Itinerary in brief:
- 1 night Kota Kinabalu
- 1 night Laban Rata
- 3 nights Kota Kinabalu
- 1 night Sandakan
- 2 nights Kinabatangan
- 2 nights Danum Valley
- 1 night Kota Kinabalu
- 2 nights Mulu National Park
- 3 nights Gaya Island Resort
Day 1: Depart UK
Depart the UK from your chosen airport.
Included: International flight
Day 2: Arrive Borneo
On arrival in Borneo you’ll be met at the airport in Kota Kinabalu and driven to your hotel, where you will check in for one night. Get to bed early as you’ll be diving straight in with the climb up mighty Mount Kinabalu.
Included: Transfer, hotel
Day 3: Climb Mount Kinabalu
After an early breakfast, you’ll be driven to the National Park Headquarters to meet your guide and register for your climb. Approach the mountain at a slow and steady pace, allowing you to engage with the stunning scenery that changes as you rise through the clouds towards the overnight rest house of Laban Rata at 3,280m. You’ll have a pack lunch on the way up, with dinner at the guesthouse before an early night, ready to attempt the summit in the morning.
Included: Touring, breakfast, hotel
Day 4: Climb Mount Kinabalu
Rising at around 3am, it’s an early start but well worth it. After a few hours of hard climbing when you watch the dawn break over the clouds from the twisted peak of Mount Kinabalu. After relishing the view, head back down – perhaps taking a cup of ginger tea at Laban Rata to celebrate your achievement. When you reach the bottom, you’ll be taken to your hotel in Kota Kinabalu, where you’ll check in for three nights.
Included: Touring, breakfast, hotel
Days 5 & 6: Kota Kinabalu
Relax and recover after a hard climb up Mount Kinabalu. You’ll be staying at the Shangri La Rasa Ria, a luxury hotel where you can enjoy delicious meals, swim in the turquoise pool and rest your legs after a busy start to your honeymoon.
Included: Hotel, breakfast
Day 7: Fly to Sandakan
After a couple of days recuperating, you’ll be taken to the airport for a short flight to Sandakan, on the east coast of Borneo. On arrival, you’ll be driven to your hotel where you’ll check in for one night.
Included: Flight, breakfast, hotel, transfers
Day 8: Sepilok
After breakfast, you’ll visit the world’s largest orangutan rehabilitation centre in Sepilok. Watch these gentle animals at feeding time where they enjoy a breakfast of papaya and bananas before heading next door to the Sun Bear Conservation Centre, where 36 bears have been rescued from poachers. Later you’ll take a cruise around Berhala Island where you can see the prominent sandstone cliffs before sailing towards the mangroves and villages of Abai. Keep your camera handy here as there are wildlife-spotting opportunities, like proboscis monkeys, macaques and mudskippers. Eventually you will arrive at the Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort, where you will check in for two nights.
After settling in you’ll head off on a river expedition in a smaller open-topped river boat – looking out for wild orangutans, pygmy elephants and other wildlife. On your way, back you’ll experience the river landscape at dusk, before taking a night stroll along the boardwalks looking for nocturnal creatures after dinner.
Included: Hotel, breakfast, lunch, dinner, touring
Day 9: Kinabatangan
Spend a day exploring this river ecosystem where tiny fishing communities live side by side with the unique wildlife. In the morning, you’ll cruise to the oxbow lake before continuing to the local village where the local Orang Sungai people make their home. You can learn about their daily activities before returning to the resort for lunch.
In the afternoon, you’ll enjoy another cruise through the mangroves, all the while keeping your eyes peeled for monkeys, birds and pygmy elephants. In the evening, you’ll take a night safari where you might even spot a firefly colony, found at certain points along the river.
Included: Hotel, breakfast, lunch, dinner, touring
Day 10: Kinabatangan to Danum Valley
After breakfast, you’ll travel to the Danum Valley, an area of virgin rainforest and one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. Much of the journey is on unsealed roads so it will be bumpy but well worth the effort once you arrive.
On arrival at the lodge, you will check in for two nights before enjoying a late afternoon walk along the trails and the 130-meter high canopy walk, high up in the rainforest. After dinner you’ll drive in one of the open top 4WD vehicles for a night spotlighting tour, where you could spot samba deer, clouded leopards and an array of colourful insects and frogs.
Included: Transfers, hotel, breakfast, lunch, dinner, touring
Day 11: Danum Valley
A morning chorus of birds, insects and monkeys will wake you early, ready for a morning hike along the View Point Trail to the morbidly fascinating Coffin Cliff - a 200-year-old local burial site where coffins dangle from the edge of the rocks. The end of the trail showcases spectacular views over an ocean of million-year-old jungle – truly one of the best sights in Borneo.
On the way back, you can enjoy a dip in the waterfalls before spending the afternoon at leisure in the lodge. You could head out on one of the optional activities like tubing on the Danum River, or simply relax in the lodge, taking in the fresh air and serenity. In the evening, you’ll take a nature walk in the forest to learn about the plants that thrive in this jungle ecosystem.
Included: Hotel, breakfast, lunch, dinner, touring
Day 12: Fly to Kota Kinabalu
After breakfast at the lodge, you’ll be driven to Lahad Datu Airport to catch a short flight back to Kota Kinabalu, where you’ll be taken to your hotel to check in for one night. Spend the evening relaxing – there’s only a short respite before jetting off again tomorrow!
Included: Hotel, breakfast, transfers, flight
Day 13: Fly to Mulu National Park
This morning you’ll be driven to the airport for a short flight to Mulu National Park. On arrival, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel where you can check in for two nights. Depending on your arrival time you could visit the Tree Top Tower for views across the canopy of the national park or wander along the Nature Heritage Trail.
In the afternoon, you’ll meet up with your guide and head into Mulu National Park, walking for 3km along the elevated planks through the Lang Cave, the longest cave passage in the world, leading into Deer Cave, where the biggest attraction is a colony of thousands of free-tailed bats. At dusk, you’ll witness the amazing spectacle when the bats emerge from the cave in formation, feeding on the clouds of insects from the rainforest. Later you’ll do some night trekking through the jungle, watching the forest come alive in the dark – from luminescent fungi to blinking fireflies, this is a wonderful way to experience creatures not visible in daylight.
Included: Hotel, breakfast, transfers, flight, dinner
Day 14: Mulu National Park
After breakfast, you’ll head back into the national park, taking a longboat ride up the Melanau River to experience two more of Mulu’s must see caves – Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. These form part of the Sarawak Chamber, the largest cave system in the world. If the water is low enough you can hike through the caves, admiring the stalactites and stalagmites that cling to the ceiling and learning how these cavernous hollows were created. Returning to the hotel you’ll relax in the afternoon before taking a canopy walk for a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area as the jungle’s night shift comes to life.
Included: Hotel, touring, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 15: Fly to Kota Kinabalu
After breakfast you’ll be driven to the airport for a short flight to Kota Kinabalu where you’ll be taken by boat to Gaya Island, checking into your hotel for three nights.
Included: Hotel, breakfast, transfers, flight
Days 16 & 17: Gaya Island
At last you have time to relax after a wonderful couple of weeks experiencing the best of Borneo’s wildlife and nature. Gaya Island is a beautiful spot, with white sand beaches and good snorkelling so spend your time here enjoying the views from your villa, swimming in the clear waters around the resort or just unwinding after your exciting active honeymoon - make sure you raise a toast on your final night to the beautiful island of Borneo!
Included: Hotel, breakfast
Day 18: Depart Borneo
After breakfast you’ll take the short boat trip back to the mainland and be driven to the airport for your flight home.
Included: Breakfast, transfers, international flight
Day 19: Arrive UK
