Real Borneo
Real Borneo
Real Borneo
10 Days Starting and ending in Kota Kinabalu
Visiting: Kota Kinabalu, Kiulu Village Trek , Kiulu Village Trek - Kundasang, Sepilok, Kinabatangan River, Usukan Cove
Tour operator:
Tour code:
TMYM
Specialist Group:
18-30 Somethings
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 16
Age range:
18-35 years
Tour operated in:
EnglishInterests:
Tour Overview
Travel across the biodiverse Sabah region, immersing yourself in nature and learning about the island’s Indigenous cultures on a 10-day journey through the seldom-travelled-to Borneo. From orangutan encounters and bamboo hut homestays to village trekking and sea snorkelling, you’ll find a nature lover’s paradise! Where else can you spot pygmy elephants on a riverbank one day and see proboscis monkeys the next (not to mention slow lorises, flying foxes and rescued sun bears). Treat yourself to this incredible trip in the shadow of rainforest-clad mountains, on the warm sands of islands and in the middle of the serene jungle.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Kota Kinabalu
Location: Kota Kinabalu
Accommodation: Hotel
Selamat datang! Welcome to Borneo. You’ll kick things off in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s state capital, with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive with time to spare, spend the day exploring this busy city’s bustling markets and learning about the region’s Indigenous cultures at the Sabah Museum. Kota Kinabalu has a great food scene, too, so tonight, maybe grab your new travel companions and eat dinner together at a local restaurant to get better acquainted – your leader will have the best recommendations.
Optional Activities:
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Day 2: Kiulu Village Trek
Location: Kiulu Village Trek
Accommodation: Bamboo Hut
Meals Included: lunch, dinner
This morning you’ll drive to Pukak in Kiulu Valley – a small area in Kiulu named after the bamboo that grows on the riverbanks. This will be the starting point of your trek to Kampung Ratau (Ratau Village), where you’ll spend the night among the locals. After your hike this afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in cultural activities – learn how to work with beads, join the group for some traditional fishing, take a cooking class to learn how to prepare the local food (which you’ll enjoy later for dinner) and take a Gong (musical instrument) class. In your traditional bamboo hut, you’ll fall asleep to the peaceful sounds of the village and its natural surroundings.
Included Activities:
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Day 3: Kiulu Village Trek - Kundasang
Location: Kiulu Village Trek - Kundasang
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
This morning, you’ll have breakfast in the village before continuing your trek through rural Kiulu, winding your way towards Lokub. When you arrive, you’ll be treated to a traditional cultural dance and Dusun martial art show over lunch. After, continue by private vehicle to Kundasang, which sits in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu. When you arrive, settle in for a well-deserved rest after your two-day trek or wander the peaceful town to explore the mountain views before dinner.
Included Activities:
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Day 4: Sepilok
Location: Sepilok
Accommodation: Jungle Lodge (dormitory room)
Meals Included: breaksfast
After breakfast, you’ll drive to Sepilok, on the border of a conserved rainforest and mangrove area known for the orangutan rehabilitation centre. This afternoon, you’ll visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Malaysia’s most educational nature park, which features a 620 m long, 28 m high canopy walkway with spectacular views of the giant rainforest trees. At dusk, you’ll meet up with a local ranger and take a guided walk around the grounds – this place comes alive after dark, and you’ll spot plenty of nocturnal birds overhead. Look out for slow lorises, tarsiers and flying squirrels, too! Tonight, you’ll stay in a jungle lodge among lush greenery and untouched nature.
Included Activities:
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Day 5: Kinabatangan River
Location: Kinabatangan River
Accommodation: Jungle Lodge (dormitory room)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
This morning, you'll visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and meet the world’s cutest redheads. These beautiful, quirky creatures will tug on your heartstrings as you watch them going about their daily business (eating bananas and hanging upside down). Swing by the nursery where young orangutans learn to climb on a specially constructed jungle gym and grab a selfie with them in the background if you can! Later, spend some time at the Sun Bear Conservation Centre, where staff rescue and take care of the once-mistreated sun bears with the hopes of rehabilitating and reintroducing them into the wild. Refuel with some lunch and then make the journey to tonight’s jungle lodge near the banks of the Kinabatangan River. When you’ve settled into your lodge, you’ll hit the water for a river cruise. Keep an eye out for wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys and maybe even a few pygmy elephants.
Included Activities:
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Day 6: Kinabatangan River
Location: Kinabatangan River
Accommodation: Jungle Lodge (dormitory room)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch, dinner
This morning, wake up to the sounds of the jungle and have some breakfast before setting out for your first of two included river cruises today. Keep your eyes peeled, and you might be lucky enough to spot short and long-tail macaques, a variety of birds, including hornbills and kingfishers, crocodiles or reptiles like snakes and frogs. After a spot of lunch, you’ll hit the water again and continue your search along the river’s waters for wildlife and jungle scenery. Tonight, take a night walk with your leader, looking for nocturnal birds, insects and other wildlife that come alive after sunset. You’ll have dinner together at your lodge.
Included Activities:
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Day 7: Usukan Cove
Location: Usukan Cove
Accommodation: Guesthouse (multi-share)
Meals Included: breaksfast, dinner
After breakfast this morning, leave your jungle oasis and embark on the overland journey to the West Coast of Sabah. This is a long drive, so have your favourite book or travel games ready. Arrive at Usukan Cove – a bay area on the coast of Kota Belud. You’ll spend the night in a lodge, nestled on one of the eight beaches within the cove. Maybe catch the sunset before tonight’s group dinner.
Day 8: Usukan Cove
Location: Usukan Cove
Accommodation: Guesthouse (multi-share)
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
This morning, fuel up on breakfast and embark on a day trip to Pandan Pandan Island for a day of snorkelling. When you arrive on the small island, head out on your first snorkelling adventure from the beach and spot colourful fish, sea turtles and sting rays. Your second snorkel will be from the pontoon to get another chance to spot the gorgeous corals and diverse marine wildlife under the water’s edge. Stop at another beach for a group lunch to refuel and then this afternoon, you can relax at the beach and soak in the sun. If you like, you can also head out for another beach snorkelling adventure, before travelling back to your guesthouse in the late afternoon.
Included Activities:
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Day 9: Kota Kinabalu
Location: Kota Kinabalu
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Drag yourself away from the island this morning and make the drive back to Kota Kinabalu. The afternoon's free for you to check out some optional activities – maybe take an interactive and educational visit to Koisaan Cultural Village to see how Indigenous ethnic groups of Borneo used to live. Tonight, maybe head out with your new mates and mark the end of your adventure with a group dinner. Your leader will have some great recommendations for where to go on the waterfront. The nightlife here is also worth exploring, so maybe after dinner go bar hopping and soak up the city after dusk.
Optional Activities:
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Day 10: Kota Kinabalu
Location: Kota Kinabalu
Meals Included: breaksfast
There are no activities today and your Borneo adventure will come to an end. If you’d like to stay longer, just speak to your booking agent.
Optional Activities:
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What's Included
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Accommodation
Hotel (3 nights), Bamboo Hut (1 night), Jungle Lodge (dormitory room) (3 nights), Guesthouse (Multi-share) (2 nights) -
Kiulu - Cooking Class
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Kiulu - Village Trek (2 days / 1 night)
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Kiulu - Cultural Activities
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Kiulu - Dusun Martial Art Show
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Sepilok - Night Walk at Rainforest Discovery Centre
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Sepilok - Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
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Sepilok - Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
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Kinabatangan River - Afternoon Wildlife Cruise
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Kinabatangan River - Night Jungle Walk
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Kinabatangan River - Morning Wildlife Cruise
What's Not Included
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Insurance
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International Travel
Transport
- Private vehicle , Boat
Accommodation
- OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
- The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.
- TWIN SHARE / MULTI SHARE BASIS
- Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on a different Intrepid trip than your own.
- CHECK-IN TIME
- Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.
- PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
- If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.
- Please note some of the multishare/dormitory accommodation can be mixed gender.
Important Information
- 1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement is only available on Days 1 and 9 and is subject to availability. All other nights you’ll be in shared accommodation. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
- 2. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest information on travelling in Eastern Sabah before your departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all areas of your itinerary. Further information can be found in our "Safety" section of the Essential Trip Information. You can find links to prominent government travel advisories our Travel Alerts page https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/travel-alerts
Mode of Transport
- Private vehicle , Boat
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
Accommodation on this trip is on a multi-share/twin basis. Solo travellers will share a room with other travellers of the same gender. You’ll get the chance to stay in a variety of accommodation on this trip, from village huts and jungle lodges to hostels and hotels. It can be basic, but it’s always comfortable. A single supplement is only available on the hotel nights in Kota Kinabalu.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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Free Date Changes
Intrepid Travel allows you to make 10 free date changes, as long as the change is made at least 56 days before the start of the tour.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Intrepid Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform intrepid travel, 56 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Intrepid Travel requires a minimum deposit of 400 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of intrepid travel charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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