Discover the Borneo Big Five on this 6-day wildlife tour starting in Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center to Sun Bear Conservation Center. Embark by speedboat up the Kinabatangan River to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Take an evening cruise in search of Borneo's wildlife. In the morning, take a river cruise up the Kinabatangan River to Kelenanap oxbow lake to view more wildlife. Join a nature walk along the lodge's Hornbill Boardwalk with an in-house naturalist. Journey to Gomatong Cave then prepare for your trip to Danum Valley. Explore Lahad Datu before the onward journey to the award-winning nature lodge, Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Enjoy the whole day exploring the forest for birds and mammals on this unforgettable wildlife tour.
Highlights
Discover Orangutans at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center
Learn Sun Bears at Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Center
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
The journey begins at Sandakan airport or your accommodation. Your next destination is the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center, where you can learn about the center's rehabilitation efforts through a video. You will then visit the feeding platform to observe the orangutans being fed at 10 AM daily. In the secure nursery area, you can watch the playful young infants. You then visit the Sun Bear Conservation Center to learn about the world's smallest bears. After lunch, you board a speedboat for a 2.5-hour journey up the Kinabatangan River to the Sukau Rainforest Lodge. After check-in, you go on an evening cruise to search for Borneo's wildlife and birds. The night is spent at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge.
Note: Remember to arrive in Sandakan no later than 0800 hours. Or, if that's not an option, it's advised to fly in and spend the night in Sandakan or Sepilok before the tour starts.
Rise early for a morning Kinabatangan River cruise upstream to Kelenanap Oxbow Lake to spot more birds and wildlife. After breakfast, join the lodge's naturalist on a nature walk along the Hornbill Boardwalk. The afternoon is free. Embark on another river trip to see additional animals. Spend the night at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge.
Embark on an early-morning river cruise along the Menanggol River using a silent electric motor to search for animals, waking up to the sounds of the rainforest before returning for breakfast. Relax or participate in extra activities. After lunch, travel 27 kilometers overland to the Gomantong Cave, surrounded by a primary rainforest rich in fruiting wild figs, providing the perfect location to see orangutans in the wild. Spend time exploring the cave and its surroundings until dusk, when over two million bats migrate out for the night and swiftlets come to nest, with raptors (eagles) swooping in to catch prey. Return to the Sukau Rainforest Lodge for an overnight stay.
Day 4: Sukau Rainforest Lodge | Lahad Datu | Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Get ready for an early start to your journey to Danum Valley. After having breakfast, you'll travel for 2 hours by land to Lahad Datu and then head to the internationally recognized Borneo Rainforest Retreat nature lodge. After arrival and check-in, enjoy lunch and the option to attend an evening photo display, explore the nature path, and walk the canopy walkway. Weather permitting, you'll go spotlighting to see some night species before retiring for the night at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
Spend the whole day looking for animals and birds in the forest before climbing to an escarpment with antique gravestones. Explore a waterfall, then cool off in the rock pools. Re-enter the lodge after lunch. In the afternoon, explore additional routes. Make your home for the night at Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
Day 6: Borneo Rainforest Lodge | Return Home
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch
Up until check-out, you are free to do as you choose. Then depart towards Lahad Datu to take a late afternoon flight back to Kota Kinabalu.
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
Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge
TrustScore 4.8 | 254 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 254 reviews on
2 days ago
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.