Essential Borneo itinerary

Itinerary in brief:

• 2 nights Kota Kinabalu
• 1 night Sandakan
• 2 nights Kinabatangan
• 2 nights Danum Valley

Day 1: Arrive in Kota Kinabalu  

Once you land in Kota Kinabalu, you’ll be met by your private driver and taken to your hotel, where you will check in for your 2 night stay. Once you have had time to settle in and find your bearings, your driver and guide will meet you in your hotel lobby and take you on an afternoon tour focussing on traditional living in Borneo.

Day 2: Kinabalu Park and Rafflesia flowers  

After breakfast at your hotel, you’ll head off to Kinabalu Park, which is nominated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. Mount Kinabalu is located here, which is the highest mountain in Malaysia, and towers majestically at 4095 metres. From the Oak-Chestnut forest, you will proceed to the lowlands forest at Poring. Here you will get to cross a canopy walkway to view the epiphytes (a plant that grows upon another plant!) on the treetops. If time permits, you will then be able to take a dip in the Hot Springs where the sulphuric content of the natural springs are said to have therapeutic value.

You'll also head out to seek the exclusive Rafflesia, the world's largest flower. Your guide will bring you to known flower spots but sightings are not guaranteed. 

Day 3: Fly to Sandakan

Today after breakfast you will be picked up and taken to the airport to meet your flight to Sandakan. On the other side, you will be met at the airport and driven to your hotel to check in. In the afternoon, you'll visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre, nestled by a lake at the edge of Sepilok Forest. Explore the Plant Discovery Walk where you'll learn about medicinal plants and herbs, as well as the 87m high canopy walkway. It's a great place to look for birds and even spot the occasional wild orangutan. 

Day 4: Travel to the Kinabatangan River

This morning you'll visit the famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehab Centre, learning about the plight of these beautiful creatures and the ongoing efforts to protect them and their habitat. Walk along the boardwalks to watch the orangutans being fed as they climb through the trees before admiring the young ones in the nursery. After this, you'll visit hte Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre, to learn about the world's smallest bear. All the bears here have been rescued from poachers, with large areas of natural forest where they are able to be brough back to health. 

In the afternoon, you'll be taken to the jetty and begin along journey to the Kinabatangan River, spending two hours going past local villages and through lush rainforest on your way to the lodge. In the late afternoon, you'll head out to enjoy a cruise along the water, looking for the famous proboscis monkeys that are endemic to Borneo. Look out for pygmy elephants, hornbills and gibbons in the trees as you learn about the local flora and fauna. Settle into the comfortable lodge for two nights, before heading out for a mid evening stroll along the boardwalks looking for nocturnal animals. 

Day 5: Kinabatangan River 

Spend a day exploring this river ecosystem where tiny fishing communities live side by side with the unique wildlife. In the morning, you’ll cruise to the oxbow lake before continuing to the local village where the local Orang Sungai people make their home. You can learn about their daily activities before returning to the resort for lunch.

In the afternoon, you’ll enjoy another cruise through the mangroves, all the while keeping your eyes peeled for monkeys, birds and pygmy elephants. In the evening, you’ll take a night safari where you might even spot a firefly colony, found at certain points along the river.

Day 6: Kinabatangan to Danum Valley

After breakfast, you’ll travel to the Danum Valley, an area of virgin rainforest and one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. Much of the journey is on unsealed roads so it will be bumpy but well worth the effort once you arrive.

On arrival at the lodge, you will check in for two nights before enjoying a late afternoon walk along the trails and the 130-meter high canopy walk, high up in the rainforest. After dinner you’ll drive in one of the open top 4WD vehicles for a night spotlighting tour, where you could spot samba deer, clouded leopards and an array of colourful insects and frogs.

Day 7: Danum Valley

A morning chorus of birds, insects and monkeys will wake you early, ready for a morning hike along the View Point Trail to the morbidly fascinating Coffin Cliff - a 200-year-old local burial site where coffins dangle from the edge of the rocks. The end of the trail showcases spectacular views over an ocean of million-year-old jungle – truly one of the best sights in Borneo.

On the way back, you can enjoy a dip in the waterfalls before spending the afternoon at leisure in the lodge. You could head out on one of the optional activities like tubing on the Danum River, or simply relax in the lodge, taking in the fresh air and serenity. In the evening, you’ll take a nature walk in the forest to learn about the plants that thrive in this jungle ecosystem.

Day 8: Fly to Kota Kinabalu

After breakfast at the lodge, you’ll be driven to Lahad Datu Airport to catch a short flight back to Kota Kinabalu, before catching your onwards flight.