Wild Borneo: Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, Hornbills and Pittas

Tour Date:

Oct 9-13, 2023 (Pre-tour Oct 5-8 Mount Kinabalu).

Tour Price (Per Person):

$3450 per person. Price includes flights from Kota Kinabalu and expert guiding.  Minimum 2 participants and a maximum of 6. Note that we plan to stay at exclusive and quite expensive Borneo Rainforest Lodge, which makes the price well over that of our average tours. 
Single supplement:  $360 

Tour Type:

Easy birding and wildlife

Description

Rhinoceros Hornbill

For centuries after it became known to western explorers Borneo has struck the imagination of travel adventurers. The world’s third largest island [Asia’s largest] is the location of one of the world’s oldest rainforests known, being estimated at being about 140 million years old. It should be no surprise then that Borneo has a remarkable diversity of fauna and flora of which many species are rare or endemic to the island.

Borneo is a nature lover’s paradise boasting 288 species of terrestrial and 91 species of marine mammals; 685 bird species, of which 48 are endemic and sadly 46 species considered threatened or endangered. For the botanists, the island is almost indescribable for its variety of flora especially the carnivorous pitcher plants Nepenthes, Rafflesia which is the largest flowering plant on earth and a large number of orchids.

The main tour begins with an early morning arrival to Kota Kinabalu airport June 10 and transfer to Lahad Datu and a drive to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. The following day will be spent exploring the immediate surrounds interacting with Orangutans and birding..

The next day you’d be leaving at noon for Kinabatangan River via the Gomantong Caves for bats and edible nest swifts, staying at a river lodge. Most of day on the Kinabatangan River. Look for Proboscis and other monkeys and 8 species of hornbills

The following afternoon you shall continue by road to Rain Forest Discovery Centre. Getting the last sunset in one of the towers trying for Bornean Bristlehead,  an endemic bird family in Borneo. At night we take an exciting night excursion with one of our rangers.

The next day you have another morning at Rain Forest Discovery Center before taking an early afternoon flight to Kota Kinabalu for your flight to your next destination

DETAILED ITINERARY

  • Day 1: Fly in early morning Kota Kinabalu-Lahad Datu : MH3010 ETD 0610 ETA 0705  Transfer to Borneo Rainforest Lodge
  • Day 2: Borneo Rainforest Lodge Birding and mammal watching all day. 
  • Day 3: Morning Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Leave at noon for Kinabatangan River via the Gomantong Caves. Lodge on the River.  
  • Day 4: Most of day on the Kinabatangan River. Look for Bornean Pygmy Elephant, Proboscis and other monkeys and 8 species of Hornbills. In the afternoon we continue by road to Rain Forest Discovery Center. Getting the last sunset in one of the towers hoping for Bornean Bristlehead – endemic bird family in Borneo. At night we do an exciting night excursion with one of our rangers. 
  • Day 5: Most of morning at the Rain Forest Discovery Center, then flight to Kinabalu  13:10 

Pre-tour, Mount Kinabalu

Day 1. Arrive Kota Kinabalu. We stay in Kota Kinabalu.
Day 2. Full day Birding at Kinabalu park.
Day 3. Full day Birding at Kinabalu park.The accommodation outside the park will at Cottage
Day 4. At 0500 am drive to Rafflesia center at Crocker Range. About 2 and half hours drive. Birding there most of the day and hopefully seeing a gigantic Rafflesia flower in bloom (a plant that should be on everyone’s bucket list). There are few endemic species which are difficult at Kinabalu park Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul and Cinereous Bulbul.
This place is also back up for some species like Whitehead’s Spiderhunter and others.
We return to Kota Kinabalu for an overnight stay. The following day the main lowland section of the Borneo trip starts with the flight to Lahad Datu.

Price of pre trip is $1100 including food, hotels and airport transfers on day 1 and 5.  

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