Malaysia Sarawak BORNEO Highlights

10 days - This fasinating tour is designed to provide relaxing hotel accommodation whilst exploring the rural sites and sounds of Borneo's rain forests including a visit to the native 'head hunter tribe of Borneo'.

2 Tour options: Course A - KUCHING, BATANG AI, MIRI, LAMBIR: Miri is famous for its archeological site and rain forest. Lambir National Park is the world's most ecologically diverse area. Course B- KUCHING, BATANG AI, MULU : Mulu with its white cliffs and pristine jungle is known for its world class cave attractions.

View Itinerary

Price & Departure dates

This tour is designed to easily fit in with your own tailored flight and holiday arrangements, or we can arrange your international and domestic flights for you. Also we can precede the tour by including hotel accomodation and a site seeing tour in Kuala Lumpur, duration to suit your requirements. Contact us for details.

Day 01 : ARRIVAL KUCHING

Expected arrival time by noon, direct transfer to hotel and check in. At 1400hrs, proceed for the Kuching city tour (3 hrs.)

Drive passed China Town to visit Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, the oldest in Sarawak, view Fort Margherita from the waterfront, across the Sarawak River (no public admission). We visit the City Tower viewing platform, St Joseph Cathedral, the Syariah (Muslim) Court, The Satok Suspension Bridge, local villages, the State Mosque and Jalan Gambier where local markets are located beside colourful spice shops. View the Astana from the waterfront. Lastly, visit Sarawak Museum, one of the best museums in South East Asia. 3 nights stay at Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites / Room : STANDARD ( www.merdekapalace.com )

DAY 02 : KUCHING (B)

Breakfast at hotel. Depart for Sarawak Culture Village , which located 45 minutes from the Kuching Town . This living museum depicts the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak and conveniently portrays the respective lifestyle amidst 14 acres of equatorial vegetation. The 45-minute cultural performance of songs, dances and entertainment is something you will not want to miss out during your visit to Sarawak. Return to hotel.

Day 03 : KUCHING (B,L)

Breakfast at hotel. Depart for Bako National Park full day tour. Bako National Park covers an area of 16 square kilometres of primary forest and wildlife. There are 25 types of vegetation ranging from lush cliff and lowland forests to almost desert-like scrubs on the upper plateau. Among this vegetation is the carnivorous plant of the pitcher, sundews and bladderworts family. The mangrove forest provides a home for the long-nosed or proboscis monkeys (endemic only to Borneo), long -tailed macaques, silver-leaf monkeys, monitor lizards, deer and wild boars. We will go on a jungle walk and you may swim in the warm waters of the South China Sea while enjoying looking at unusual beauty of eroded rocks and cliffs . Return to the hotel at about 1500hrs. Free at leisure.

* Tour to Bako National Park could be cancelled during the months from November to February due to rainy season. Tour will be changed to Gunung Gading National Park should the weather not permitting. Lunch is at the Park Canteen

Day 04 : KUCHING – BATANG AI ( B,L )

Breakfast at hotel. Early morning, depart for the Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre that houses the Orang Utan rescued from captivity. The Orang Utan are then carefully nutured and rehabilitated into their natural surroundings. Witness the feeding of the Orang Utans subject to the animals approaching the feeding platform.

We continue our journey to Batang Ai. En-route, we will be passing by rural village, padi fields, rubber plantations , sago plantations and primary and secondary rainforest. The only brief stop will be made at the pepper plantation before continue for a lunch at a coffee house.

Later, we board a 20 minutes ride by a motorized speedboat across the lake to your resort . At leisure upon arrival at the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse. 2 nights at Hilton Batang Ai/Room STANDARD (www.hilton.com)

DAY 05 : BATANG AI ( B,L )

Breakfast at hotel. Today, we visit an authentic Iban Longhouse and see the way of life of the natives in their natural surrounding . We cross the lake and proceed with an hour overland journey to the longhouse. On arrival the natives of the Iban tribe in the longhouse will welcome you. Ibans make up the largest group of natives in Sarawak and were once considered the head-hunters of Borneo. Mingle with the longhouse dwellers and even try your hand with their daily chores or enjoy the serenity of the rainforest or go for a swim in the river . Witness a blowpipe demonstration, which is a favorite pastime game and also an essential survival weapon in the rainforests for the Ibans. Witness too one of the most popular past time sports of cock-fighting.

Lunch by the riverside prepared by your guide using traditional Iban’s tribe cooking methods. Continue with a jungle walk within the surrounding area and learn the art of hunting and collecting jungle produce. Later we return to Batang Ai and you are free to enjoy at leisure for the rest of the evening.

Day 06 : BATANG AI – KUCHING ( B,L )

Breakfast at hotel. Optional tour is available for those who are still thirst for an adventure operated by the in-house guide. Guests may join a morning walk around the surrounding area of the resort.

Later, take a motorized speedboat out from the resort. A journey of 20 minutes boat ride across the lake and 4 hours overland awaits . Lunch enroute at a local coffee house and expected to reach Kuching by evening. Upon arrival check in to your hotel and free at leisure for the rest of the day Hotel : Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites / Room : STANDARD

( www.merdekapalace.com )

Course A: DAY 07 : KUCHING - MIRI ( B )

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until departure time to Miri. Transfer to Kuching Airport for your onward flight . Upon arrival in Miri, proceed for a Miri City Tour before we drop you at your hotel.

Drive up Canada Hill overlooking the town. Situated on top of the Canada Hill,the Grand Oil Lady is the first oil well in Malaysia.You will be briefed on the historical development of Miri, due largely to the influence of the discovery of oil when Miri's first oil was spud in 1910. This oil well, now known as the Grand Old Lady, sits as a relic on Canada Hill. Visit the bustling Farmer's Market or commonly called the 'Tamu'.Tamu Muhibbah, which is a colourful native market where you will find a wide range of exotic fruits and vegetable produce. We then drive through the oil refinery district of Lutong/ Piasau and pass the 'old' section of Miri town full of local bazaars. Proceed to hotel and check in. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

DAY 08 : MIRI - NIAH AND LAMBIR NATIONAL PARK FULL DAY ( B,L )

Breakfast at hotel. We start the day with a scenic drive to Niah National Park - one of Sarawak's most important national parks. The oldest modern human remains discovered in South East Asia were found at Niah. It thus, is an important archaeological site, and was gazetted as a National Historic Monument in 1959. Besides its archaeological significance, Niah provides great outdoor activities in the surrounding rainforest and unique limestone caves. On arrival at Niah HQ we will register and then cross Niah River and museum (closed on Mondays) and then take the 3 km plankwalk to Niah Caves. Explore Traders cave, Great and Painted Caves. Return to the Park HQ for lunch at the park canteen and then drive to Lambir National Park.

Lambir National Park is the world's most ecologically diverse area. Just a sample 52 hectares of the park's 7,000 hectares revealed 1,050 different species of tree, and each tree supports.1,000 species of insect life. Ecologists think there are many plant and insect species in the park waiting to be discovered. It is a home to gibbons, tarsiers, bearded pigs, flying squirrels, deer and 157 types of bird. You will see the wildlife as you wander the park's forest trails.

Later , return to your hotel and relax for the rest of the day. Hotel : Miri Marriott & Spa / Room Category : DELUXE GARDEN VIEW * Unfortunately any sightings of wildlife are NOT Guarantee. * Also do take note that the guide will decide which trails (listed below) to take in the Niah National Park to ensure all our guests will be able to keep together.

Great Cave The Great Cave is located 3km from the park headquarter. Plank-walks were built for easy access to the cave, as well as for visitors to immerse themselves in the rainforest and its wildlife. You will pass trees with enormous buttressed roots, colourful wild orchids and tree fungi. If you take a stroll at night, you will even get to see the luminous fungi and other nocturnal animals. Colourful butterflies, birds, swiftlets in the caves, squirrels and varieties of insects are a common sight in the Niah rainforest. Occasionally, you might spot some monkeys, flying lizards, and the hornbills. The Trader's Cave is the first significant rock formation in the Great Cave, where the highly prized birds nest are collected. Next, you will see the archaeology site at the West Mouth of the cave. The excavation revealed several items that date back to the early stone age (Paleolithic era). Further into the mouth of the cave is a large burial site. A passage at the back of the Great Cave leads to a large chamber (the "Padang"), where shafts of sunlight stream down from large holes in the cave's roof illuminating bizarre rock formations in the Burnt Cave. The passage from the "Padang" to the Moon Cave is very dark. You will certainly need torchlight to find your way along the plank-walk and also to see the extraordinary shapes and weathering effects in the Moon Cave.

Painted Cave The plank-walk from the Moon Cave emerges to daylight, leading you to the Painted Cave. As the name suggests, the back wall of the cave is filled with red hematite wall paintings. These boat and human figure paintings depict the journey of the deceased. A burial site that was more recent compared to the one in the Great Cave was fenced off for visitors' viewing. The contents of the burial are now at the Sarawak Museum.

DAY 09 : MIRI - KUCHING ( B )

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until departure time to Kuching via Miri. Transfer to airport and upon arrival in Kuching , direct transfer to hotel and free at leisure for the rest of the day.

DAY 10 : KUCHING – DEPARTURE ( B )

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until departure time for your onward flight. Transfer to Kuching Airport.

Course B: Mulu

DAY 07 : KUCHING – MIRI - MULU ( B,D )

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until departure time to Mulu via Miri . Transfer to Kuching Airport for your onward flight . Upon arrival in Mulu, proceed to hotel and check in. 2 nights at Hotel Royal Mulu Resort / Room : STANDARD www.royalmuluresort.com

DAY 08 : MULU ( B,L,D )

Breakfast at hotel. Before our tour of the Mulu National Park with its white cliffs and pristine jungle. Mulu harbours not less than 20,000 animals (mostly insects) and over 3,500 plant species, not including 8,000 types of funghi. It is famous for its impressive caves which include the World’s largest cave passage, the World’s largest natural cave chamber and the longest cave in South East Asia. We walk through the jungle on plank walkways and go by boat to visit the show caves.

Proceed to the park head quarters and registration before taking a boat for the 30 minutes ride to Wind and Clearwater Cave. You may relax and swim at the Clearwater spring, where we will also have a lunch. Later we take the plank walk through peat swamp forest to Deer Cave reputed to be the largest cave passage yet unmapped. Lastly we visit Lang cave with beautiful formations, where we wait to see millions of bats returning home to their cave. Return to hotel.

DAY 09 : MULU – MIRI – KUCHING ( B )

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until departure time to Kuching via Miri. Transfer to airport and upon arrival in Kuching, direct transfer to hotel and free at leisure for the rest of the day . Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites / Room : STANDARD (www.merdekapalace.com)

DAY 10 : KUCHING – DEPARTURE ( B )

Breakfast at hotel. Free at leisure until departure time for your onward flight. Transfer to Kuching Airport.

Small Group Departure Dates & Price

Contact us for your holiday price based upon your prefered departure date.

We can also arrange private guided tours, please contact us to discuss your requirement.

Price Includes (The prices shown are 'per person' FROM, subject to airfare confirmation)

• Accommodation for 9Nights as above stated hotel and room category;
• Tours and Transfers as mentioned in the itinerary with an English Speaking Guide;
• All tours and transfers will be done on SIC Basis;
• Entrance Fees at above stated
• Daily ABF, 5 lunch and 2 dinners.

Price Does Not Include

• Domestic air fare: KUL / KCH or v.v by MAS - Y Class : £95 nett per ticket per way; KCH / MYY or v.v by MAS – Y Class : £55 per ticket per way - SUBJECT TO CHANGE without notice.
• Pre-tour and accommodation in KUALA LUMPUR can be arranged according to request.
• Travel Insurance
• Tipping (unless stated).

The air fare in and out Mulu fluctuate and subject on the time when we made the booking. The airlines have certain terms include 100% charge for any cancellation and amendment fees imposed for any changes once booking is made.

The itinerary is designed according to the most updated information of the flight available, although occasionally the sequence in which cities are visited and duration of time spent in each city can change due to local conditions which are out of our control. The above itinerary highlights the main attractions that are to be visited each day. Further places of interest may be visited during your stay, which will provide unique ethnic and cultural handcraft shopping opportunities. We reserve the right to change, amend or alter the itinerary, although we will act in your best interests to handle any amendments. Please refer to the booking form for detailed terms & conditions.