Borneo Wildlife Trekking

[Safari Cal]

Hi @@kittykat23uk

 

It isn't cheap, unlike East Africa there are no resident's rates but you can pick up special offers now and again. Danum is the most expensive location to visit, the Kinabatangan less so. You have more chance of seeing Orang Utan on the Kinabatangan, and Elephants, Maroon and Silver Leaf Langurs as well as the Proboscis Monkey's.

 

What do you want the best opportunity to see?

 

If cost is an issue choose the Kinabatangan and Sepilok, it covers all the bases, although Gibbons aren't easy. In Danum if there's nothing in the area you have to trek trek trek, on the Kinabatangan, the boat operator twists the grip, heads along the river and finds something of interest; which is better when time is restricted. That makes a big difference.

 

Finally, I enjoyed visiting Sepilok, and will probably change my itinerary based on the recent influx of tourists to KK to spend my last night there instead of KK at Easter. Will you regret it if you don't go? Who knows, nothings guaranteed, but hey it's Borneo, wherever you go will be awesome and you'll never struggle to see something new and interesting.

[kittykat23uk]

What I want to see is such a rare sighting that I dare not mention it! But realistically, obviously orangutan, proboscis monkey, leopard cats, tarsir, anything small mammalesque, lots of colourful birds/unusual birds, especially things like broadbill, hornbills, trogons, pittas, that sort of thing and elephants.

[kittykat23uk]

Did you see any colugos (flying lemurs)?

[TonyQ]

@@laurab

Hi Laura - I have just looked at your gallery from this trip - great pictures - a good mix of insect/spiders, environment, gibbons and orang utan

Very enjoyable

[Safari Cal]

Hi @@kittykat23uk

 

No, never been that lucky, they are still on the list. We did get great views of both Red Giant Flying Squirrels as well as the Large Black Flying Squirrel though. A friend of Laura's, who lives in Singapore, had a Colugo land on a tree right beside her table while enjoying a drink... go figure!

[laurab]

Hi @@TonyQ

Thanks for taking a look at my pics. I am learning slowly under the careful watch of @safarical. The only way to get better is to go on loads more safaris I feel ).

In the process of booking a return trip to Borneo for next year. Really looking forward to using my macro lens especially. There really aren't enough good bugs in the CBD of Hong Kong Island.

[Safari Cal]

Breaking News......

 

 

We've just booked our trip to Sabah at Easter 2014:

 

1 night Kota Kinabalu

4 nights Danum Valley

2 nights Sukau, Kinabatangan

2 nights Abai, Kinabatangan

1 night Kota Kinabalu

 

Can't wait to get back in the rainforest

[Safari Cal]

 

Hi @@TonyQ

Thanks for taking a look at my pics. I am learning slowly under the careful watch of @safarical. The only way to get better is to go on loads more safaris I feel ).

 

 

Hi @@TonyQ,

 

@@laurab definitely doesn't need my help, she takes amazing photos all on her ownsome.

[kittykat23uk]

Sounds wonderful!

[Atravelynn]

In Part 2 you mention the Palm Oil plantations and abundant wildlife. That surprised me. Any observations or insight on these plantations?

 

I see safarichick asked the same thing and post #65 has the response.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Atravelynn

[Safari Cal]

@@kittykat23uk I so hope it's at least as good as our previous trips

 

@@Atravelynn It's strange but that interface between the two areas is fairly rich wildlife viewing habitat. But it is a disheartening view, knowing that it was once pristine rainforest!

[Atravelynn]

Maybe the open areas just allow you to see better. That palm oil is a destructive force. I try to avoid it but sometimes it is buried in the middle of the ingredients and I miss it.

[Safari Cal]

@@Atravelynn Palm oil is everywhere, its almost impossible to avoid it. I agree, it isn'y easy to spot being labelled as vegetable oil and contained in products you wouldn't even think to check.

 

Here's a good website you can use to check:

 

http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/palm-oil.php

 

I'm sure you'll probably know of it already or something similar.

[Atravelynn]

Thanks Cal. Your list is also a good reminder to me that it's time to make my annual donation to Orangutan Foundation International.

[SafariChick]

I just get so disheartened about the palm oil situation when I read reports like this one: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511803/Why-did-Baby-orangutan-looks-stumps-missing-fingers-sliced-machete-forest-clearances.html

[TonyQ]

@@Safari Cal (and @laurab)

We have ben revisiting this inspiring report and will be going to Borneo - but probably not until April 2015

I will put something in the trip planning section at a later date, but We have a few questions linked to your report if you don't mind!

 

We were looking at lodges on the Kinabatangan River - and some of the names are confusing.

You stay (and will stay again) at the Abai Lodge, and the Sakau Lodge. Do you know the actual name of the Sakau one as there appear to be a couple with very similar names?

What were your reasons for choosing these lodges over others? (Are you going back to the same ones?) Do you know anything about other lodges on the river?

 

Many thanks!

 

You are not going back to Tabin this year - is there a particular reason for that?

 

When you travelled from the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Danum Valley to Sakau, did you need a 4x4 for a transfer or is it doable in an ordinary car?

[Safari Cal]

Hi @@TonyQ, at Sukau we stay at the Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge, the reason is that the Naturalis wildlife guides and the lodge staff there are fantastic. We always use the same guides that work for ABC/Naturalis and have never been disappointed as they have eyes like hawks, so tuned into the environment it's almost unnatural what they can see. You're right though there are a few with very similar names and I'd hazard a guess that the standard is much the same across the board.

 

We do go back to the same lodges because they are recommended the company we use and Laura has been going there for quite a few years. At Abai, there is only the Abai Jungle Lodge, where Martin and Osa Johnson set up their Camp all those years ago. The food was basic on my first trip there but had improved significantly last year. I love this place as the boardwalk gives you a chance to see all sorts of animals and birds, and you can walk around it at night. We had incredible Orangutan sightings there last year.

 

We enjoyed Tabin, but we had the option of spending slightly longer in Danum and Sukau, so we chose to ditch it this time. It was a good visit last year, we saw plenty of birds and the Bornean Gibbon sightings were stunning, we couldn't believe how lucky we were. As well as which we saw Leopard Cats, Palm Civets, a Slow Loris and I lost count of the birds. But when it came to it, Laura and I both agreed that we'd rather spend more time in Danum and on the Kinabatangan on this trip. Danum offered so much last year but we didn't book our own guide and I felt we wasted our opportunities because our guide was trying to please everyone and everything was too rushed, so we intend to make the most of our time there this year with a private guide, if you can, book a deluxe cabin, it's so worth it for the views of the rainforest and the Blue Throated Bee-eaters, Spider-hunters etc.

 

The Kinabatangan River has been amazing on both our previous trips and on the ones Laura went on previous to that. I love the freedom that being on the boat gives you to move locations to find wildlife whilst the wind keeps you cool. It's just an incredible place and I can't ever imagine not wanting to go to the Kinabatangan River on a Borneo trip.

 

To get to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge you travel to Lahad Datu for 4x4 transfer to Danum; the transfer is normally early in the morning so we stay the night in KK and arrange a transfer to the airport for around 5am. The upside of this is that you get amazing views of Mount Kinabalu as you take off and circle round, make sure you have a camera handy.

 

The Borneo Rainforest Lodge office is on a street really close to the airport, the office for Tabin transfers is located just outside the airport terminal in the same building. When you use an agent all the transfers are arranged for you, and all I can say is we've never had a problem using Naturalis, everything has always gone smoothly. Could you get to Danum in a car? Probably you could in decent weather, but I'd recommend a 4x4 as it does rain a lot and the tracks can get slippy.

 

Are you thinking of self driving? I'm not sure that's possible to Danum, I think you have to be transferred by their drivers, but I would have to check.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

[Treepol]

@SafariCal and @@TonyQ I'm also looking at Sabah and Kalimantan in April 2015, maybe we can have a GTG?

 

We're thinking a river transfer from Sandakan to:

 

Abai Jungle Lodge (2 nights)

Sukau Rainforest Lodge (3 nights)

Borneo Rainforest Lodge (2 nights) then a flight from Lahad Dahu to

Sandakan (2 nights) for a visit to Sepilok and some R n R

Flight to Pontianek and on to Pangkalan Bun via Kuching

2 nights Rimba Eco-lodge for Tanjung Puting - day travel on a klotok

Not sure what else to include here, but at least another 3 days to make the flight to Kalimantan worthwhile.

 

If my mother decides not to join us, the itinerary will change a bit. Probably skip Sandakan and include an extra night at BRL. There is also an inland waterway that can be done from Pontianek to a town further along the coast, that could be worthwhile looking into.

 

All comments on the itinerary are very welcome.

 

[TonyQ]

@@Safari Cal

Thanks for the useful information about lodges - it is much clearer!

We will not drive ourselves - we were just considering different routes and what order to do places in.

When we get clser to an itinerary we will contact Luca and see how that goes.

We will also be intersted to hear how your trip goes this year!

@@Treepol

We haven't decided on dates yet but it would be good to meet for a meal or a drink if we are there at the same time!

 

We are thinking of a couple of lodges on the river (Probably the 2 cal mentions), probably 3 nights at Danum, and a visit to Sepilok

We will probably also visit KK and possibly Kuching as well. Your itinerary sounds interesting with a visit to the Indonesian part - presumably with a focus on Orang Utan?

[Safari Cal]

@@Treepol That's what we did in 2011, flew from KK across to Sandakan, we visited Sepilok and then transferred by boat to Abai and onwards. We also visited the Gomantong Cave which was interesting to say the least.

 

Your itinerary sounds fantastic, if you have the time available I'd recommend another night in Danum with private guide as it is an amazing place, but be prepared to trek, it isn't like the river where you just twist the grip and off you go along the river in search of the next sighting, it can be hard work on the trails. Take some good walking shoes/boots and leech socks - you can buy these in Borneo if needed.

 

I'm not sure where we're heading at Easter 2015 but you never know, we may head back to Borneo but we're both getting the urge to visit new places, Sri Lanka in the summer and fingers crossed for Myanmar at Christmas.

[Safari Cal]

@@TonyQ KK has gone the way of the Mara... here's what Luca said to us when we first contacted him about this years trip:

 

"Before working on your itinerary, I would like to have your opinion on this.

In Kota Kinabalu, there are no valid options for you guys. Especially now, because since June 2012, there are 2 daily charter flights from mainland China tourists. Noise and littering everywhere.

This is not a place for people like you :-) Before working on your itinerary, I would like to have your opinion on this."

 

We booked into the Tanjung Aru Resort in the end for our 2 nights in KK, as it is very close to airport and KK city centre. Luca says it's the perfect place for walking along the Tanjung Aru beach and has very nice cuisine available. Fingers crossed he's right.

 

[Safari Cal]

KK didn't seem to be too noisy or full of littering when we were there last Easter, what a difference a year makes!

 

I'm not sure about Sipadan  but I'm sure I've heard plenty of people talking about it on my previous visits so would guess it's opened up again. But that's just a guess

[Safari Cal]

Quote deleted at request of ex-member

 

It's probably time for you to head back and check it out after so many years, I'm sure adding in somewhere like Danum Valley would really make it a worthwhile trip. I've got to say, you were a well travelled young man going to Africa at 16, Borneo not long after. You've had some great adventures. How cool to have turtles hatching outside your bungalow, just incredible!

[Safari Cal]

Just found this about Sipadan Island:

 

Since 2005, there is no more overnight facilities in Sipadan Island in line with the conservation effort to maintain the special island in its natural condition. The nearest resorts and accommodation are now situated in Mabul and Kapalai Islands, which is just about 10~15 minutes boat ride to Sipadan.

 

Tawau Airport (arriving early if possible, otherwise you may have to stay overnight in Tawau hotels). Transfer to Semporna by van/ coach for approximately 1 ½ hours journey. Arrive in Semporna and proceed to Mabul/Kapalai Islands by boat for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour journey, depending on the sea or weather condition.

 

Diving in Sipadan is NOT guaranteed. Sipadan Entry Permit is based on APPROVAL from the Government Authority; in this case we are referring to SABAH PARKS and MKN (Majlis Keselamatan Negara).

 

ENTERING SIPADAN ISLAND, REQUIRE PERMIT AND MAY NOT BE APPROVED ON CERTAIN DAYS IF THE QUOTA EXCEEDED. APPROVAL IS ISSUED BY SABAH PARK ONE DAY BEFORE ENTERING THEREFORE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TELL/CONFIRM IN ADVANCE. THOSE GUEST THAT CAN DIVE IN SIPADAN WILL BE CHARGED CONSERVATION FEE OF RM 40.00 PER PERSON PER DAY, PAYABLE AT THE RESPECTIVE RESORTS. SIPADAN AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT ONLY ALLOWED 120 PERSONS PER DAY. THE RESPECTIVE RESORTS HOLD NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO DIVE EVERYDAY IN SIPADAN DUE TO CONSERVATION EFFORT DONE BY OUR GOVERNMENT. WE CAN ONLY TRY OUR BEST TO ARRANGE EVERY OF OUR GUESTS TO DIVE AT SIPADAN AT LEAST ONCE DURING THEIR STAY IN THE RESORTS.

[Treepol]

@TonyQ like you, our itinerary is a work in progress that won't be finalised until I'm back from Africa in September/October. The Kalimantan add-on is indeed focused on orang utans.

 

@@Safari Cal thanks for the advice, I still have quite a bit of planning to do. I am a bit worried about Mum and the heat at BRL (and I'm quite concerned about the leeches) - we'll see how the planning pans out.

 

If you do make it to Sri Lanka I will be very interested in your TR as this island is also on my shortlist.