Details

Itinerary focusOperator does not provide
Group sizeSmall Group - max of 16 people
Age range18 to 35 years
Flights and transportAll internal ground transport included
Start CityKota Kinabalu
End CityKota Kinabalu

Travel Themes

  • 18 - 30's

Destinations

Attractions

  • Borneo

Max Group Size

  • Max Group Size: 16

Trip includes

    • Kiulu - Cooking Class
    • Kiulu - Village Trek (2 days / 1 night)
    • Kiulu - Cultural Activities
    • Kiulu - Village Trek (2 days / 1 night)
    • Kiulu - Dusun Martial Art Show
    • Sepilok - Night Walk at Rainforest Discovery Centre
    • Sepilok - Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
    • Sepilok - Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
    • Kinabatangan River - Afternoon Wildlife Cruise
    • Kinabatangan River - Night Jungle Walk
    • Kinabatangan River - Afternoon Wildlife Cruise
    • Kinabatangan River - Morning Wildlife Cruise
    • Pandan Pandan Island - Snorkelling Excursion

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1 Kota Kinabalu

Selamat datang! Welcome to Borneo. You’ll kick things off in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s state capital, with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive with time to spare, spend the day exploring this busy city’s bustling markets and learning about the region’s Indig...

Day 2 Kiulu Village Trek

This morning you’ll drive to Pukak in Kiulu Valley – a small area in Kiulu named after the bamboo that grows on the riverbanks. This will be the starting point of your trek to Kampung Ratau (Ratau Village), where you’ll spend the night among the locals. After your hik...

Day 3 Kiulu Village Trek - Kundasang

This morning, you’ll have breakfast in the village before continuing your trek through rural Kiulu, winding your way towards Lokub. When you arrive, you’ll be treated to a traditional cultural dance and Dusun martial art show over lunch. After, continue by private veh...

Day 4 Sepilok

After breakfast, you’ll drive to Sepilok, on the border of a conserved rainforest and mangrove area known for the orangutan rehabilitation centre. This afternoon, you’ll visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Malaysia’s most educational nature park, which features a 6...

Day 5 Kinabatangan River

This morning, you'll visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and meet the world’s cutest redheads. These beautiful, quirky creatures will tug on your heartstrings as you watch them going about their daily business (eating bananas and hanging upside down). Sw...

Day 6 Kinabatangan River

This morning, wake up to the sounds of the jungle and have some breakfast before setting out for your first of two included river cruises today. Keep your eyes peeled, and you might be lucky enough to spot short and long-tail macaques, a variety of birds, including ho...

Day 7 Usukan Cove

After breakfast this morning, leave your jungle oasis and embark on the overland journey to the West Coast of Sabah. This is a long drive, so have your favourite book or travel games ready. Arrive at Usukan Cove – a bay area on the coast of Kota Belud. You’ll spend the night in a lodge, nestled on one of the eight beaches within the cove. Maybe catch the sunset before tonight’s group dinner.

Day 8 Usukan Cove

This morning, fuel up on breakfast and embark on a day trip to Pandan Pandan Island for a day of snorkelling. When you arrive on the small island, head out on your first snorkelling adventure from the beach and spot colourful fish, sea turtles and sting rays. Your sec...

Day 9 Kota Kinabalu

Drag yourself away from the island this morning and make the drive back to Kota Kinabalu. The afternoon's free for you to check out some optional activities – maybe take an interactive and educational visit to Koisaan Cultural Village to see how Indigenous ethnic grou...

Day 10 Kota Kinabalu

There are no activities today and your Borneo adventure will come to an end. If you’d like to stay longer, just speak to your booking agent.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $986
Price per day$99
Last Updated: 3/15/2025
Departure Date
Finish Date
Base Price
Availability
05 Apr 2025
14 Apr 2025
$1,260
1 spots left
19 Apr 2025
28 Apr 2025
$1,315
Sold Out
17 May 2025
26 May 2025
$1,330
Sold Out
31 May 2025
09 Jun 2025
$1,165
7 spots left
15 Jun 2025
24 Jun 2025
$1,135
10 spots left
29 Jun 2025
08 Jul 2025
$1,185
9 spots left
06 Jul 2025
15 Jul 2025
$1,210
4 spots left
13 Jul 2025
22 Jul 2025
$1,190
10 spots left
20 Jul 2025
29 Jul 2025
$1,200
11 spots left
03 Aug 2025
12 Aug 2025
$1,200
7 spots left

Check current availability, prices, specials & more.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Hotel (3 nights),Bamboo Hut (1 night),Jungle Lodge (dormitory room) (3 nights),Guesthouse (Multi-share) (2 nights)

Transportation & Flights

Private vehicle,Boat,

Transportation & flights

Private vehicle,Boat
Guides
All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is compulsory on all our trips for those travelling internationally. We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. If you are travelling within your home country or region please confirm before travel that you are entitled to access the public medical system easily should an accident occur. We strongly recommend all travellers have a policy that also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage or personal effects. For international trips, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number has been sighted by your group leader or local representative. If you have credit card insurance your group leader or local representative will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number, and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and your credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. For travellers who reside within the European Union, Switzerland or USA the requirement to purchase travel insurance cannot be compulsory. However the purchase of travel insurance is still highly recommended, and travellers from these regions who decline travel insurance when travelling outside of their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form at the Group Meeting, recognizing personal responsibility for emergency medical and repatriation costs should they arise. For assistance with travel insurance or other services, please visit the link below: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/booking-resources/our-services
Visa requirements
PASSPORT You’ll need a valid passport to travel internationally and most countries require your passport to have a minimum of 6 months validity, so remember to check the expiry date. We need your passport information to get everything ready for your trip so it’s important that the information on your booking matches your passport exactly. Please take care to provide the correct details. We recommend carrying a copy of the photo page of your passport while travelling and leaving a copy at home with family or friends. VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Many countries require a visa and obtaining the correct visa for your trip and any countries you may transit through is your responsibility. We recommend you check your visa requirements as soon as you have booked your trip. This will ensure you have time to prepare your documents and for your visa application to be processed. You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our page here:  www.intrepidtravel.com/visa-entry-requirements MALAYSIA VISA Most nationalities do not need visas to visit Malaysia as a tourist for up to three months. Please check with your relevant Malaysian embassy or consulate. MALAYSIA ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Please make sure that you check your government travel advisories and the below website for entry requirements: https://mysejahtera.moh.gov.my/en/pengembara-ke-malaysia-en/fully-vaccinated-adult-travellers. The requirements can change with very little notice so we recommend checking this frequently.
Health & Safety
Most national governments provide regularly updated foreign travel advice on safety issues involved with international travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest travel information before departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all destinations and activities on your trip. Please refer to our website's safety page for links to major travel advisories and updates on safety issues affecting our trips here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/travel-alerts We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling, for the safe-keeping of your passport, flight tickets, cash and other valuable items. Leave your jewellery at home - you won't need it while travelling. Many of our hotels have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. Your group leader or local representative will accompany you on all included activities, however, during your trip you'll have some free time to pursue your own interests or relax and take it easy. While your group leader or local representative will assist you with the available options in a given location, please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your Intrepid itinerary, and Intrepid makes no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgement when selecting an activity in your free time. Please also note that your group leader or local representative has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it's deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Intrepid's operational safety policies can be viewed on our website at the link below. We recommend that you take a moment to read through this information before travelling, and would appreciate any feedback on how safety is being managed on our trips. https://www.intrepidtravel.com/safety-guidelines FOREIGN TRAVEL ADVICE FOR EASTERN SABAH Some governments currently have increased foreign travel advice in place for Eastern Sabah. Insurance coverage may be affected by this level of advice. Travel insurance that covers all destinations and activities within your itinerary is compulsory to join this trip. Please check your government’s foreign travel advice before departure and contact your insurance provider to ensure you have the appropriate level of coverage for travel to all destinations and activities within your itinerary. FIRE PRECAUTIONS: Please be aware that local laws governing tourism facilities in this region differ from those in your home country and not all the accommodation which we use has a fire exit, fire extinguishers or smoke alarms. SEAT BELTS: Please be aware that local laws governing transportation safety may differ from those in your home country and not all the transport which we use is able to provide seat belts. PETTY THEFT AND PERSONAL SAFETY: While travelling there is always the risk of pick-pocketing and petty theft, particularly in the more touristy cities. We recommend that you exercise caution when walking alone at night and encourage you to walk together and only on main, well-lit thoroughfares. Be particularly vigilant on public transport. Simple measures like carrying your day pack on your front, not hanging your bag over the back of your chair or on the floor and wearing a money belt will reduce any chance that your valuables should go missing. MOTORBIKE BAG SNATCHING: Be particularly aware of motorbike bag snatching, especially in the bigger cities.
Age Requirements
18 to 35 years
Additional Information
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Trip ID
intrepid-TMYM

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