Malaysia Borneo Wildlife Discovery

Welcome to Malaysia! After landing and customs clearance, you will be greeted by your hearty driver guide at the arrival hall. He or she will then drive you to downtown Kinabalu with a brief city tour and finally to the hotel.

Having been destroyed many times in the past, Kota Kinabalu was rebuilt after World War II and is now a charming seaside town for feasting, drinking, and entertaining. Its spellbinding scenery, tiny restaurants and markets, and rocky coastline will etch in your memory. During our driving tour, you can ask for photo stops at any time.

The hotel we booked for you is well located, with an offshore wharf behind it and a sky bar and swimming pool on the rooftop facing the sea. On your arrival, it’s ideal to admire the sunset on the beach, which is highly praised as one of the three most splendid sunsets worldwide.

► Packaging Tips for Rainforest Tours
It’s recommended to bring high-concentration mosquito repellent, sunscreen, long-sleeved trousers, leech socks, long boots, binoculars, four sets of quick-drying clothes, raincoats, and other items suitable for trekking and river cruises. Don’t worry if some large or professional items are inconvenient to carry; you can rent from hotels in the rainforest.

Accommodation: Grandis Hotels and Resorts, Kota Kinabalu (4 stars)

Today, your driver guide will transfer you to Kinabalu National Park, a UNESCO-protected world natural heritage site famous for Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia. Walk on the Canopy Walkway hanging over the old-growth tropical rainforest formed about 130 million years ago and follow the park guide to find countless tropical creatures, including pitcher plants, oak trees, orangutans, and unique species, such as the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia. If the Canopy Walkway is closed due to heavy rain, we will visit Tropical Garden instead.
* Note: 
1. Your safety trumps photographing wild animals, so please keep a safe distance and avoid luring them for feeding or touching, which will also protect their natural habits.
2. It is better to carry garbage bags to ensure no waste in the rainforest and use environmentally friendly insect repellents - they are harmless to your body and the environment.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Grandis Hotels and Resorts, Kota Kinabalu (4 stars)

This morning, the driver guide will send you to the airport, and you will leave for Sandakan on a 45-minute flight. The local driver guide there will pick you up and then drive you to the hotel in Sepilok Jungle Resort for 30 minutes.

Our well-selected hotel is in one of the world’s oldest rainforests, close to the two conservation centers that we will visit tomorrow. All cabins are semi-detached style, facing the jungle, and many rooms have semi-open balconies, where you may encounter orangutans unexpectedly! After check-in, you can stroll on the 1,000-foot-long wooden trail behind the resort, which allows you to touch the mystery forest in advance. At night, fall asleep to the natural symphony of rainforest critters and get ready for tomorrow’s exciting itinerary!

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: My Nature Resort, Sepilok

In the morning, the driver guide will accompany you to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, the largest of its kind worldwide. Homeless orangutans are sent here to be treated and taught survival skills in the wild by the staff until they can live independently, and then it’s time to return to nature. Around 10:00 am, observe orangutans closely on the feeding platform. Also, learn how the center was established and get more detailed information about orangutans through videos. Please remember that the rehabilitation center is not like a zoo, with no fences to limit orangutans, so please keep your voice low to avoid disturbing the free-roaming orangutans.

Continue to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center to watch the world’s smallest bears, who are seriously threatened by poaching, habitat destruction, and being kept illegally as pets. Beyond stepping on elevated walkways to observe sun bears, you could also visit educational exhibitions to learn about sun bears and the center’s efforts to protect them. We hope that everyone will actively participate to protect endangered species after such a journey.

★ Crowning Touch of the Trip: Multiple River Cruises to Spot Rare Wildlife
After visits to the conservation centers, you'll take a 1-hour boat ride to the Lower Kinabatangan River Sanctuary. Over the half-day and tomorrow, several river cruises are awaiting you to track Borneo’s treasured wildlife. Kinabatangan River is the longest in Sabah, flanked by untouched tropical rainforests rich in biodiversity. Overwhelming oil palm plantations forced many animals to gather here, making the river famous for wildlife viewing, where you can see almost all of Sabah’s ten primates and eight hornbills, especially proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, and endangered Borneo pygmy elephants.

Disembark at Abai Jungle Restaurant to have a lunch break and continue on another boat ride to Sukau Village, located in the reserve with the highest density of wildlife in Sandakan. Upon arrival in the late afternoon, take a Menanggul River safari to find the Borneo BIG 5: orangutans, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, saltwater crocodiles, and Malayan hornbills. With the help of your observant guide who knows wild animals inside out, you may be able to meet all the BIG 5 at one time.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, Sukau Village

In the early morning, take a boat up the Kinabatangan River, lined with dense and mysterious freshwater swamp forests, and reach Oxbow Lake to experience the vibrant rainforest right after the sun rises, when both birds and animals are active. You will see a variety of rare birds flying by and also have the opportunity to see orangutans, macaques, proboscis monkeys, and crocodiles.

Then, return to the lodge for breakfast, and the rest of the morning is yours to freely explore the surroundings. After lunch, follow the local guide to embark on another cruise to track wildlife, mainly primates and birds; if lucky, you may encounter Borneo pygmy elephants drinking or crossing the river. Proboscis monkeys, whose noses will become bigger as they age, are a common star species here. Free to forage and play in the trees near the river bank, they are highly dependent on mangroves, whereas they will become depressed in an environment of human intervention. Hence, protecting the untamed rainforest is crucial for these rare animals. Return to the lodge for dinner, and stay your last night in Sukau Village.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, Sukau Village

Today, we will first drive for two hours to Lahad Datu. Then, take a short break and drive for another two hours to the rainforest hotel in Danum Valley, known as the “most diverse ecosystem in the world,” with the most primitive tropical flora and fauna. Lace up for a rainforest hike this afternoon, and you can bring the free telescope and environmentally friendly water bottles provided by the hotel. The professional local guide, also a top-notch natural observer, will lead you deep into Danum Valley, with every step being adventurous. Walk on the 1,180-foot-long and 88-foot-high canopy walkway connected by centuries-old trees, appreciate the tropical critters of each forest layer from different angles, and overlook the entire magnificent rainforest.
* Note: Be sure to wear tight, long-sleeved trousers and leech socks to protect you from brown leeches and tiger leeches. If you find it on your skin, gently peel it off, rub it, and flick it away, or remove it with salt. Travelers who were sucked can even ask for a creative “leech-sucked” certificate from the hotel.

After dinner, you will take an open-air truck to spot night wildlife if the weather permits. When night falls, the whole forest becomes silent but also full of surprises because of exciting nocturnal creatures. You may see new species every night here as you pass through the dense jungle and cross the stream: various lizards, frogs, snakes, various shapes and colors of insects that you have never seen before, etc.

A great surprise of our well-picked resort is that you may encounter orangutans foraging nearby without entering the forest. Unlike captive animals in the zoo, which are fed, all animal behaviors here are untamed. It is quite interesting to see how orangutans climb up trees, chew on the bark, and bring up their babies.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley

Today, follow the park guide further hiking into Danum Valley, exploring the ancient history of the Kadazan-Dusun, the largest ethnic group in Sabah. Due to long-term geographical restrictions, they have been divided into several different sub-groups. “Kadazan” means “market,” which means that they live in cities and towns, while the Dusun people live in the countryside. We will come to the ancient Dusun Burial Site to witness the hanging coffins, where you can still occasionally glimpse moss-clad human bones.

Continue along the hiking trail, meet various wild animals, pass a small hill, and finally reach the viewing platform at an altitude of 985 feet, where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the entire Danum Valley. If lucky, you may also encounter Borneo Gibbons looking for fruits in the trees. They are too shy to come near humans, but they are famous as “forest singers.” If you hear them singing from a distance, you can track them in the direction of the singing.

Return to the hotel for a rest and dinner. Tonight, you can also look forward to spotting nocturnal wildlife, among which the most anticipated ones are nocturnal birds. With the help of our eagle-eyed guide, we will look for the master of the darkness – the tawny frogmouth, insectivorous birds that open their big frog-like mouths at night to catch flying insects. The guide will play a recording of the frogmouth’s call under the trees that it frequents, hoping to attract it.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley

This morning, the driver guide will drive you for two hours to Lahad Datu Airport, where you will then take a 1-hour flight to Kota Kinabalu. The local guide based there will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel near Dalit Beach for an hour.

Kinabalu has the third-best sunset in the world. At sunset, the setting sun will dye the entire beach orange, which becomes a shiny mirror after the tide goes out. Meandering on it is as dreamy as walking in the sky. The hotel we booked for you has a large and tranquil private beach where you can fully immerse yourself in the fascinating sunset without being disturbed.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu (5 stars)

Today is your full day of free time. From 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., the hotel offers an arsenal of self-financed activities, including jungle hiking, water recreation, cultural experiences, parent-child entertainment, and more. You can ask the hotel for a schedule in advance to choose what you want to do.

► Activities Recommendation for Your Free Time
At around five in the morning, follow the hotel guide for a sunrise hike, cross the suspension bridge in the forest to the observation deck, and enjoy the incomparable sunrise over Kota Kinabalu beaches. Returning to the hotel, play water sports such as banana boats, or join Nature’s Little Buzzers, which many tourists like, to learn about stingless bees on the farm and taste local honey. If you like fishing, you can also join the River Fishing Cruise to fish in the mangroves. After enjoying the sunset, from 7:00 to 8:30 in the evening, admire the starry fireflies.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu (5 stars)

Your private Malaysia wildlife safari ends today. The driver guide will take you to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport for about an hour. We wish you a smooth journey home! If you want to continue visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Penang to experience Malaysia’s culture and customs or extend your trip to neighboring Asian countries, please contact our travel consultants to customize your itinerary!

► What Can You Do on the Last Day in Malaysia
If your flight schedule permits, you can take part in the hotel’s Laya-Laya Village Bicycle Tour in the morning to appreciate the local village of Kota Kinabalu in the rising sun and admire the traditional stilt wooden houses of the Bajau Samah people.

Meals: Breakfast