The Comfortable Naturalist Multi Day Sabah

📍 Sandakan Airport to Hotel (25 km): 25 mins

Upon arrival to Sandakan Airport, meet with a private guide and driver and transfer to the hotel in Sepilok. There are plenty of optional activities available, depending on the arrival time, which can be added to the itinerary as requested.

Overnight at Sepilok Forest Edge

Inclusions:

🍗 Dinner

Breakfast 

Start your day visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Reserve for an informative video presentation about the aims and achievements of this award-winning rehabilitation centre. At 10:00 the first feeding of the day occurs. The boardwalks will be crowded, so arrive early to get the best vantage point. After the first feed, walk to the adjacent Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. This centre was established in 2008 to provide rehabilitation to rescued sun bears and increase awareness of the plight of these wonderful creatures.

Afterwards, take some time to wander the centre at leisure. Soak up its lush tropical surroundings or learn more about the centre’s conservation efforts and the wildlife it protects.  

Enjoy a sumptuous lunch before visiting the interesting and educational Rainforest Discovery Centre. 

Aside from the Plant Discovery Walk, which features herbs and plants used in traditional medicines, the highlight is a 347-meter-long 87-meter-tall canopy walkway. Nestled high in the rainforest canopy, this walk provides a great opportunity to spot some of the 250-300 bird species that call the area home. With a bit of luck, it’s even possible to see a wild orangutan.

The rest of the afternoon is free to spend at leisure. Either return to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre for the 1500 feeding or relax at the hotel.

Dinner at leisure

Overnight at Sepilok Forest Edge

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Sepilok to Sandakan Pier (27km) 40 min Boat to Sukau 2 hours 30 min (Join in basis) Cruise times: PM – 16:00 (Join in Basis) Cruise duration will depend on wildlife spotting: approx. 2 hours

08:30 Meet and your driver and guide and leave to Sandakan.

On arrival to Sandakan walk to the Sandakan Memorial Park. Adjacent to the site of the original Sandakan Prisoner of War (POW) Camp, the park commemorates the sacrifice and suffering endured by both Australian and British soldiers who were held as prisoners by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945. 

Visit the Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple, located on a steep hilltop that affords magnificent views overlooking Sandakan Bay and the town centre. 

Visit the Agnes Keith house, an old British colonial government quarter, which was once occupied by famous American writer, Agnes Newton Keith, who penned Land Below The Wind in 1939. Today the house has turned into a heritage house, providing interesting insights to life during British North Borneo. It is furnished with a reproduction of colonial furniture and antiques. A gallery on the first floor tells the story of this remarkable woman, her books and her family.

Agnes Keith was the author of three famous books, ‘Land Below the Wind’, ‘Three Came Home’ and ‘White Man Returns’ – semi autobiographical accounts of her life in Borneo in the mid-20th Century, when her husband Harry was the first conservator of the Forestry Department in Sabah. 

Stop at the nearby English Tea House for more spectacular views of Sandakan and take lunch here. Located in the grounds of the Agnes Keith house, experience the lush greenery and cool breezes while you enjoy spectacular views of the town and bay.

Continue to the Sandakan Pier (Boat departs at 13:30) for a two and a half-hour journey by boat along the longest river in Borneo. With eight species of hornbill, Bornean pygmy elephants, over 300 bird species and a whopping ten species of primates, this area’s biodiversity is among the finest in the world. After arriving in the afternoon, check into the chalet and take some time to relax. 

In the evening, meander along the Kinabatangan River alongside a local guide who will point out some of the area’s nocturnal inhabitants as they descend from their hiding places high in the trees.  Afterwards, return to the resort and enjoy dinner before meeting the resort’s in-house naturalist for an informative talk and presentation on the river and the species found around it. 

Please Note: Boat Transfer into Sukau Rainforest Lodge is only available if Deluxe Villa is booked. For Superior Room a 2-hour land transfer will be provided from Sandakan.

Overnight at Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Cruise times: AM – 06:30, PM – 16:00. (Join in Basis) Cruise duration will depend on wildlife spotting: approx. 2 hours

Rise early with the birds early in the morning and head out for a cruise to Kelenanap Oxbow Lake. This crescent-shaped lake was created when the meandering path of the main river strayed so far that its loop got cut off from the main tributary.The stillness of the lake and its relative protection provides a haven for animals and plants that is unique from the nearby river ecosystem.

Return to the resort for breakfast before taking an informative tour along the Hornbill Boardwalk, with the resort’s naturalist, offering fascinating insight into the medicinal and traditional uses of the jungle flora.

The rest of the day is at leisure before heading out in the late afternoon to watch the river activities of local primates. The afternoon is a particularly great time to spot wildlife, and the light is perfect for photography.

Return to the resort for dinner and spend the rest of the evening at leisure.

Overnight at Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Sukau to Gomantong Caves (105km) 2 hours Gomantong Caves to Lahad Datu (111 km) 2 hours Lahad Datu to Danum Valley (100km) 3 hours (bumpy unsealed road)

After breakfast, depart the resort for a 50-minute journey to the intricate limestone system of the Gomantong Caves. After walking about 10 minutes, reach two main accessible caves – Black & White Caves. Within these caves the ancient tradition of collecting of solidified swiftlet saliva for ‘Birds Nest Soup’ is still carried out, although under strict licensing and on sustainable terms. The area surrounding the caves is thick rainforest, where, on occasions, wild orangutans can be seen. This area is also home to around two million bats and the lurking, opportunistic bat hawk.

After returning to the vehicle, continue along the main highway for around 110km to Lahad Datu for lunch before the last leg of the journey into the thick virgin rainforest area of Danum Valley – one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. Around 30km of this 85km journey is on sealed roads, and the last two hours are along a gravel road – so expect a bumpy but interesting ride!

12:00 On arrival at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, check in late afternoon prepare yourself for an introduction to our nature activity for the day. Nature activities introduction includes guided nature trails, Canopy Walkway - 360m in length and 27m, high up in the 130-million-year-old rainforest which is literally humming with jungle sounds.

After dinner, board one of the open-top 4WD vehicles for an exhilarating night spotlighting tour. Accompanied by a local guide who shines a light into the jungle looking for nocturnal animals, spot  a range of nocturnal animals that inhabit reserve, from samba deer to civet cats, leopards, and a stunning array of insects and frogs.

Afterwards, return to the chalet.

Overnight at Rainforest Lodge.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

The morning chorus of the jungle is a cacophony of sounds ranging from birds to primates, such as the gibbon. Taking a packed breakfast, travel to a 200 year-old Kadazandusun Burial Site, known as “Coffin Cliff”, along the 2.6km Viewpoint Trail. The end of this trail results in spectacular views over an ocean-like million-year-old jungle – a truly spectacular sight. The return journey includes a trip to waterfalls for a refreshing dip in the Jacuzzi Pool – with the added benefit of nibbling fish!

Return to the resort for lunch.

The rest of the afternoon is at leisure; however there is a range of optional activities available, such as private trekking, tubing on the Danum River and specialised guided tours. There is also a series of tracks leading around the Canopy Walk are free to discover at will.

Dinner at leisure

This evening, venture into the jungle on foot with a local guide. Quietly entering the jungle reveals a stunning array of wildlife, not to mention the variety and size of the many insects that flourish in the evening hours.

Overnight in Danum Valley

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Distances and journey time Danum Valley to Lahad Datu Airport (96km) 3 hours (Join in Basis) Flight Lahad Datu to Kota Kinabalu 55 min Kota Kinabalu Airport to Jetty(10km) 20 min Boat to Resort around 20 min Airport to hotel (10km) 20 min

In the morning take an optional trek (additional charges apply) along the jungle trails before returning to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, transfer to Lahad Datu Airport for the flight to Kota Kinabalu. For those who choose not to take part in the optional trek, they will depart from the lodge after an early breakfast for an earlier flight to Kota Kinabalu and lunch will be in Lahad Datu.

Upon arrival in Kota Kinabalu, or ‘KK’ as it is affectionately referred to, meet the driver and be transferred to the Jesselton Jetty for a speed boat transfer to Gaya Island.

Overnight at Bunga Raya Resort

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Spend the day at leisure, enjoying the beach or swimming in the clear blue waters. Take a snorkel and enjoy the marine life or simply relax by the pool. 

Overnight at Bunga Raya Island Resort and Spa

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

Spend the day at leisure, enjoying the beach or swimming in the clear blue waters. Take a snorkel and enjoy the marine life or simply relax by the pool.

Overnight at Bunga Raya Island Resort and Spa

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Boat to Pier around 20 min Pier to Airport (7km) 25 min

09:00 or 11:00 Check out and Depart Palau Gaya for a 20-minute boat transfer back to Kota Kinabalu hotel/airport.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast