Wild Encounters of Borneo with Kuching - Small Group

Welcome to Sandakan, your gateway to Borneo’s wildlife and rainforests. This coastal city in eastern Sabah sits between the Sulu Sea and rainforest, with markets, temples and waterfront streets shaped by its mix of Malay, Chinese and Indigenous cultures. After settling in, meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers for dinner. Over your first evening together, get to know the people you’ll be traveling with and hear from your Travel Director about the wildlife, landscapes and local communities that will shape your time in Borneo.

Start at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, where you’ll see orphaned orangutans and those once kept as pets learning the skills they need to return to the wild. Watch them feed on fruit, swing through the trees and view the nursery where younger orangutans practise for life in the rainforest. Continue to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center for a guided tour with founder and CEO Dr. Wong, whose work protects the world’s smallest bear. At the Rainforest Discovery Center in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, walk suspension bridges and a 147 m (482 ft) canopy walkway, with giant trees and rare birds around you.

Discover Sandakan on a Heritage Walk, following local streets through the city’s markets, cafes and community spaces. Dive into Culture as you taste roti kosong, kueh and teh tarik, favorites you’ll see on menus and counters across the city. Transfer by boat to Kinabatangan Wetland Resort, your Stays with Stories experience, surrounded by mangroves and rainforest near the Kinabatangan River. Cruise along the river, taking in the changing views and watching the banks for signs of proboscis monkeys, hornbills and crocodiles. After dinner at the resort, join a night walk along the boardwalk to look for insects, frogs and other creatures active after dark.

Set out at first light on the Kinabatangan River, listening for the dawn chorus as the rainforest comes to life around you. Cruise to an oxbow lake, where still water, overhanging trees and wetland plants create a different view of this river system. Pass Kg Abai and hear about the Orang Sungai, the river people whose traditional way of life is tied to fishing, boats and the changing water levels. Return to the resort for free time before an afternoon cruise along the upper Kinabatangan, looking for pygmy elephants, mangrove species and other signs of life along the banks. After dinner, step back onto the boat for a night river safari, scanning the dark for slow lorises, tarsiers, civets and sleeping kingfishers.