Holiday Breakdown

Day 1

Sepilok

On your arrival into Sandakan you will be met at the airport and transferred to the nearby Sepilok Nature Resort, if you arrive in the morning or afternoon there are no scheduled activities until after dark, but you can speak to the driver / guide and see if you can arrange a visit to Sepilok if you wish.

Then after dark you will be taken on a guided spotlighting walk around Sepilok, which would be the best chance of seeing a western tarsier on the trip, as well as other cool nocturnal mammals which are found in the Bornean forests.

Day 2

Sepilok / Deramakot Forest Reserve

This morning we will depart after breakfast from the Sepilok to one of the best wildlife watching locations in the whole of Asia; the famous Deramakot Forest Reserve. This 55,000 hectare reserve is home to many of Borneo’s large and iconic species including elephants, orangutans, Borneo gibbon, banteng and several elusive species which are seen here with more regularity than anywhere else in the world. It is these species which are the real highlight for us and our main targets when here. They are also largely nocturnal and so we will head out into the forest at night for extended drives.

This is to maximise our chances of seeing the wonderful Sunda clouded leopard, sun bear and marbled cat, but along with these species several other rare species have been seen here such as Sunda colugo, Sunda pangolin, banded linsang among other incredible and rare species.

Days 3-9

Deramakot Forest Reserve

For the next seven full days we will become as nocturnal as our targeted species and spend the days rested and walking around the accommodation complex (there are many bird species that can be seen around here) and then after dinner at night we will explore the forest.

The reserve here is mature secondary and primary lowland rainforest, the large reserve is bordered with another, equally large, protected forest. Along with the incredible array of wildlife known from here and the apparently easy-going clouded leopards that live here the best part of visiting Deramakot is that there are not as many regulations as in other protected forests in Borneo and so we are largely free to explore at our own pace. As a result we will undertake extensive drives every night, often until late into the night, or starting in the middle of the night and heading out into the early morning, in the hope of seeing the forests charismatic wildlife. Along with the targeted cat species we will hopefully see more common species such as various civets, various flying squirrels and maybe even the rare sun bear.

As well as the incredible list of mammals here the forest is also full of birds and boasts list of over 250 species; with luck it is possible to see 70 or 80 species in a day including many Borneo specialties. Some of the birding highlights here might include great argus and crested fireback pheasants, great-billed heron, large green, thick-billed and little green pigeons, giant, banded, blue-headed and black-headed pittas, white-fronted falconet, various leafbirds, various hornbills, various malkohas and trogons.

A good deal of flexibility is needed on this section of the trip as our local expert guides will dictate the best ways and the best times for us to head into the forest to search for wildlife and this is decided on a day to day basis. After 8 long-nights or spotlighting and hopefully many successful sightings we hope to have a good few sightings before we head to our next location tomorrow.

Day 10

Sukau / Kinabatangan River

This morning we will leave Deramakot after breakfast and then depart towards the village of Sakau along the banks of the Kinabatangan River. On our arrival we will check in and then have lunch. Afterwards we will be taken on the river for our first river cruise / safari.

The longest river in Sabah, Kinabatangan River measures 560 km from its headwaters in the Crocker Range of southwest Sabah to its outlet at the Sulu Sea on the East coast of Sabah and according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Kinabatangan wildlife sanctuary is one of only two known places on Earth where 10 primate species can be found living wild. The enigmatic Bornean orangutan and the curious looking proboscis monkeys are the two most sought after primate species here however the ubiquitous long-tailed (or crab-eating) macaque is the most common.

Other than the primates mammals are well represented here however most species are nocturnal or very elusive. The largest inhabitants are Borneo’s own endemic sub-species of Asiatic elephant (the Borneo pygmy elephant) which we will try to see and the incredibly rare and nearly mythical Sumatran rhino.

Another fairly common and large inhabitant here is the largest reptile in the world, the saltwater crocodile. This part of the river traces through lowland forest and mangrove swamps near the coast provide sanctuary for them.

With all these diversity going around, it is no wonder Kinabatangan wildlife sanctuary is the best destination to get close-up and discover its remarkable wildlife and fascinating habitats. Bird watchers usually find the Kinabatangan simply incredible while they spot incredible bird species from the famous Borneo’s hornbills to the rare Storms storks.

After our first trip this afternoon we will return to the camp for dinner and then after dark head out again in search of semi aquatic flat-headed cat. There are some tributaries and sections of the main river in which it may be possible to see flat-headed cats. We will have a spotlight and search the river banks, here we will probably see the glowing eyes of the crocodiles as they watch from the riverbanks and hopefully spot flat-headed cats and other elusive species such as otter civets. We will return to the camp for the night after a hopefully successful search.

Day 11

Sukau / Kinabatangan River

Today is a full day to explore the forest and river around the lodge further and of course after dark we will head out on our second and final specific search for the flat-headed cat.

Days 12

Gomantong Cave / Tabin Wildlife Sanctuary

This morning we will depart after breakfast from the Kinabatangan River and travel to Gomantong Cave (you may have done this on the way to Sauku from Deramakot instead of today); this is one of the world’s most famous caves and was immortalised in the BBC’s Planet Earth series due to the enormous mountain of guano and the millions of cockroaches and other invertebrates that live there. The forests around the caves are home to many species of wildlife including orangutans, in fact wild orangutans can possibly be seen throughout the entire trip we are taking, so it is always worth keeping an eye out for them in all of the forests. The cave is some 90m high and full of wildlife, alongside the innumerable invertebrates including the odd looking long-legged centipedes there are four species of swiftlet (white-nest, black-nest, mossy-nest and white-bellied) and around 27 species of bats (mostly wrinkle-lipped bats which number around 2 million in the cave). The black-nest swiftlets are the species whose nests are collected and eaten as a delicacy in China and South East Asia. The nest harvests are done sustainably now and the method for collecting them involves the locals having to climb high up into the caves on a network of rickety ladders and ropes. The nearly self-sufficient ecosystem inside the cave is completed with predators including bat hawks and pythons that feed on the bats and swiftlets as they come and go from the caves.

Please note that from 2022-23 the caves at Gomantong have been closed for maintenance, we do not know when they will open again, but if they are open we will visit.

From here you will continue towards Tabin Wildlife Sanctuary. Once we get to the sanctuary we will check in, and relax before heading out after dinner for some spotlighting.

After dinner we will have our first extended night drive and try and find some of the nocturnal mammals which are abundant here. With luck it is possible for Sunda clouded leopards, flat-headed cats and sun bears here but it is more likely that we will find various flying squirrels, several species of civets, yellow-throated martens, Philippine slow loris as well as reptiles and amphibians.

Days 13-14

Tabin Wildlife Sanctuary

For the next two full days we will explore Tabin further, we will in head out in the morning, afternoon and then after dark. We will trek along various trails, visit a watch tower and spend some time up there and wait for animals fly past, emerge from the forest and cross the road or climb along the canopy and into view. We will also drive the roads in search of as many species as we can find. In between our excursions into the forest we will return to the lodge for our meals and a little rest.

The exact itinerary of our daytime activities is variable and may change but we will have a morning and afternoon excursion into the forest on each full day here. Nestled within the rainforest beside the Lipad river, the resort is home to a surprising variety of birds, insects and small mammals, even right beside the buildings of the resort it is possible to see several species and discover the rich variety of jungle herbs, some endemic, used for generations by local folks for the treatment of various ailments.

In the afternoon we are likely to visit the active Lipad mud volcano which provides a mineral salt lick for wildlife.  After trekking through the rainforest for around 20 minutes, we arrive at the elevated bare area of the mud volcano which is frequented by wildlife (elephants, bearded pigs, sambar, muntjacs and other species) and birds. The adventurous among us can try the effects of the volcanic mud, said to be responsible for a fine complexion, by applying the mud to their skin. Trek back to the resort along elephant trail, which is a great way to experience the forest and spot elusive species that live in the dense forests here.

We will have one pre dawn drive included over this couple of days as well.

Once again our longer night drives here will give us the special edge in trying to find our elusive mammal species. It is always amazing to see that the vast majority of the wildlife seen in Tabin are found alongside the edge of the forest and the border with the palm oil plantation, many species enter the plantation to feed after dark and with the abundant rodent species in the plantation there are many Sunda leopard cats here, in fact Tabin is probably the best place in the world to see this species.

Days 15

Home

This morning we will have breakfast depart from Tabin to catch your return flight home. Your departure flight needs to be booked to leave from Lahad Datu and as it takes several hours to get back to the airport we recommend you book your departure flight for the afternoon.

Please note that the itinerary stated above is correct as our planned intentions for the tour. However adverse weather conditions and other local considerations can necessitate some modifications of the itinerary during the course of the tour; any changes will be made to make the best of the time and weather conditions available to us.

This tour is available on different date (subject to availability) please contact us for more details about running this tour on a date which suits you more.[/read_more]