Best of Borneo
Resort: | Best of Borneo |
Operator: | Wendy Wu Tours |
Destination: | Asia |
Price From: | £4390.00 |
Overview16 Day Best of Borneo Tour ItineraryDAYS 1-2 FLY TO KUCHING
Fly overnight to the relaxed and charismatic city of Kuching, Borneo’s largest city.
DAY 3 EXPLORE KUCHING
Spend the day enjoying the diverse culture of Sarawak with a walking tour, starting at the Chinese History Museum on Kuching’s waterfront. Stroll past the old shop houses of Ewe Hai Street and pay visits to traditional businesses, including a ‘sinseh’, a Chinese medicine man. Next you’ll be introduced to Sarawak’s delicious food, with a tasting at a local coffee shop. Continue to the Sarawak Museum, before a sampan ride across Kuching’s river to visit a Malay village.
DAY 4 BAKO NATIONAL PARK
Travel out to Bako before boarding a boat to reach the national park. Explore the park on foot with a guide one of Borneo’s most biodiverse areas, the diversity of flora and fauna here is incredible and easily accessible. Following trails along streams, past caves and across plateaus, keeping an eye out for wild boar, macaques, monitor lizards and, if you’re lucky, a proboscis monkey! Dinner tonight is at a local restaurant.
DAY 5 SEMENGGOH NATURE RESERVE
This morning you have the opportunity to meet Borneo’s most famous native; the orangutan! Semenggoh is a centre dedicated to the rehabilitation of rescued or orphaned young orangutans here, they are taught how to survive in the wild. Visit the orangutan release area, where they live freely, in search of these beautiful but elusive creatures. After lunch, drive for approximately 4 hours to Sri Aman, where you will be checked into your hotel on arrival.
DAY 6 IBAN LONGHOUSE
Today you will discover more about Borneos native Iban people, renowned for their former practice of headhunting. After breakfast, drive approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to the jetty, where you will board a traditional Iban longboat for a 45-minute river journey to a tribal longhouse. On arrival, enjoy a tour of the longhouse, meeting the Iban families. Witness a performance of a traditional war dance, in full regalia, and lunch on Iban cuisine. Return to the hotel, where the rest of the day is at leisure.
DAY 7 RETURN TO KUCHING
Journey back to Kuching, stopping en route for lunch at a local caf.
DAY 8 FLY TO KOTA KINABALU
Transfer to the airport and fly over to Malaysian Borneos other state, Sabah, and the vibrant city of Kota Kinabalu. On arrival, the rest of the day is at leisure.
DAY 9 EXPLORE KOTA KINABALU
Begin your explorations at the Sabah State Museum where you can learn about the state’s diverse cultural and natural heritage, before exploring some of the city’s beautiful architecture, including the Blue Mosque and Chinese Temple. Browse the piles of wares at the Handicraft Market and spice bazaar, before strolling through the oldest part of the city. Lunch will be at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Tonight, dine on traditional Malay cuisine.
DAY 10 KINABALU PARK
Head out of the city to the foot of Mt Kinabalu, Borneo’s highest mountain, where you will spend the day exploring Kinabalu Park, Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Embark on a guided walk along one of the many forest trails to discover some of the unique flora and fauna that calls the area home.
DAY 11 FLY TO SANDAKAN
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Sandakan. Visit the Sandakan Memorial Park, which commemorates British and Australian prisoners of war during World War II. Continue into Sandakan itself and tour the city, passing the William Pryer and Sandakan Liberation Monuments, and browsing the displays of the Heritage Museum and the Agnes Keith Museum. The rest of the day is at leisure.
DAY 12 SEPILOK ORANGUTAN CENTRE
Sepilok offers another chance to see orangutans in their natural habitat like Semenggoh, this is a centre for the rehabilitation of former captive and orphaned orangutans. Around 60 to 80 orangutans live free within the centre’s forest, and there may be young orangutans to visit in the nursery. Pop over the road to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre to visit the world’s smallest bear and learn about the conservation efforts to protect them. Journey to Bilit and enjoy lunch at your lodge. Later, board a cruise along the Kinabatangan River to spot some of the abundant wildlife.
DAY 13 KINABATANGAN RIVER
Embark on an early morning cruise to the Oxbow Lake, where you can spot wildlife and soak up the peaceful ambience. Returning to the lodge, the rest of the day is at leisure until the late afternoon, when you will head out for another cruise, searching for wildlife once more. You could spot anything from hornbills to pygmy elephants!
DAY 14 SANDAKAN TO KOTA KINABALU
Return to Sandakan for lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to the airport to fly back to Kota Kinabalu. This evening, dine on local flavours and enjoy a cultural dance performance.
DAY 15-16 FLY KOTA KINABALU TO UK
Fly to the UK, arriving home the following day.
|