Start your 8-day trip in Kota Kinabalu with a city tour and a visit to the night market. Relax on a coral island at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, exploring its coral reefs. Travel to the foothills of Mt. Kinabalu, visit Kinabalu Park HQ, and the Kinabalu Geopark Gallery. Fly to Sandakan to see the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. Cruise the Kinabatangan River, spot diverse wildlife, and stay at Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Enjoy river cruises, nature walks, and night safaris. Head to Utan Rainforest Lodge in the Virgin Jungle Reserve for more river cruises, a sunset cruise, and night safaris. Visit the Cuckoo Hide, explore the Segama River, and enjoy the lodge’s amenities. Depart from Lahad Datu after a memorable trip.
Highlights
Discover Kota Kinabalu's vibrant night market
Relax on Tunku Abdul Rahman Park's coral island
Visit Kinabalu Park HQ to explore the cool montane forest
Witness the feeding of orangutans at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Cruise along the Kinabatangan River to spot Borneo's wildlife
Embark on a river cruise adventure to Segama River's mangrove forest
Moderately active but not overly strenuous. This level includes activities like casual cycling, yoga, or excursions/activities that typically last 3-5 hours total each day.
Upon arrival in Kota Kinabalu, you are greeted and transferred to your hotel. Join an evening city tour and experience the vibrant atmosphere of the bustling night market, offering a variety of local spices, souvenirs, fruits, and vegetables. End the evening with a delightful dinner at a local restaurant before heading back to your hotel.
Enjoy a whole day on a coral island. Start with a 30-minute boat ride from the jetty to one of the islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, where you can spend a day of relaxation at your own pace.
Note: The scheduled boat transfer to the island departs at 8:15 a.m. Please ensure you arrive at Marina Jetty no later than 8:00 a.m.
Hop on another boat transfer to your next island destination. Engage in snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters, surrounded by coral reefs and vibrant, colorful fish.
Return to the boat and head to Gaya Island for lunch before swimming or simply unwinding by the shore.
Conclude your day by departing via boat back to Kota Kinabalu in the mid-afternoon.
Drive for 2 hours to the base of Mt. Kinabalu, making a short stop at the Pekan Nabalu market to stretch and sample seasonal fruits. If the weather permits, take a photo of the picturesque Mount Kinabalu.
Continue to Kinabalu Park HQ to visit the Kinabalu Geopark Gallery and Botanical Garden. If conditions are favorable, join a guided walk on one of the trails to explore the refreshing montane forest.
Drive back to Kota Kinabalu and relax in preparation for the following day.
Wake up early to head to the airport for a flight to Sandakan.
Upon arrival, travel to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. There, watch a short video about the center’s rehabilitation efforts, then head to the feeding platform to see orangutans and other monkeys being fed. You can also visit the nursery area to observe the young orangutans.
After lunch, take a 2.5-hour boat ride up the Kinabatangan River to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. After checking in, enjoy a late afternoon cruise to look for wildlife and birds. You may also opt for a night river cruise to spot nocturnal animals.
Return to the lodge to freshen up, enjoy dinner at Melapi restaurant, and attend a slide presentation and talk by a naturalist guide.
Rise early for a morning river cruise up the Kinabatangan River to Kelenanap Oxbow Lake to observe more birds and wildlife. Return to the lodge for breakfast, then join a nature walk along the Hornbill and Attenborough Boardwalks with the in-house naturalist.
The rest of the day is free for you to explore on your own or relax by the lodge's dip pool after lunch. Later, visit the newly refurbished Ape Gallery for an Ape Talk with the in-house naturalist.
In the afternoon, visit the Gomantong Caves to explore the extensive cave system, known as the largest limestone outcrop in Lower Kinabatangan with diverse wildlife. For a challenge, climb the stairs to Simud Putih for a view of the bat exodus.
Return to Sukau Rainforest Lodge for a delicious dinner at Melapi Restaurant and enjoy a restful night.
Check out early and travel 2.5 hours by land to Lahad Datu for registration. Continue for another 2.5-hour drive to reach Utan Rainforest Lodge, located in the Virgin Jungle Reserve (VJR) of Sungai Kapur.
Upon arrival, receive a warm welcome and a facility briefing, followed by a delicious lunch and check-in.
Experience the Virgin Jungle Reserve with an introductory walk near the lodge. In the evening, take a sunset river cruise to spot wildlife and enjoy a scenic estuary sunset. If the weather is favorable, you might see a display of fireflies as you return to the lodge for dinner.
After dinner, join a night safari drive for a chance to see the nocturnal wildlife of the forest.
After a quick breakfast, set out for a short morning hike. Visit the Cuckoo Hide to photograph Borneo's endemic birds and other local wildlife. Return to the lodge to freshen up before enjoying a hearty breakfast at the restaurant.
After breakfast, weather and sea conditions permitting, embark on a river cruise along the coastline, exploring the Segama River and its mangrove forest. Watch for wildlife encounters, including flying foxes, eagles, and dolphins.
Return to the lodge to relax before lunch. As the sun sets, enjoy a delicious dinner and take a night walk around the lodge. Experience the tranquility of the night and look for nocturnal animals such as civets, leopard cats, mouse deer, and moonrats.
Return to the lodge for a restful night.
Day 8: Utan Rainforest Lodge – Lahad Datu | Return Home
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch
Wake up to the sounds of the jungle and enjoy a hearty breakfast. Spend your free time as you wish and have a delicious lunch before checking out.
Head to Lahad Datu for your late afternoon flight.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is 50%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
For full cancellation policy details, please contact us for a quote.
Included
7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, 5 Dinners
7 Nights Accommodations
1 Day Locally Hosted Guide Service
Accommodations as listed
Ground transportation as listed
Activities as listed
Meals as listed
Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
English Speaking Guide
This tour package rates include pick-up at Kota Kinabalu and drop off at Lahad Datu. Additional charge per person applies for pick-up and drop-off outside this area and pick up time may vary.
Excluded
Gratuities
Travel Insurance
Personal Expenses
Flight costs (please request a quote)
Additional excursions during free time
Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
RM10 per room per night mandatory Tourism Tax in Malaysia collected by cash upon check-in.
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
6 days ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
DIANNE GRAY
1 week ago
Jane was my AE agent for the 2 months of helping me decide that this will be the most amazing trip we will ever experience in our lifetime and a memorable way to celebrate our 40th!
I was also able to work with Mike from Quark who was also very helpful.
Once I had decided to go ahead with my booking Kevin took over to assist Jane while on vacation.
Kevin was able to tweak the quote even more
and truly sealed the deal! He was patient with receiving my full payment as it took time to “round up that much cash” Were booking a delux balcony and there’s no looking back
I feel confident and very satisfied that I have made the best decision choosing Quark Expeditions and look forward to a top notch experience aboard the Ultramarine.
Both Jane and Kevin are sincere, professional and courteous. They met all of our needs
to ensure my process was stress free.
I’m looking forward to all our daily excursions then enjoying a Sauna and my own cold plunge in the tub! My back up plan
to the “Antarctic Plunge”
I look forward to getting to know and dealing with Mary Rose for all the final details that will make our trip complete. Great company!
