World Wildlife Fund

Borneo Rain Forest Adventure

July 15 – 31, 2011

We’re pleased to be able to offer you another exceptional Borneo itinerary – one that’s slightly modified from our June 2011 tour. Our popular expedition continues to take you deep into the rain forest to look for such animals as the proboscis monkey, slow loris, barking deer, pig-tailed macaque and the huge flying fox bat, but we visit a few new places, too.

• Spend time at an extremely remote village called Abai, where you can opt to work side by side with villagers to plant trees in areas impacted by deforestation. 
• Snorkel at bustling coral reefs around Mabul Island and search for turtles, reef sharks and tropical fish. 
• Stay overnight in a stunningly situated water bungalow.
• Visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, where orphaned orangutans are conditioned to return to the wild.
• Explore the Kinabatangan River and the Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Trip Itinerary

Friday – Sunday, July 15 – 17, 2011 USA / Kota Kinabalu, Borneo
Depart the United States Friday evening. You’ll cross the International Date Line and “lose” a day, arriving Sunday morning in Kota Kinabalu. Check into your resort on the South China Sea. In the afternoon, explore the city bird sanctuary, including a mangrove ecosystem supporting a colony of purple herons here. Enjoy a welcome dinner Sunday evening. Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort (D)

Monday, July 18 Sepilok
Rise early to catch a flight to Sandakan, where you’ll visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. During their daily feeding, orangutans interact in their natural habitat, providing unsurpassed photographic opportunities. Founded in 1964, the center was established to help orphaned orangutans learn how to live in the wild. Young ones are housed in the nurseries, and dozens of others live free in the protected forests surrounding the center.

Other protected animals brought here include Malay sun bears, baby elephants, wild cats and even crocodiles. There will be some time to relax and enjoy lunch before observing the afternoon feeding. Afterwards, tour the Rainforest Discovery Center and enjoy a canopy walk. This evening go for a night time boardwalk safari. Sepilok Nature Resort (B,L,D)

Tuesday, July 19 Sepilok / Abai
Return to the sanctuary for the orangutans’ morning feeding before embarking a riverboat to travel along the mangrove forests of the lower Kinabatangan River delta in search of proboscis monkeys, birds and reptiles. Our destination is a remote jungle lodge, where you can stroll along belian hardwood walkways and search for silvered, maroon and hose langurs and perhaps even wild orangutans in the trees just steps away from your comfortable guest room. Round out the day with further explorations on the river, including a night cruise along mangroves often filled with fireflies that put on a dazzling show. Abai Jungle Lodge (B,L,D)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Abai / Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
Take an early morning bird and wildlife outing at a nearby oxbow lake before breakfast. You’ll then have the option of helping villagers plant trees in an area known for agriculturally driven deforestation. In the afternoon, continue by riverboat to the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, which protects the highest concentration of orangutans in all of Malaysia. It is also home to endangered proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, leaf monkeys, and gibbons. Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge (B,L,D)

Thursday & Friday, July 21 & 22 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
Several WWF-supported studies have taken place in the sanctuary, including the Kinabatangan Orangutan Research project and several conservation efforts protecting Asian elephants and Sumatran rhinos. It is home to the highest concentration of orangutans in Malaysia.

During two days of forest outings, look for proboscis monkeys, leaf monkeys, gibbons and pigtailed macaques. Visit Ox-Bow Lake to search for hairy-nosed otters, tortoises and freshwater terrapins. Head upriver in small boats with local guides in search of long-tailed macaques, monitor lizards, crested serpent eagles, blue-eared kingfishers and rare Storm’s storks. And venture out at night with your guide in search of the western tarsier and slow loris. Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge (B,L,D daily)

Saturday, July 23 Gomantong Caves & Danum Valley
Drive in the morning to the Gomantong Caves. These tall caves provide habitat for nesting swiftlets, and the surrounding area is a haven for many bird species, including bat hawks and peregrine falcons. As Sabah’s largest protected lowland forest, the Danum Valley Conservation Area is 108,230 acres of virgin rain forest. It’s estimated to be more than 100 million years old and thus is considered the world’s oldest. Designed for wildlife observation, the lodge offers large, open public spaces, well-marked nature trails, a canopy walkway for tree-level viewing and an outstanding team of naturalists and guides. Borneo Rainforest Lodge (B,L,D)

Sunday – Tuesday, July 24 – 26 Danum Valley
For the next three days, discover the undisturbed forests of this incredible valley during guided nature walks, evening treks and night drives using spotlights. At least 110 species of mammals – including orangutans, Asian elephants, gibbons, loris, giant flying squirrels, Malayan sun bears, bearded pigs and yellow barking deer – live here. The forest is also home to 275 species of birds, including crested fireback pheasants and rhinoceros hornbills, and some of the world’s biggest butterflies and moths. The valley supports one of the largest remaining populations of wild orangutans, which expert trackers from our lodge will help us find.

Discover the canopy along a walkway suspended 150 feet above the forest floor. Take a short hike to a gorgeous waterfall and swimming hole. Or go on a more challenging trek to the ancient Kadazan- Dusan burial grounds in the cliffs high above the lodge. Borneo Rainforest Lodge (B,L,D daily)

Wednesday – Friday, July 27 – 29 Mabul Island
On Wednesday, drive approximately five hours to Semporna, where you’ll board a speedboat for a 45-minute ride to Mabul Island. This coral island is surrounded by gently sloping reefs with depths reaching three to 35 meters. A spectacular, colorful wall houses hard corals such as staghorn, plate, boulder and table coral. Intriguing marine life species here include blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus, bobtail squid, harlequin shrimp, sea stars, boxer crabs and cuttlefish.

Neighboring Sipadan Island, meanwhile is only 15 minutes away, but it's a world apart in terms of marine life. Whereas Mabul hosts small species in abundance, Sipidan is home to schools of barracuda that travel in tornado-like formation, greenback and hawksbill turtles and manta rays. The two islands combined provide an unsurpassed snorkeling experience.

Depending on the daily snorkeling permits allotted by the local government, we will snorkel at Sipadan at least once and may also visit an equally abundant site in the area. Our schedule will remain flexible. Sipadan Water Village (B,L,D)

Saturday, July 30 Tawau / Kota Kinabalu
After breakfast return by boat to Semporna, then drive to Tawau to hop a flight back to Kota Kinabalu. The rest of the afternoon and evening are unscheduled to allow you time to explore Kota Kinabalu on your own. Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening. Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort (B,L,D)

Sunday, July 31 Depart
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home. (B)