Opulent-Journeys-Nature-Lovers-Tour-of-Borneo-with

Specialists in Customised Group Travel
Nature Lovers Tour of Borneo
16 Day Tour with Rowan Hayes
10 – 25 September 2016
Your Tour Leader-Rowan Hayes
Rowan has history in forestry, mapmaking, landscape design, conservation
and land management. He has led heritage and landscape studies in Tibet,
China, Burma, India and all South-East Asian countries. After many diverse
educational explorations in Borneo, he maintains an intense interest and love
for the natural environments of Sabah and Sarawak.
About Your Tour
Borneo, the ‘Land Below the Wind’ as it was once
called, has steamy jungles, exotic wildlife and
extraordinary landscapes. It is still possible to meet the
families of once head-hunting indigenes and to
experience the Malay states that spawned
adventurous romance from which the likes of
Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling
drew inspiration.
This tour exposes you to rainforest and other
ecological niches that make the island one of the
world’s plant hotspots. Teeming, noisy jungles,
secluded beaches, mountains and rainforest are home
to orangutan, hornbills, exotic plants, amazing caves,
tribal village life.
There is the opportunity to immerse yourself in the
colonial history with discussions about the ‘white
Rajahs’ and visits to WW2 memorials.
Flight
Coach
Oriental cuisine and tropical fruit delights such as
rambutan, jackfruit, salak, durian will add to your
destination experiences.
Please note: Because we are seeking to find unspoilt
environments and intact plant communities with
abundant wildlife. Accommodation in remote national
parks is basic, as illustrated.
Although this is not a trekking journey, we will, on
occasions be walking on tracks and boardwalks for up
to three hours. The walking tracks are not unlike a hike
in our bushland. A reasonable level of fitness is
necessary. Tropical temperatures can be challenging
and it is necessary to maintain hydration.
Sydney I Kuching I Bako National Park I Mulu National Park I Kota Kinabalu I Mt. Kinabalu I Sydney
Day 1 Sat 10 Sep
Sydney-Singapore-Kuching
Depart Sydney to Kuching, Sarawak via Singapore.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 2 Sun 11 Sep
Kuching
Visit the famous Kuching Museum, ride sampans to cross
the Sarawak River. Pass the white rajah’s residence, see
the orchid garden on the other side of the Kuching
Waterfront. Make an offering at a Chinese Buddhist temple.
Evening meal in a night market. Sample the famous
offerings of satay, kolo mee and other Kuching favourites.
After dinner stroll beneath wide trees along the romantic big
lazy riverfront. Colonial buildings with the old shops of the
bazaar enrich the experience. Overnight at hotel.
(B)
Day 3 Mon 12 Sep
Kuching-Bako National Park
Bus to Kampong Bako. Take a long boat to Bako National
Park arriving through the mangroves. Immediately
encounter unusual plants, tropical littoral abundance. See
wildlife such as naughty macaques and proboscis
monkeys, wild pigs, an incredible variety of birds and
insects. Spot light for shy jungle creatures at night.
Overnight at Bako National Park Hostel.
(B L D)
Day 4 Tue 13 Sep
Bako National Park
Walk the Lintang trail where practically all vegetation
types at Bako can be seen. Forest types range from
mangrove to kerangas (heath forest), tropical swamp
vegetation, cliff vegetation and beach vegetation. There
are several side trails to follow inside the park depending
on level of fitness and interest. All the trails have a great
variety of vegetation, from mighty 80-metre dipterocarp
trees such as Shorea species to dense mangrove forest.
Unusual carnivorous pitcher plants and interesting
symbiotic relationships are found on the Lintang trail. The
park’s coastline is dotted with small bays, coves and
beaches. Overnight at Bako National Park Hostel. (B L D)
Day 5 Wed 14 Sep
Bako National Park
Hike the boardwalks through wetlands, swim in secluded
jungle pools and on beaches of the South China Sea.
Watch proboscis monkeys feeding on jungle fruits. Look
for the Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher,
Red-crowned Barbet, Woodpeckers, Broadbills, Mangrove
Blue Flycatcher, Babblers, and owls. Overnight at Bako
National Park Hostel.
(B L D)
Day 6 Thu 15 Sep
Bako National Park-Kuching
Proceed back to Kuching. Free at leisure.
(B)
Day 7 Fri 16 Sep
Kuching-Mulu National Park
Fly to Mulu National Park. This World Heritage-listed area
allows canopy walks and treks that reveal exotic creatures,
spectacular caves and stunning limestone karst formations.
There is Deer Cave, which can fit five cathedrals the size of
London’s Saint Pauls. Another key attraction is Clear Water
Cave, the longest cave in Southeast Asia. The massive
caves here are home to millions of bats and cave swiftlets
that swarm out into the jungle in great clouds every evening
at dusk! It is an extraordinary sight. Overnight in the
National Park Longhouse.
(B L D)
Day 8 Sat 17 Sep
Mulu National Park
Explore the jungle, photograph elusive butterflies…. There
are around 2000 species of plants in the park. As many as
eight different species of Hornbill are to be seen, and over
27 species of bat etc. Overnight in the National Park
Longhouse.
(B L D)
Day 9 Sun 18 Sep
Mulu National Park
Take a longboat up river tributaries, swim in pristine jungle
rivers. Try the Mulu Canopy Skywalk. The Skywalk is the
longest tree canopy walk in the world. Relax at the jungle
café. Overnight in the National Park Longhouse.
(B L D)
Day 10 Mon 19 Sep Mulu National Park-Kota Kinabalu
Fly to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (the 'Land Below the Wind).
Evening explore the Phillipino Market. Overnight at hotel. (B)
Day 11 Tue 20 Sep
Kota Kinabalu
Explore Kota Kinabalu - snorkel on tropical islands in
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, visit Kampong Air, the
water village, or take the old colonial train to Tenom for
lunch.
(B L)
Day 12 Wed 21 Sep
Kota Kinabalu-Mt. Kinabalu
Bus to the lower slopes of Mt. Kinabalu. Enjoy the walks
around the park headquarters. Climb through several
ecological zones to experience plant communities ranging
from tropical rainforest to the sub-alpine. Stay at hotel.
(B L D)
Day 13 Thu 22 Sep
Mt. Kinabalu
Visit Ranau War Memorial where the Sandakan Death
March ended and then travel on to Poring Springs. There
are steaming hot pools providing a relaxing place to
unwind after trekking the slopes of Mount Kinabalu.
Experience another incredible jungle canopy walk in the
evening. Overnight at hotel.
(B L D)
Day 14 Fri 23 Sep
Mt. Kinabalu-Kota Kinabalu
Maybe see an orangutan. Venture along jungle trails to
rarely visited waterfalls. Rest on the way back to Kota
Kinabalu. Evening shopping in Kota Kinabalu.
(B L)
Day 15 Sat 24 Sep Kota Kinabalu-Singapore-Sydney
Overnight flight to Sydney via Singapore.
(B)
Day 16 Sun 25 Sep
Arrive in Sydney
INCLUSIONS
Return international flights from Sydney with Singapore
Airlines; internal flights within Borneo; 8 nights’
accommodation at 4 star hotels/resorts with breakfast daily;
3 nights’ accommodation at Specialty Lodging at Mulu
National Park;
*3 nights’ accommodation at Bako National Park Hostel;
private group transfers and touring with English speaking
local guides; meals as stated in the itinerary.
Specialty Lodging at Mulu National Park
Not Included: Travel insurance, gratuities, personal
expenses, anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
Price per person twin share
$AUD
Land & Air:
$4,745
Land Only**:
$3,750
Single room supplement:
Kinabalu Pine Resort Mt. Kinabalu
$760
**Land Only tour starts in Kuching and finishes in Kota Kinabalu
Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu
Bako National Park Hostel
* Bako National Park Hostel: the accommodation in Bako National
Park has ceiling fan only and no air-conditioning. The shower
rooms do have hot water and it is on sharing basis.
Hilton Kuching
SOME OF OUR OTHER
EXCITING DESTINATIONS
For further information please contact Opulent Journeys:
1300 219 885
Email: enquiries@opulentjourneys.com.au
opulentjourneys.com.au