7D/6N LAND OF THE ORANG UTAN

DAY 1
KOTA KINABALU / KINABALU PARK

Depart Kota Kinabalu and travel 2 hours along the ridges of the Crocker Range to Kinabalu Park. Enjoy superb mountain views as you travel to the Park at 1524 meters. Explore one of the many trails that lead through tropical Montane Oak and Chestnut Forest. Kinabalu is a botanist's paradise with over a thousand species of orchids, numerous different rhododendrons and pitcher plants. The birds life is equally fascinating with most species being montane, including a number of endemics.

En-route visit the well known Nabalu Handicraft market which has varieties of handicraft from Sabah.

Visit the local Dusun tribe and learn about their culture. They live in house made of bamboo a source that is abundant in this area. Visit their house and experience the local hospitality.

Stop over at Kundasang Market where you will see the locals selling their daily harvest ranging from fruits, vegetables, flowers, raw honey etc. Transfer and overnight at Hill Lodge. (Lunch/Dinner included)

Mount Kinabalu

DAY 2
KINABALU PARK

Depart to Poring Hot Springs at the Southern end of Kinabalu Park. Lowland Dipterocarp forest makes up most of the vegetation at Poring and it is an excellent place to view lowland birds and some mammals. Take a short trek into the forest to the Canopy Walkway for a bird's eye view of the tropical rainforest. The Canopy Walkway is suspended between trees at the height of 40 meters and offers an excellent opportunity to observe wildlife in the canopy.

Proceed by road to the Sabah Tea Plantation which is the only organic tea farm in Borneo and one of the few in the world. With its sprawling tea plantation surrounded by pristine rainforest in the cool mountain air, the Sabah Tea Garden beckons you to indulge in its beautiful surroundings.

En-route, you will visit the Kundasang War Memorial which established in 1962 to commemorate the brave Australian and British prisoners of War who perished in Sandakan and during the infamous marches from Sandakan to Ranau during World War 2. The memorial is made up of four beautiful garden - the Australian Garden, the English Garden, the Borneo Garden and the Contemplation Garden and pool to represent the different nationalities.

Return to and overnight at Hill Lodge.  (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

Sabah Tea

DAY 3
KINABALU PARK / KINABATANGAN RIVER

After breakfast, drive overland easterly to the district of Sandakan by the memorial route, where almost two thousand Australian and British POW last their lives along the way. The drive will take 4 hours passing through scenic countryside.

Visit the Gomantong Caves where the bizarre edible bird's nest is harvested as they have been for hundreds of years. The caves are also home to more than a million bats. The birdlife around the cave is particularly rich, with crested serpent eagles, kingfishers, Asian fairy bluebirds and leaf birds often sighted. Continue the journey to the village of Sukau at the Kinabatangan River where the greatest concentration of wildlife in Malaysia and possibly all of Borneo, can be found. Stay overnight at Bukit Melapi Lodge at Sukau. (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

Gomantong Caves

DAY 4
KINABATANGAN RIVER

Boat trips for the day at the river to view numerous species of wildlife such as orang utans, macaques, red and silver leaf monkeys, elephants, hornbills, crocodiles, civet cats, otters and the most famous creature: the proboscis monkey. Found only in Borneo, the male of this species has a large pendulous nose, fat belly, thick white tail and webbed feet. The bird life includes egret, kingfisher, oriental darter, bee-eater, hornbill and many more. Stay overnight at Bukit Melapi Lodge. (Breakfast/lunch/Dinner included)

bird

DAY 5
KINABATANGAN RIVER / SANDAKAN

Morning, depart to the famous Sepilok Orang Utan Centre. Founded in the Centre helps once captive orang utans learn to climb and fend for themselves in the wild with the hope that one day they may return to the forest. The semi-wild orang utans may return to the platform provided by the Centre for milk and bananas twice a day during the process of returning to the forest. Visitors will get a close up view of these orang utans and have the chance to photograph them at close range. Witness the feeding of the orphaned orang utans, visiting the information centre, exhibits and video presentation on the rehab of these remarkable primates.

In the afternoon, return to the platform for the afternoon feeding to get a closer view of the orang utans which may be joined by pig tail and long tail macaques for a free meal. Check in to Sepilok Nature Resort nearby the centre.

In the evening (weather permitting), we go for a night walk in the Sepilok jungle. Listen to the sound of the wind and numerous insects as you walk through the well defined trails of this recreational forest reserve with a torch light. You may see varies species of spiders, stick insects and frogs as they crawl or jump along the floor of the forest. Snakes may be sighted in this vegetation and normally are harmless. Night birds could be seen along the branches of the trees as they gather there to sleep for the night. It may be possible to see certain mammals that are nocturnal in nature. Return to Sepilok Forest Edge for your overnight stay. (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

Kinabatangan River

DAY 6
SANDAKAN

Morning, visit the nearby Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) which has evolved has evolved from a small, cosy environmental educational centre in 1996 into one of Sabah's most popular centres. It is located within the famous Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, home of the orang-utans Rehabilitation Centre. Here, you can walk along the network of beautiful trails and paths that are ideal for bird watching and discover the huge dipterocarp trees that are well known in Borneo. Discover the rainforest from the tree tops along a 343 metre-long Suspension Bridge and from the ground.

In the afternoon, visit a village just outside of Sandakan town. En-route, visit an oil palm plantation to see how the palms are grown, plantations are maintained and fruits are harvested. The village has a total of about 200 houses and a population of 2000 mostly of mixed tribes of Bajau, Sungai, Suluk and Dusun. Visit the village school and see how English and other subjects are taught before arriving at the main village where you will be welcomed. Tour the interior of the house made of traditional material in Malay style. This village is very special as it houses the Blind Centre for the state of Sabah. There are about 200 bind and semi blind residents in the centre who live a normal life and are taught and trained how to make handicraft out of rattan, bamboo and wood. They are also trained to become body massage and foot reflexology therapists and it is believed they make very good therapists due to their sense of touch. Visitors are welcome to buy the handicraft and try out the massages.

Proceed to the nearby jetty and take a boat to the nearby mangrove forest to see this very unique vegetation that not only protect the coastal land from erosion but also provide food for monkeys, primates and reptiles. As it gets dark, thousand of fireflies can be seen hovering on the mangrove trees like a Christmas trees (weather permitting). The semi salt sea water is a perfect breeding ground for seafood such as crab, prawn and fishes which many villagers catch for a living. Return to and overnight at Sepilok Forest Edge. (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)


**Note: School visit is not available during Weekend, School Holidays and Public Holidays in Malaysia.

Orang Utan

DAY 7
SANDAKAN - AIRPORT

After breakfast, depart for brief City Tour of Sandakan. Transfer to the Observation Pavilion for a bird eye view of the town. Proceed to the Central Market where produce from the hinterland and fresh seafood are on sale here. The Market is also the focal point for socialising among the locals. Drive to the Chinese Temple where you can see the colourful interior decoration of this magnificent temple. Located on a hill it provides a commanding view. Continue the journey to St.Michael's Church where you can see a colonial style building where Christianity is preached. Drive to Sim Sim where you can see houses on stilts above the water occupied by local tribes.

Visits the Australian Prisoner of War Memorial, where the infamous Sandakan - Ranau Marches commenced in 1945. A commemorative pavilion holds educational material and includes a scale model of the original POW camp. A path winds through the park past preserved wartime relics and towards the obelisk of black granite, erected to commemorate those who has sacrificed.

Transfer to Sandakan Airport for your departure flight.  (Breakfast/Lunch included)

proboscis monkey

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