Real Borneo

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 Indigenous cultures at the Sabah Museum. Kota Kinabalu has a great food scene, too, so tonight, maybe grab your new travel companions and eat dinner together at a local restaurant to get better acquainted – your leader will have the best recommendations.

Day 2 Kiulu Village Trek

This morning after breakfast, you’ll drive to Pukak in Kiulu Valley – a small area in Tuaran 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 hike this afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in cultural activities – learn how to work with beads, join the group for some traditional fishing, take a cooking class to learn how to prepare the local food (which you’ll enjoy later for dinner) and take a Gong (musical instrument) class. In your traditional bamboo hut, you’ll fall asleep to the peaceful sounds of the village and its natural surroundings.

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 vehicle to Kundasang, which sits in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu. When you arrive, settle in for a well-deserved rest after your two-day trek or wander the peaceful town to explore the mountain views before dinner.

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 620 m long, 28 m high canopy walkway with spectacular views of the giant rainforest trees. At dusk, you’ll meet up with a local ranger and take a guided walk around the grounds – this place comes alive after dark, and you’ll spot plenty of nocturnal birds overhead. Look out for slow lorises, tarsiers and flying squirrels, too! Tonight, you’ll stay in a jungle lodge among lush greenery and untouched nature.

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). Swing by the nursery where young orangutans learn to climb on a specially constructed jungle gym and grab a selfie with them if you can! Later, spend some time at the Sun Bear Conservation Centre, where staff rescue and take care of the once-mistreated sun bears with the hopes of rehabilitating and reintroducing them into the wild. Refuel with some lunch and then make the journey to tonight’s jungle lodge near the banks of the Kinabatangan River. When you’ve settled into your lodge, you’ll hit the water for a river cruise. Keep an eye out for wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys and maybe even a few pygmy elephants.

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 hornbills and kingfishers, crocodiles or reptiles like snakes and frogs. After a spot of lunch, you’ll hit the water again and continue your search along the river’s waters for wildlife and jungle scenery. Tonight, take a night walk with your leader, looking for nocturnal birds, insects and other wildlife that come alive after sunset. You’ll have dinner together at your lodge.

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 second snorkel will be from the pontoon to get another chance to spot the gorgeous corals and diverse marine wildlife under the water’s edge. Stop at another beach for a group lunch to refuel and then this afternoon, you can relax at the beach and soak in the sun. If you like, you can also head out for another beach snorkelling adventure, before travelling back to your guesthouse in the late afternoon.

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 groups of Borneo used to live. Tonight, maybe head out with your new mates and mark the end of your adventure with a group dinner. Your leader will have some great recommendations for where to go on the waterfront. The nightlife here is also worth exploring, so maybe after dinner go bar hopping and soak up the city after dusk.

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.