Batang Ai lake

Borneo Uncovered

Trip code
BNU001

If you’re going to Borneo, you might as well dive in at the deep end. That’s the philosophy behind this trip, which passes up Borneo’s better-known destinations in favour of the truly wild and remote.

Combining two very different jungle experiences, one with the Iban tribe in Sarawak and the other in the “Lost World” of Sabah’s Maliau Basin, it's all about getting away from civilisation and into some of the least explored places on Earth.

Pricing

Price based on 3* accommodation
From
$3,850
pp
Let us help plan your holiday and make it perfect for you

Key facts

12 days / 11 nights
Understand Bornean culture with a night in an Iban tribal longhouse and an evening street-food tour of Kota Kinabalu
Walk and boat through the mangrove forests of Bako National Park
Go wildlife-spotting on an orangutan trek, a canopy walk, and a night safari
Go trekking in two different rainforests at Batang Ai and the Maliau Basin
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MAP LEFT MAP RIGHT DAY 1-2, 6 KUCHING DAY 8-10 MALIAU BASIN DAY 3-5 BATANG AI DAY 7, 11-12 KOTA KINABALU
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MAP LEFT MAP RIGHT DAY 1-2, 6 KUCHING DAY 8-10 MALIAU BASIN DAY 3-5 BATANG AI DAY 7, 11-12 KOTA KINABALU

Transport in detail

Transfers will be by private car and boat, with the exception of one internal flight from Sarawak to Sabah. This itinerary includes remote destinations, so be prepared for some lengthy journeys on bumpy roads. It’s the price you pay for spectacular wilderness!

What's great

You’ll get much deeper into Batang Ai National Park than most travellers, giving you a better chance of spotting orangutans in the wild

A multi-day trek through the Maliau Basin will take you to the edge of the explored world

This trip is easily extended with some relaxing beach time

Things to consider

This itinerary includes lots of challenging trekking: you’ll need to be able to hike for up to eight hours a day in humid conditions

Though you’re sure to see plenty of wildlife on your trip, there’s no guaranteeing what!

Due to the remoteness of the locations, this itinerary includes some fairly long and bumpy transfers

Even if you’re travelling in the “dry” season, always expect rain in a rainforest

Several nights of this trip are spent in very basic accommodation – think dormitories, no AC, and intermittent electricity!

The experience

This itinerary focusses on just two destinations, getting you far beyond the usual tourist experiences and into the wilderness. If you’d like to see more of Borneo, let’s chat! Just come to us with your ideas and we’ll extend or adapt this trip to suit yo

Day 1-2

Kuching

Once an independent colonial kingdom governed by the White Rajahs of Sarawak, today Kuching is Malaysian Borneo’s most up-and-coming city. While you’re acclimatising to equatorial life, explore its fabulous street-food scene, admire its colonial architecture from the riverside boulevard, and perhaps check out the excellent Sarawak Museum for an insight into the island’s fascinating natural and indigenous heritage. Then, head into nearby Bako National Park for your first experience of the rainforest, following plank walks through mangroves and towering tropical trees until you reach the beach, where mud skippers and blue fiddler crabs come out to feed at low tide.

Bako National Park

Highlights

Explore the mangrove forests of Bako National Park

Have your first rainforest experience on an afternoon trek

Sample the amazing diversity of street food on offer at Kuching’s night markets

Sunset over Kuching

Day 3-6

Batang Ai/Kuching

Now it’s time to get into the wilderness proper as you make the journey by car and boat into the heart of Batang Ai, the ancestral heartland of the Iban. The Iban were once fearsome headhunters, but today they’re better known for their warm hospitality — as you’ll discover as you spend a night in a longhouse, sharing rice wine and relaxing on the ruai (veranda). As well as its native culture, Batang Ai is home to the highest density of orangutans in central Borneo, meaning it’s your best chance to spot them in the wild. Even if you don’t, you’re sure to see all sorts of fascinating creatures as you trek through the forest, swim in waterfall pools, and enjoy a BBQ by the riverside.

Boats on river in Batang Ai

Highlights

Go for a scenic boat ride on Batang Ai Lake

Drink rice wine with the locals at an Iban tribal community

Hike through the jungle to swim in a waterfall pool

Go in search of orangutans, gibbons and hornbills on a rainforest trek

Iban longhouse in Batang Ai

The finer detail

  • Breakfast every day
  • Eight lunches: one in the Bako Park Canteen; one on the way into Batang Ai; two in your Batang Ai jungle camp; one on the way to Maliau Basin; three packed lunches during your trekking in Maliau Basin
  • Six dinners: one in your Batang Ai lodge; two in your Batang Ai jungle camp; one at the Maliau Basin Studies Centre; two at Ginseng Camp in the Maliau Basin
  • One full-day experience: trek through the mangroves of Bako National Park;
  • Two night stay at the Lubok Kasai jungle camp with the Iban community in Batang Ai with rainforest exploring & trekking
  • Three night stay in the Maliau Basin with rainforest exploring & trekking in Sabah’s Lost World
  • All accommodation
  • All entrance fees to sites included in guided experiences
  • All domestic transfers and transport

Day 1:
Car transfer from Kuching airport to hotel (30 minutes)

Day 3:
Car transfer to Batang Ai Lake (6 hours)
Boat transfer to lodge (1.5 hours)

Day 4:
Boat transfer to Enseluai waterfall (15 minutes)
Trek to Lubok Kasai jungle camp (2 hours)

Day 6:
Boat transfer to Batang Ai Lake (2 hours)
Car transfer to Kuching (6 hours)

Day 7:
Car transfer to Kuching Airport (30 minutes)
Domestic flight to Kota Kinabalu (1.5 hours)
Car transfer to hotel (20 minutes)

Day 8:
Car transfer to Maliau Basin Studies Centre (6 hours)

Day 9:
Car transfer to Agathis Camp (30 minute drive)
9km uphill trek to Ginseng Camp (6 hours)

Day 10:
11km trek to visit Maliau Falls (6 hours)

Day 11:
9km downhill trek to Agathis Camp (5 hours)
Car transfer to Kota Kinabalu (6 hours)

Day 12:
Car transfer to Kota Kinabalu Airport (20 minutes)

  • International flights
  • Any necessary visas
  • Any lunches or dinners unless stated
  • Entrance fees to any sites not included in guided experiences
  • Tipping and personal expenses
  • Tourist taxes & any National Park fees