Authentic Borneo with Adventure World

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and explore at your own pace

Your guide will take you on a short walking tour of Kuching’s Old Quarter to introduce you to this charming city, its history, and people, all set along the Sarawak River. Explore traditional shops and noodle houses, modern coffee spots, and a Chinese community temple.

Cross the Sarawak River by traditional sampan to visit Fort Margherita, built in 1879 by Sarawak’s “White Rajah,” Charles Brooke. The fort now houses a museum. Nearby, wander the lively lanes of the Malay kampung beside the fort.

In the early afternoon, depart Kuching for a scenic drive through the countryside to the outskirts of Bau, a former gold mining town. Visit the historic town of Siniawan, once in decline but now revived by its residents. On weekend evenings (Fri -Sun), Siniawan’s timber shophouses host a bustling food market, offering a flavourful and atmospheric glimpse into its trading heritage.
 
Meals: Breakfast 

After breakfast, take a short drive to Bako fishing village. From there, continue by motorised boat for a 30-minute cruise along the tropical Sarawak coastline to reach Bako National Park.

As Sarawak’s oldest national park, Bako offers a great introduction to the region’s unique landscapes, habitats, and wildlife. Alongside the famous proboscis monkeys, look out for silvered langurs, bearded pigs, kingfishers, bee-eaters, and monitor lizards. Despite its small size, Bako features diverse vegetation accessible via an excellent trail network.
Enjoy a simple lunch at the park cafe before returning by boat to Bako village and then back to Kuching.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning transfer to the airport for a short flight north to Gunung Mulu National Park.

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the next two nights. 
After lunch, explore Mulu National Park via a 3.5km elevated boardwalk to Lang Cave, the longest cave passage in the world (2,161 metres long), which adjoins Deer Cave. Explore Lang Cave with its magnificent stalactites and stalagmites before proceeding to Deer Cave, where millions of free-tailed and other bat species roost. At dusk, witness the amazing spectacle of these bats streaming from the cave in formation to forage for insects in the rainforest at night. (Weather permitting, bats tend not to exit during rain).

In the evening you may wish to take a guided night walk to see luminescent fungi, fireflies, geckos, frogs and other nocturnal forest dwellers.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, accompanied by the jungle’s morning chorus, take a longboat ride up the Melinau River to explore two more of Mulu’s caves: Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. These caves are part of the Sarawak Chamber, the largest connected cave system in the world. If water levels are low, you can also reach them via a scenic 4km hike.

Explore the “King’s Room” before continuing to Clearwater Cave. Then, climb the steps carved into the hillside to enter Clearwater Cave and admire its stunning internal formations. Bring your swimwear, there’s a beautiful rainforest pool below the cave, perfect for a swim.
Return to the park headquarters by boat. This afternoon, you may want to try the canopy walkway.  Alternatively, enjoy leisure time or explore some of the self-guided walking trails in the national park.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, transfer to Mulu Airport for your short flight to Kota Kinabalu. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your city centre hotel. The afternoon is free to relax, explore the city’s shops and traditional cafes, or enjoy a seafood feast at the famous Filipino Market on the nearby waterfront this evening.  

Meals: Breakfast

This morning, drive to the nearby Mari Mari Cultural Village, set in the countryside outside Kota Kinabalu. The village serves as a living museum preserving Bornean ethnic culture, sharing its history, traditions, and way of life with visitors.

Enjoy a guided tour of traditional houses, watch a bamboo cooking demonstration, experience a blowpipe demonstration, and see traditional performances from various ethnic communities. After lunch, return to your city hotel. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, check out of your hotel and embark on a scenic journey into Borneo’s rugged interior. You will pass Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea, now a protected park and UNESCO World Heritage site.
Stop for lunch at Sabah Tea Plantation, one of Malaysia’s last certified organic tea estates. Take a short tour to learn about tea cultivation and harvesting, then enjoy lunch with sweeping valley views at the plantation’s restaurant.
Continue to nearby Poring Hot Springs, where you can relax in the hot tubs and pools (often busy with locals on weekends) or take the steep jungle walk to the canopy walkway, recommended for those with good fitness.
Overnight by the roaring river and jungle of Poring.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, after breakfast, depart Poring by car for the drive east toward Sandakan. This stretch of the Borneo highway is the longest drive of the trip. Upon arrival at Sepilok, there are no scheduled activities, so you can relax and enjoy the lush surroundings of your lodge, which adjoins the protected tropical forests of Sepilok Reserve.

Meals: Breakfast

This morning, take an early walk at the Rainforest Discovery Centre. This protected rainforest is home to a wide variety of wildlife and offers a rare chance to see canopy species at eye level. With some luck, you might spot giant squirrels, gibbons, hornbills, woodpeckers, and occasionally orangutans. Regardless of the animals seen, walking among the towering trees at canopy level is an unforgettable experience.

Next, visit the nearby Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Begin with an introductory video about the plight of orangutans and the centre’s ongoing rehabilitation efforts. Then take a short walk along wooden boardwalks through the rainforest to witness the supplementary feeding of rehabilitated orangutans.

Afterwards, stop at the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre to learn about the conservation of the world’s smallest bear. The centre currently houses over 30 rescued bears, with volunteer guides often available to help spot them in their large rainforest enclosures. The bears are being rehabilitated with the aim of eventual release into protected habitats, if their recovery is successful. Bears spend much of their time sleeping in trees, so sightings often involve resting animals.
Return to your lodge for a relaxing afternoon and evening.

Meals: Breakfast

This morning, you will be transferred toward Sandakan and the departure point for your boat transfer to your lodge on the Kinabatangan River. A vital refuge for a wide range of endemic Bornean animal and plant species, the Kinabatangan area offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Southeast Asia. After check-in and lunch at the lodge, head out to explore the surrounding forest and palm-fringed waterways by small boat.

Unique wildlife that may be spotted here includes the distinctive Proboscis Monkey, gibbons, leaf monkeys, otters, civets, and a dazzling array of birdlife: kingfishers, owls, eagles, and up to eight species of hornbill. Depending on the season and the fruiting of trees, you may also encounter a wild Bornean Orangutan or even a family of Bornean Pygmy Elephants.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, continue your search for wildlife with both morning and afternoon boat safaris along the river and its smaller rainforest-fringed tributaries. Between excursions, enjoy some time to relax at your lodge.

After dinner, you may wish to join a night walk or a night river safari in search of the Kinabatangan’s fascinating nocturnal wildlife. Possible sightings include the remarkable flying lemur, leopard cat, flying squirrels, geckoes, and more.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, take one last stroll along the lodge’s boardwalks before departing the Kinabatangan River by boat.

Upon arrival near Sandakan, you’ll be met by your driver and guide for a short tour of this historic coastal town. Begin with a visit to the Sandakan Memorial Park, located on the site of the former Sandakan POW Camp. The park commemorates the suffering and sacrifice of Australian and British soldiers held here as prisoners of war between 1942 and 1945.
Continue to the Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple, perched on a steep hilltop with sweeping views over Sandakan Bay and the town below.

End the tour at the Agnes Keith House, a restored British colonial-era bungalow once home to American author Agnes Newton Keith. Now a heritage site, it offers a glimpse into life during the British North Borneo period. Enjoy lunch at the adjacent English Tea House, with views across Sandakan and its surrounding tropical gardens.

After lunch, check in to your Sandakan hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast you will be transferred to Sandakan Airport for your onward flight.  

Meals: Breakfast