Enjoy challenging hiking in an aery realm of grand glacial cirques, crystalline lakes, snow-capped summits, mighty waterfalls, and magnificent beech forests. Along the way we fuel our hikes with hearty mountain fare from cassoulet to Roquefort cheeses.
Reefs and Rainforests of Borneo
Orangutans, Bat Caves and Snorkeling the Coral Triangle
This itinerary is no longer available
We may run this trip again in the future, please contact us if you are interested.Borneo, the world’s third largest island, is a wildly remote realm of emerald forests filled with exotic and rare wildlife. Surrounding this lush and wondrous island are crystal-clear seas where the Indian and Pacific Oceans overlap to create the Coral Triangle, with its renowned diversity of marine species. We explore Borneo by land and sea, first snorkeling the reefs of Sandakan Island, then heading deep into the jungled interior to meet Borneo’s charismatic native primate, the orangutan, and boat the canopy-covered tributaries of the Kinabatangan River. Our grand finale is gorgeous Mabul Island, where we snorkel the legendary reefs of Sipadan. Our accommodations, from airy beach bungalows to Malay-style stilt lodges, keep us comfortable as we explore this fascinating land.
Highlights
- World-class snorkeling on legendary reefs of the Coral Triangle
- Wildlife including orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and other rare Asiatic apes
- Nature walks and canoe excursions in vast, undisturbed rainforests
Details
- 15-day trip begins and ends in Kota Kinabalu
- 14 nights in wildlife lodges and island resorts
- All meals included
- Snorkeling, easy to moderate nature hikes, 2-5 hours a day
Suggested Reading
Reading list, click here.
Itinerary at a Glance
Days 1-4
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia / Sandakan / Lankayan Island
From Sandakan, we boat to Lankayan, a tiny tropical island of white-sand beaches with a rainforest interior. Surrounded by a protected marine reserve, Lankayan offers amazing snorkeling, including big marine life such as leopard sharks, marbled reef rays, lionfish, harlequin ghost pipefish, and giant grouper. We have this island to ourselves, with overnights in chalets at the island’s resort.
Days 5-7
Turtle Island / Orangutans at Sepilok / Kinabatangan River Basin
Turtle Island is a remote sanctuary for endangered green sea turtles. On our overnight stay, we witness the nighttime spectacle of these huge turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs under the starry skies. After we visit the famed Sepilok Rehabilitation Center for up-close encounters with orphaned orangutans who live a semi-wild existence here, we head to the Kinabatangan River. This great river flows into one of the largest forest-covered floodplains in Malaysia. Here giant water monitors stalk the shores, lizards bask in overhanging branches, and endemic and enigmatic proboscis monkeys leap from tree to tree. The amazing birdlife includes five species of giant hornbills, who share the skies with long-necked snake birds and the impressive Storm’s stork. We explore small tributaries from a motorized canoe for up-close inspection of some of Borneo’s most unforgettable wildlife and set out for nighttime river cruises, with overnights at a rainforest lodge.
Days 8-10
Danum River Valley
After a visit to the enormous Gomantong Caves, home to thousands of bats and cave-nesting swiftlets, we head to the lush Danum River Valley. In this undisturbed realm of lowland wilderness, we hike to waterfalls, explore the forest for birds, and swim in refreshing rock pools. In the evenings, we can go spotlighting to view nocturnal animals. Our lodge fronts 200 square miles of protected rainforest.
Days 11-15
Mabul Island / Sipadan
From Mabul Island, we snorkel the reefs of world-renowned Sipadan Island. This dormant volcanic island rises nearly 2,000 feet from the seabed and attracts an unimaginable collection of marine creatures. The sight of 20 turtles on a single snorkeling outing is not uncommon, while barracuda and big-eyed trevalley gather in schools of thousands, swirling like a living tornado. Mantas, eagle rays, and scalloped hammerheads also attend this oceanic bounty. We explore Mabul’s reefs, from shallow sand patches to vertical walls, soaking up the treasures within this Coral Triangle of mega-diversity, and learn about its importance to global ecosystems. We depart via Kota Kinabalu on Day 15.
This is the Itinerary-at-a-Glance. For the complete trip description, Download Full Trip Brochure