A Nature Lover's Dream

A NATURE LOVER'S DREAM

16 Day Tour

TOUR CODE BTS 16

REFER TO NEW WEBSITE for up to date information

Day 1 Board your flight to Kuala Lumpur. From Australia, this will take you up to about 8 hours, from Europe a bit longer and from North America, up to about 16 hours or so. From Kuala Lumpur, take your Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuching in magical, mystical Borneo. Flying in from most places in Australia, you will arrive in Kuching Sarawak in the late evening, although, as of August 2000, more evening flights have been introduced from Sydney and Melbourne. From Europe and North America, flights are generally scheduled so that you have a good chance of arriving in the morning.

You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel - depending on your arrival time, have the remainder of the day at leisure or get some rest.

Kuching City and Sarawak River

Day 2 Arrive in Kuching in mid afternoon. After checking into your hotel, spend the rest of your day at your leisure looking for local handicrafts in the Main Bazaar on the waterfront, or exploring the main part of the city and waterfront - all located in close proximity to your hotel.

Day 3 Travel by coach to Batang Ai in the South-East of Sarawak. You will pass through paddy fields, pepper gardens, oil palm plantation estates and small villages, arriving at the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort in mid afternoon. There will be a stop for lunch en route.

View of Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort View of Hilton Batang Ai Resort

Spend the remainder of the afternoon at your leisure absorbing your surroundings. Be sure not to miss the sunset over the lake while staying at Batang Ai.

Day 4 Take a full day trip up the Ai River to the Batang Ai National Park. You will be taken by long boat from the resort in the morning to the Ai River, then up the rapids to Batang Ai National Park, where you will spend some time hiking through the park looking for wildlife. A short trip in the longboat will then bring you to either the Tibu longhouse or the Delok longhouse. You can decide whether to eat lunch on the river bank, or with the locals in the longhouse. After lunch, enjoy a bit of the atmosphere in the longhouse, taking the opportunity to observe the day to day life of the villagers. You will also be offered locally made handicrafts to buy. Return to Batang Ai Resort in the late afternoon.

Day 5 Spend the morning at leisure. Return to Kuching by coach in the early afternoon, arriving at about 18.00 hrs.

Day 6 Transfer to airport for your flight to Mulu Caves. Flights may be direct, or via Miri.

Gunung Mulu is the jewel in the crown of Sarawak's national parks network. The park contains the largest limestone cave system in the world.

Mulu Caves

Mulu's system of caves is truly spectacular and justifiably famous. The world's largest natural chamber (Sarawak Chamber), the world's largest cave passage (Deer Cave) and the longest cave in South-East Asia (Clearwater Cave) are all found at Mulu.

Tour the Deer and Lang Caves on your first afternoon and evening in Mulu National Park

Day 7 Tour the Wind and Clearwater Caves and enjoy a picnic lunch and perhaps a swim in the mountain stream.

In the afternoon transfer to Miri. Check in to your hotel before being taken on a tour of the oil town.

Flight schedules from Mulu may require you to fly direct to Kota Kinabalu, thereby omitting Miri. You will be advised accordingly at the time of your booking

Day 8 Morning transfer to Kota Kinabalu. After checking in to your hotel, and getting a bite to eat, enjoy an afternoon tour of the thriving city of Kota Kinabalu which is now the capital of Sabah.

Local Tamu Near the Base of Mt Kinabalu

Day 9 A full day trip to Kinabalu National Park and Poring Hot Springs. Enjoy the vista of the jungle covered mountains and valleys as you proceed up to the base of South-East Asia's highest mountain - you will be driven on the two hour trip across padi fields and Dusun villages over the ridges of the Crocker Range to the foothills of South-East Asia's highest mountain Mt Kinabalu at 1500 metres (Mt Kinabalu is 4098 m high) to the Park Headquarters at Kundusang. and on to Poring Springs where you will be able to take a "canopy walk" through the canopy of a rainforest. If time permits, you may be able to enjoy a soak in one of the hot baths built by the Japanese around the Sulphur Pools. Return to Kinabalu National Park, enjoy a guided walk through the botanical gardens, home to some of the 26 species of flowering rhododendrons, 9 species of carnivorous pitcher plants, 1000 species of orchids, ferns, 40 species of oak trees and over 300 species of birds.

Return to your hotel in KK for the night.

Day 10 Travel overland over the Croker Range to Tambunan where you will be able to visit the Rafflesia Centre. There is a very good chance that you will be able to see the world's largest flower in bloom. Lunch at Keningau, before continuing on to Tenom for the night. Overnight at the Tenom Perkasa Hotel.

The last train in Borneo

Day 11 After breakfast, visit the famous Living Crop Museum at Lagud Sebrang, with its tropical gardens containing fruit, beverage plants (eg coffee, cocoa etc) and spices. Return to Tenom, and board Borneo's last remaining commercial train line to Beaufort on the coast via the scenic Padas Gorge. On arrival in Beaufort, you will be driven by road to KK and your hotel

Day 12 Early morning flight to Lahad Datu and then a transfer to Borneo Rainforest Lodge which has in the past years had guests such as the Sultan of Brunei and the King and Queen of Sweden. The guides and staff of Borneo Rainforest Lodge are trained to be able to tell you about the nature that you will be experiencing while staying at the lodge.

Day 13 Spend a full day in and around Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

Sunset on the Kinabatangan

Day 14 Spend the morning around Borneo Rainforest Lodge before transferring overland to Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the Kinabatangan River, where you will spend the night. In the late afternoon, you will be taken on a jungle river tour along a tributary of the Kinabatangan River to see the Proboscis Monkeys readying themselves for the night.

Day 15 An early morning tour on the Kelananap Oxbow Lake not far from the Lodge. You will also be taken on a short walk through some of the jungle nearby. In the afternoon, journey up the Kinabatangan River in search of wild Orang-utans, and visit the village of Sukau, and some local boat builders.

Spend the night at Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

Young Orang-utans

Day 16 An early departure to return to Sandakan in time for feeding at the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. After visiting the Orang-utans, you will be driven to the airport for your flight to Kuala Lumpur, and then on to your final destination (home?). Some destinations may require an extra night in Kota Kinabalu with departure early the following morning - this will be confirmed at time of booking

Day 17 Arrive at your destination (for overnight flights from Kuala Lumpur).

Prices:

From KUCHING $A2620.00 (twin share) plus airfare taxes. Refer International Price Schedule for further details

From AUSTRALIA (East Coast) $A3550.00 (twin share) plus airfare taxes. Refer Australian Price Schedule for further details

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Additional photographs on this page are courtesy of Hilton Hotels (view of Batang Ai Resort), Royal Mulu Resort (Mulu Caves), and Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation (Young Orang-utans).