Best of Borneo
- A walking and touring adventure in Sarawak and Sabah
- Climb Kinabalu, SE Asia`s highest peak
- Mulu and walking the `Headhunters Trail`
- Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary
- Overnight in a jungle lodge on the Kinabatang River
This great adventure starts out with a visit to the Mulu National Park, deep within the rainforest of north-eastern Sarawak. Trekking on jungle trails and travelling by longboat on the many rivers, we explore some of the world's largest caves and climb above the forest canopy to a spectacular viewpoint amongst soaring limestone pinnacles. We then trek northwards on the 'Headhunters Trail', stopping off at the villages and longhouses of the Iban people. From Kota Kinabalu in the adjacent state of Sabah, a short flight takes us to Sandakan, where we visit the orang-utan sanctuary at Sepilok and enjoy 2 nights at a jungle lodge on the Kinabatang River in an area rich in wildlife. Returning via the hot springs at Poring to the foot of Kinabalu (4101m), we make a 2-day ascent of this challenging peak whose bare upper slopes command memorable views across the South China Sea to the Philippines. This is Borneo at its best!
Is this holiday for you?
The first trekking element on this trip is the 4-day exploration of the Gunung Mulu National Park. Although this is at low level, there is one tough day, as we climb to the viewpoint for the Mulu Pinnacles. You will also need to be prepared for hot conditions and for at times testing underfoot conditions. We will be mostly walking on tracks and trails between villages. There will be rutted, muddy roads and slippery hunters tracks through the forest. The slippery and sometimes sharp limestone rock encountered on the ascent to the Mulu Pinnacles is particularly testing. There are also river crossings, some of them on tree trunk bridges. We have a couple of hours walking on our first day at Mulu, 2 to 3 hours on the second, 6 to 7 hours on the third and 4 to 5 hours on the final day in this area. Two days are set aside for the ascent of Mount Kinabalu. This is a tough undertaking and involves approximately 2200 metres of ascent and descent via the same route. The path is well maintained in places and has countless steps. It can be slippery low down in the forest and after rain. High up on the route, there are sections of bare rock slabs, with some fixed rope handrails. The route is never very steep or exposed. Overall, we have graded this trip at the upper end of our MODERATE grade on account of the remote trekking and the quite tough ascent of Kinabalu.
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