| |
|
|
Sabah Naturewatch
10 days/9 nights - Gateway: Kota Kinabalu
Standard Tour: from £825pp
Valid for selected departures in 2008
|
|
| Borneo’s rugged and inaccessible central mountains, from which flow a thousand rivers on their way to the South China Sea, are as much a mystery as a challenge. The impenetrable rainforest with its giant trees and buttressing roots, harbours a bewildering diversity of strange flora and fauna. During this visit to Sabah, we start off by exploring the Mount Kinabalu area and for those who wish, there is the opportunity to climb the volcano, South East Asia’s highest mountain (4095m). We search for proboscis monkeys in Sukau and see Orang Utans in Sepilok. Our trip finishes on the paradise Island of Pulaw Tiga, a haven for nature enthusiasts and beach lovers alike. |
|
Day 1: Join tour Kota Kinabalu
Arrive Kota Kinabalu, check in to hotel. Known locally as KK, Kota Kinabalu is a burgeoning city with a blend of Malays, Europeans and Chinese: the result is a unique mixture of architecture, culture, high technology and ancient traditions.
Overnight hotel H+ |
Day 2: Drive to Kinabalu National Park; via
Poring Hot Springs
Leaving Kota Kinabalu we may get fine views of Mt Kinabalu in the distance as we make our way through the wild highlands to Kinabalu National Park. Having checked into our hotel, which is just outside the park, we make an excursion to Poring Hot Springs, a popular spot with locals who enjoy the hot springs found here. At 450m we are in tropical lowland forest, dense with vegetation and thick bamboo, with a humid misty atmosphere. You can cross a tree top walkway 60m above the forest floor or perhaps you prefer to take a relaxing soak in a hot spring bath, looking out for hornbills, mynah birds and monkeys. The rafflesia grows in the forest – the largest flower in the world, it produces a red bloom over one metre wide which lasts for just one week. Nearby is a butterfly and orchid farm.
Overnight hotel H+ |
Day 3: In Kinabalu National Park; walk to
Laban Rata (base camp)
This morning we make an early start. We hope to get a good view of Mt Kinabalu which towers over the jungle below before driving to the park entrance and the starting point of the trail at about 1900m. From now on, leaving our main baggage behind at the hotel but carrying our daypacks, we walk or trek, climbing upwards for 5-6 hours to reach a mountain hostel situated at around 3272m, surrounded by magnificent scenery. The lower part of the trek is through dense tropical vegetation and mist shrouded rainforest with giant ferns and luxuriant mosses, a botanist’s paradise. Rare orchids and pitcher plants abound. Brightly coloured butterflies are everywhere. The hostel at base camp has common facilities, and there is a canteen where you can buy a simple meal.
Overnight hostel L |
Day 4: Summit of Mount Kinabalu; return to
Park HQ and drive to Sepilok
The trip to the summit is a hard trek and should only be attempted by those people who are very confident about their level of fitness. We rise at 03.00 and trek to the summit for sunrise (about 05.45). We have to walk in the dark and it is necessary to wear warm clothes and gloves and to carry a torch. The view from the top of Mt Kinabalu (4095m) is exceptionally fine as we watch the sun rising over the misty jungle lowlands. For those who do not make the summit ascent, the views from around base-camp will keep you and your camera occupied until we make the descent on foot and then by truck back to the Park Headquarters. From here we will drive through jungle and palm oil plantations to Sepilok.
Overnight lodge H+ |
|
Day 5: Visit Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary;
drive Sukau
We spend our morning at Sepilok, the largest of the three Orang Utan rehabilitation centres in the world. Covering over 4000 hectares of forest, the centre was established in 1964 to rehabilitate captured, injured or abandoned apes. So far about 100 ‘wild men of the forest’ have been brought to the centre, and there has been a remarkable success with up to 75% having returned to the jungle. The animals are taught how to make nests and how to survive in their natural habitat. About twenty regularly come to feed though not always at the same time. We plan to visit the centre in time for feeding when, along with the permanent members, pregnant mothers who otherwise live in the jungle, often come to supplement their diet and return after the birth of their young. There will be free time for taking walks in the jungle. After lunch we drive to Sukau. The freshwater swamp forest around Sukau is home to myriad wildlife such as tree snake and birds such as frogmouth, bulbul and hornbill.
2 nights chalet H |
Day 6: In Sukau; visit ox-bow lake
Unlike other areas in Sabah, the Kinabatangan river has remained relatively unaffected by the rapacious logging unfortunately so prevalent elsewhere, mainly because the land is permanently waterlogged and there are few commercially valuable trees there. The river meanders through a flood plain and creates many ox-bow lakes making an ideal environment for wildlife viewing. On our cruise this morning, we may see crocodiles warming themselves in the morning sun and some of the other birdlife such as egret, storm’s stork, oriental darter and oriole. This afternoon we make a wildlife walk into the jungle. Then, later in the afternoon as the sun starts to go down, we hope to spot the long nosed proboscis monkeys which converge on tree tops by the river banks to settle for the night. |
Day 7: Bus to Sandakan; fly Kota Kinabalu;
boat to Pulau Tiga
This morning we drive to the port of Sandakan. Once the capital of Sabah, Sandakan today is a busy trading centre for timber rattan, palm oil and copra. We fly back to the west coast and Kota Kinabalu. A short transfer south takes us to Kuala Penyu from where we travel by boat to the small island of Pulau Tiga. Formed after a volcanic eruption just over one hundred years ago, the island, which has magnificent coral reefs and a wide variety of terrestrial flora and fauna, is now part of a state marine park.
2 nights chalet H+ |
Day 8: On Pulau Tiga
This paradise island is the ideal place to relax at the end of your tour although there is also plenty on offer for the more active traveller. The snorkelling and diving opportunities are excellent and other activities such as sea-kayaking and fishing are also on offer. A network of marked trails provide the chance to discover the island’s wildlife from macaques and monitor lizards to rare birds such as the curious megapodes, hornbills and sea eagles. One trekking trail leads to the mud volcanoes on the island which are famed for their mineral enriched mud, said to have healing properties. |
Day 9: Boat and drive Kota Kinabalu
Today we return to Kota Kinabalu with time for some last minute shopping or further personal exploration.
Overnight hotel H+ |
| Day 10: Tour ends Kota Kinabalu |
|
Price includes accomodation based on twin share, meals as specified, domestic flights, tour leader, and boatmen. Excludes International flights and transfers. A good level of fitness is required for this trip although it is possible to opt out of the walks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
