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.

Flight Coach

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.

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.

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

Sydney I Kuching I Bako National Park I Mulu National Park I Kota Kinabalu I Mt. Kinabalu I Sydney

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

Price per person twin share $AUD

Land & Air: $4,745

Land Only**: $3,750

Single room supplement: $760

**Land Only tour starts in Kuching and finishes in Kota Kinabalu

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.

Not Included: Travel insurance, gratuities, personal

expenses, anything not mentioned in the itinerary.

Bako National Park Hostel

Specialty Lodging at Mulu National Park

Kinabalu Pine Resort Mt. Kinabalu

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Hilton Kuching

* 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.

SOME OF OUR OTHER EXCITING DESTINATIONS

For further information please contact Opulent Journeys:

1300 219 885

Email: enquiries@opulentjourneys.com.au

opulentjourneys.com.au