ADay 1, September 24th: Arrival in Kota Kinabalu

Upon arrival at the airport we will be transferred to our hotel in Kota Kinabalu (KK), the capital of Sabah on the island of Borneo. Overnight at the Hyatt Regency (Sea View) hotel which has the best views in KK overlooking the South China Sea.

BDays 2 – 3, September 25th – 26th: Drive to Mount Kinabalu

This morning we leave KK and drive for two hours to a higher elevation on the slopes of Mt. Kinabalu (1585m). Here we encounter an array of montane species, many of which we will not encounter in the rest of our trip which will be spent at lowland elevations. We will spend our time until the morning of the 27th based at the Hill Lodge where we will concentrate on bird and nature walks including a worthwhile visit to the national park’s botanical garden.

CDays 4 – 7, September 27th – 30th: Drive to Deramakot

We drive along a different road, back down the mountain, towards Poring hot springs where we will make a stop to look for any Rafflesias that might be in flower. We drive for several hours until the tarmac disappears and we change to 4×4 vehicles and continue on the dirt track until we reach the forest of Deramakot. Here we will stay in rustic, yet comfortable, air-conditioned chalets. Deramakot is one of the best places in Borneo for mammal spotting. Our focus here will be long night drives spotlighting as we go. While at Deramakot, on foot or driving, we hope to see marbled cats, bearded pigs, various civets, slow loris, tarsiers and the Holy Grail, the Sunda clouded leopard. Although by no means guaranteed this is the best chance anywhere of seeing this cat in the wild. There are of course also a host of birds including various pitta species, hornbills, leaf birds, trogons and the great argus pheasant. We spend four nights here.

DDays 8 – 9, October 1st – 2nd: Sepilok

Today we transfer by road to Sepilok, famous for its orang-utan rehabilitation center. Although this is a heavily visited center it is well worth the time to watch the antics of the comical orang-utans. From the elevated board walk it is also possible sometimes to spot wild individuals in the forest. Pete Oxford Expeditions will be making a donation to the sun bear rehabilitation center very close by and we will be given a behind the scenes tour of the sun bears, a truly worthy cause and one man’s mission to help save these magnificent animals. We stay at the Sepilok MY Resort, a lovely lodge set in the forest from where we can see more wildlife in the immediate surroundings as well as affording us the possibility to do night walks. We can also enjoy the different perspective from the lodge’s own elevated canopy walkway.

EDays 10 – 11, October 3rd – 5th: Kinabatangan

From Sepilok we take a short drive to the boat jetty at Sandakan and board our river boat for an hours cruise through impressive stands of mangrove until we find the main river where we continue to the Kinabantangan Wetlands Resort for our three night stay. Here our emphasis will be on cruising the Kinabatangan River in search of the incredible wildlife to be found along its banks. Highlights will be proboscis monkeys, Bornean pygmy elephants, macaques, salt water crocodiles, wild orang-utans and a wealth of birds including hornbills and kingfishers. We will be able to do a night safari on the river in the hope of nocturnal species such as colugos and marbled cats. We will also make a visit to the famous ‘swift nest’ Gomongtong Caves.

FDays 13 – 15, October 6th – 8th: Danum Valley

Continuing upriver by speedboat, followed by a long drive, we arrive to our lodge. One of the highlights of Borneo, Danum Valley, is justifiably famous for it’s wildlife. On foot or in a vehicle, day or night, we will maximize our time to get the most out of our three-night stay. The Borneo Rainforest Lodge, a multi awarding-winning eco-lodge of the highest quality, will not disappoint. With our private lodge guide we hope to find such highlights as Borneo gibbons, orang-utans, rhinoceros hornbills, macaques, elephants, fantastic insects, amphibians and reptiles as well as enjoying stunning views from the canopy.

GDay 16, October 9th: Kota Kinabalu or Mataking

The trip ends this morning at the Lahad Datu airport. The group (or individuals) has the choice to return to Kota Kinabalu, or continue on for a snorkeling extension on Mataking island, via Lahad Datu. The drive to the airport is approximately three hours.
Pete will be leaving the group here and continuing home via Kota Kinabalu