Borneo -Spectacular Birds and Other Wildlife

Borneo is the third-largest island in the world and is awash with avian riches. With over 50 endemics and pristine Dipterocarp forests, montane cloudforest, riverine habitat, and mangrove swamps you should enjoy an amazing trip filled with stunning birds like pittas, trogons, and broadbills, as well as many mammalian treasures like orangutan, macaque, civet, and an array of reptiles and butterflies.
The weather can be a bit cool in the mornings in the highlands and very hot and humid in the lowlands. We do recommend leech socks, but some bug spray usually keeps the leeches away. There is one uphill hike at Mt. Kinabalu to search for some of the highland endemics along the summit trail. While on the Kinabatangan River we are exposed to the sun for hours at a time, so we recommend some sunscreen. As Borneo is tropical, you never know when a rainstorm will brew up, so be prepared with a lightweight raincoat and something to cover your optics. Most of the hotels are good to very good. The food here can be a bit spicy, but they often tone it down for those with a less sturdy palate.
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Please note that the detailed itinerary below cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides, and other factors.
Itinerary (14 days/13 nights or 16 days/15 nights)
Day 0. Arrival in Kota Kinabalu
You’ll arrive today and be met at the airport and taken to the hotel for a briefing and overnight stay. Meals will be on your own.
Overnight: Gaya Center Hotel, Kota Kinabalu
Day 1.Birding around Kota Kinabalu
After our long international flights yesterday we’ll take a leisurely stroll through the Likas Lagoon in the morning for some introductory birding, including Ashy Tailorbird, Collared Kingfisher,Pied Triller, and Common Iora,as we walk along the boardwalk. There are herons and egrets at the end of the walkway, and you might have a chance to see the odd giant mudskipper. We’ll return to the hotel for lunch, and you can relax in the afternoon and get caught up on some much needed rest.
Overnight: Gaya Center Hotel, Kota Kinabalu
Day 2.Transfer to Mt. Kinabalu National Park via the Crocker Range
We begin with a drive up into the Crocker Range, where we enter the foothills at Tambunan and begin to bird along the road near the Rafflesia Center. Here we have a chance for some of our first cloudforest species likeFruithunter,Whitehead’s Broadbill,Temminck’s Babbler,Bornean Treepie,andWhite-throated Fantail. From here we’ll make our way up into the mountains and to our base for the next three nights, Mount Kinabalu National Park. This mountain is the highest peak between the Himalayas and the tall ranges of New Guinea. Its huge granite massif holds plenty of endemics in its forest-draped slopes.
Overnight: Kinabalu Pine Resort, Kundasang
Days 3 – 4. Birding Mt. Kinabalu National Park
We’ll spend two full days here, exploring the trails around the park for some of the resident endemics like Whitehead’s Trogon, Everett’s Thrush, Bornean Whistler,Red-breasted Partridge, Mountain Wren-Babbler,Golden-naped Barbet, andFriendly Bush Warbler. Mixed in with all this endemic richness will be other species like minivets, sunbirds, tailorbirds, and more. We’ll spend some time on one day on a visit to Poring Hot Springs to try for Hose’s Broadbill,and we’ll check out the Mesilau sector of the mountain forthe endemicPale-faced Bulbul.
Overnight: Kinabalu Pine Resort, Kundasang
Day 5.Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Today we’ll leave the mountains and begin our four-hour drive down through the rolling countryside to Sandakan and Sepilok. We’ll arrive at our lodge in time for an outdoor lunch and to enjoy the view. In the afternoon we’ll visit the famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, where each afternoon they feed these semi-wild primates, along with several other species that take advantage of the free handouts and grab what they can. After this show we’ll make our way to the back of the center to visit the wonderful canopy walkway at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. From here we can get eyelevel views of the birds, and we hope to draw inBornean Bristleheadand Violet Cuckoo as well asbarbets,bulbuls,cuckoos,minivets,and plenty more that can be seen from here.
Overnight: Sepilok Jungle Resort, Sepilok
Days 6.Birding the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve
We’ll have a full day to explore the area as well as check the canopy walkway once more in the morning, when the birds are most active. This will give us another chance forBornean Bristleheadamong the many other species we’ll be able to see here. There will be time after lunch to walk the trails in the reserve to pick up ground-dwelling babblers, mid-canopy bulbuls, and more.
Overnight: Sepilok Jungle Resort, Sepilok
Day 7.Gomantong Caves, transfer to the Kinabatangan River
This morning we’ll once more walk the trails around the reserve, looking for lowland forest species likeRed-napedandScarlet-Rumped Trogons,Black-capped Babbler,drongos,bulbuls,andwoodpeckers. We’ll return for lunch to the lodge, after which we begin our journey south to the Gomantong Caves. Here we have a chance to see four species of swiftlets that are really only safely told apart by their nests:Edible-nest,Black-nest, Mossy-nest,andGlossy Swiftletsall nest in these caves along with several species of bats. There is a boardwalk through the caves that will give us access to the inside of this cave system, where we’ll be able to see where these birds make their nests and how the local workers collect them for birds-nest soup. From here we’ll drive to our collection point on the Kinabatangan River and cruise upstream to our lodge. Along the way we have a chance forOriental Pied Hornbill,White-bellied Sea-Eagle,Grey-headed andLesser Fish Eagles,Storm’sStork andLesser Adjutant,and a variety of kingfishers. We’ll take a stroll around the grounds in the afternoon heat to get familiar with some of the local birds likeAsian Red-eyed Bulbul,White-crowned Shama, Chestnut-winged Babbler,and a trail through the back of the grounds can yieldBlack-and-red Broadbill, Dark-necked Tailorbird,Maroon-breasted Philentoma,andBlue-throated Bee-eater. After dinner we might take a night boat to check for Buffy Fish Owl and other denizens of the night along the banks of the river.
Overnight: Sukau Greenview Bed and Breakfast, Kinabatangan River
Day 8. Birding the Kinabatangan River.
We’ll have a full day to explore the many tributaries and waterways of the river, looking for our main target, Bornean Ground Cuckoo, which can take some time as we’ll need to sit quietly and wait for it to respond to playback.The endemic White-fronted Falconetcan sometimes be seen sitting on a branch, waiting for a meal. Several bulbuls linger at the edge of the forest, andWhite-chested Babbler and Fluffy-backed Tit Babblerare often heard and seen along here. Several species of Hornbills can be seen in flight across the river, including Rhinoceros, Oriental Pied, Black, Wreathed,and rarely Helmeted and Wrinkled. Another difficult one is theWhite-crowned Hornbill,but it does respond to playback, so we’ll spend some time trying to call one out along the way. Primate lovers will see a multitude of proboscis monkeys in the trees along the river banks, along with many pig-tailed macaques, and, if we’re really lucky, perhaps even a Bornean orangutan in the wild or a Bornean gibbon.
Overnight: Sukau Greenview Bed and Breakfast, Kinabatangan River
Day 9.Transfer to Danum Valley and the Tabin Wildlife Center
We’ll have the morning to try for any species we may have missed. After lunch we drive to the town of Lahad Datu. We’ll make our way from here into the Danum Valley arriving in the afternoon, which will give us a chance to rest before we head into the forest after dinner, where we can spotlight owls, night mammals, and other forest denizens.
Overnight: Tabin Wildlife Resort, Danum Valley
Days 10 – 13. Birding Danum Valley
We will spend four full days at this wondrous place. Danum Valley, a large area of magnificent primary rainforest, is filled with birds, and we’ll spend our time here birding the many rainforest trails while trying particularly forPittas: eight species occur here, namely Garnet, Hooded, Blue-winged, Bornean Banded, Blue-headed, Blue-banded, Fairy, and even Giant, but as always they are not easy to find.Similarly difficult is Great Argus, butlarge numbers of trogons, babblers, bulbuls, barbets, broadbills,hornbills,and more will bring much enjoyment. Evenings here will give us a chance to take to the forest for mammals and night birds, and with luck we might find Large, Blyth’s, or SundaFrogmouth, Grey or Large-tailed Nightjar, orReddish Scops Owl. The heat of the afternoon after lunch allows some relaxed meanderings around the resort, and you can often findflowerpeckersand spiderhuntersin the flowering bushes, along with some stunning butterflies. We’ll also have a chance to scan for the myriads of flycatchers, woodpeckers,drongos,and raptors,as well as for mammals like Bornean gibbon, red giant and Thomas’s flying squirrels, Sunda slow loris, and of course Bornean orangutan.
Overnight: Tabin Wildlife Resort, Danum Valley
Day14. Danum Valley to Kota Kinabalu
We bid farewell to this pristine area of forest and make our way back to Lahad Datu to catch an afternoon flight back to Kota Kinabalu. Transfer to the Kota Kinabalu airport for those participants leaving the tour here.
Overnight: Gaya Center Hotel, Kota Kinabalu
Optional Mantanani Extension
Day 15. Kota Kinabalu to Mantanani Island
This morning we’ll drive to Kota Belud on the coast and catch a boat to Mantanani Island, where we’ll spend the night. The accommodation here is beach cabins with shared bathroom. The 1.5-hour boat ride will allow us to see some seabirds along the way and should normally be fairly smooth, but this is always dependent on sea conditions. On the island we have a chance for the localized, near threatened Mantanani Scops Owl. After dinner we’ll walk the woods surrounding our accommodation and check for this night denizen.
Overnight: shared accommodation with communal bathroom, Mantanani Island
Day 16. Mantanani Island, transfer to Kota Kinabalu, departure
We’ll wake to the sounds of the ocean, and after breakfast we’ll walk some of the island trails to check for Philippine Megapode andMetallic, Grey Imperial,andPied Imperial Pigeons. There is also a roost of LesserandChristmas Frigatebirds,and some more of the common species we can sort through. We’ll have the whole morning to scan the beaches and forest for any species we’ve missed, before our afternoon boat takes us back to Kota Belud, from where we drive back to Kota Kinabalu. Most flights depart in the evening back home.
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Itinerary:
Duration:14 days plus 2 days extension
Limit:6 - 8
Date:August 5 - 21 2013
Start:Kota Kinabalu, Borneo
End:Kota Kinabalu, Borneo
Price:$5892.00 and Mantanani Extension $773.00.
Price includes:
One internal flight included
Accommodation
All meals (except for dinner on the first night)
Price excludes:
International flights
Insurance
Tips
Other personal expenses