Cycling & trekking in Borneo
| country: | Malaysia, Borneo |
| location: | Sabah & Sarawak |
| trip type: | Moderate / adventurous cycling holidays Strenuous trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 25 Oct, 15 Nov 2009: 18 Apr |
| price: | From £1345 (15 days) excluding flights. Bike hire £150. Price includes accommodation, full tour service (group leader, guides, back up vehicle), 70% meals, land transportation/airport transfers, park & climbing fees. We can help arrange flights from the UK |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
The trip of a lifetime! That really is the only way to describe our Borneo cycling adventure.
The myth, legend and romance that surrounds this place - the land of head-hunters, home of the Wild Man of Borneo and "the land beneath the wind" is second to none.
Following our international flights to Kuala Lumpur and domestic connections to Kota Kinabalu, we start our adventure in what is undoubtedly Malaysia's premier nature and adventure destination; Sabah in northern Borneo.
Starting on 2 wheels we journey around this last great frontier for two unforgettable weeks of amazing biking. This is one of the world's last great wildernesses, a thick jungle home to thousands of varieties of flora and fauna.
Through ancient rainforests we descend to stunning coastlines, all of which are like no place on earth. It would be crazy to go so far and limit things to two wheels - which is why we continue, on foot, to sample both the diverse and famous delights of this jungle paradise.
We take a two-day trek to the summit of the mythical Mount Kinabalu, at 4,101 metres, the highest peak in the region. We then trek with native people into the jungle where we "go wild" and learn survival skills, sleep in a longhouse with the Rungus tribe and paddle through mangrove swamps in native canoes, looking out for wildlife such as the proboscis monkey along the way.
The whole trip is linked together with plenty of classic dirt and coastal biking and includes the option to visit the world-famous orang-utan sanctuary too.
Please note: The itinerary to subject to change.
The myth, legend and romance that surrounds this place - the land of head-hunters, home of the Wild Man of Borneo and "the land beneath the wind" is second to none.
Following our international flights to Kuala Lumpur and domestic connections to Kota Kinabalu, we start our adventure in what is undoubtedly Malaysia's premier nature and adventure destination; Sabah in northern Borneo.
Starting on 2 wheels we journey around this last great frontier for two unforgettable weeks of amazing biking. This is one of the world's last great wildernesses, a thick jungle home to thousands of varieties of flora and fauna.
Through ancient rainforests we descend to stunning coastlines, all of which are like no place on earth. It would be crazy to go so far and limit things to two wheels - which is why we continue, on foot, to sample both the diverse and famous delights of this jungle paradise.
We take a two-day trek to the summit of the mythical Mount Kinabalu, at 4,101 metres, the highest peak in the region. We then trek with native people into the jungle where we "go wild" and learn survival skills, sleep in a longhouse with the Rungus tribe and paddle through mangrove swamps in native canoes, looking out for wildlife such as the proboscis monkey along the way.
The whole trip is linked together with plenty of classic dirt and coastal biking and includes the option to visit the world-famous orang-utan sanctuary too.
Please note: The itinerary to subject to change.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | UK airport (or other departure point) - Kuala Lumpur - Kota Kinabalu. Most will arrive in Kota Kinabalu by mid afternoon after which we take a short transfer (30 minutes approx.) to our hotel for a spot of relaxation and recovery from the long haul journey. Once we’ve unpacked there should be plenty of time to explore the delights of KK, including the enchanting Filipino market and the magical sea front - from where you can witness the famous Borneo sunset before rounding the day off with dinner at a local food court where you will sample some of Asia’s finest cuisine. |
| Day 3: | Kota Kinabalu - Weston. Transfer south for a gentle day riding through palm fringed seaside kampungs as we hug the shores of the South China Sea. Transfer to the historic water village of Weston and head out on a night boat safari, spotting proboscis monkeys, giant water monitors and other wildlife before spending the night at the lodge. |
| Day 4: | Padas-Tenom. Following an early start we head back through the swamp lands and transfer to Beaufort, where we board the historic North Borneo Jungle railway. Conditions permitting we will also take a white water raft trip along the Padas jungle river before arriving in the mountain town of Tenom, where we spend the night. |
| Day 5: | Croker and Keningau. We spend today riding through remote hill country, shadowing the back of the mighty Croker mountain range as we head north to our overnight stop at Keningau, our route will be a mix of surfaced and dirt roads. |
| Day 6: | Croker and Tambunan. Continuing north again we follow the base of the Croker range and on towards the distant heights of Mount Kinabalu. We spend the night at a bamboo lodge near the village of Tambunan. |
| Day 7: | Ranau and Longhouse. Riding further north we eventually reach the town of Ranau, famed as the ending point of the WW2 death marches. From here we transfer to Sabah Tea Garden where we spend the night in a luxury longhouse. |
| Day 8: | Kinabalu. Today we spend our morning riding around this stunning plantation. We take lunch overlooking the estate before making a tour of the tea factory. Early afternoon we transfer to Poring Hot Springs for a thermal dip, and a walk through the rain forest canopy. From here we continue to our hotel, with a birds eye views of Mount Kinabalu and prepare for the following day's climb. |
| Day 9-10: | Climb Mt. Kinabalu. Climbing the majestic Mount Kinabalu is one of the greatest achievements for anyone visiting Sabah. We begin our hike at1866m, and spend our first day climbing through dramatic jungle scenery to the Laban Rata refuge (3353m), where we get to witness perhaps the best sunset view in all of Borneo before getting an early night in preparation for our push to the summit. Before the sun comes up we don our head-torches and leave our bunks to head for the summit of Kinabalu (4101m) to watch the sunrise over Sabah. After spending some time to take in the magnificent views we descend and transfer back to our hotel to recover and reminisce over our achievement. |
| Day 11: | Kinabalu-Sabah Tea Garden. Following a short transfer we ease our legs back in to shape with a long descent, and then decide on a transfer up hill or a challenging climb to Kampung Kiau, a remote Dusan mountain village. Here we leave the bikes behind and head in to the jungle with our local guides. We spend the afternoon and evening learning about the native flora and fauna, and maybe even hunting out dinner and testing our blow pipe skills before spending a magical jungle night beneath canvas, a true jungle survival experience. |
| Day 8: | Belud and Longhouse. Trekking back through the jungle we pass the local villagers heading out to harvest their hill rice before transferring north to the flat respite of Kota Belud, from where we take a short back road ride to our overnight stop at a Rungus long house, where we spend a fantastic evening with the local people. |
| Day 13: | Weston to Kota Kinabalu. Following a short transfer we ride the dirt roads to the very tip of Borneo, and then head back southwards and make a late afternoon transfer back to our hotel in Kota Kinabalu. |
| Day 14: | Kota Kinabalu. Free day. You may fancy sightseeing, snorkelling, boating, visiting the world famous Sepilok Orang Utan or just relaxing! Later that evening we’ll all meet up for a farewell dinner. |
| Day 15: | Departure |
travellers' tales
One of the best holidays I have been on. The itinerary was really well designed and the holiday was well organised. We really got off the tourist map and saw some amazing sights. (more)
this tourism business was Highly Commended
In our 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards, the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine. The idea behind the Awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. how this holiday makes a difference
 Global adventures start with a local perspective - that's our philosophy. Whether abroad, or just as importantly at home, the start point is the same; how to get the most enjoyable holiday for our customers while benefiting the local people, economy and respecting their environment and their culture. In our biking and trekking trip in Borneo we digress from the normal tourist trails to experience the variety and culture of this country through visiting remote villages and communities. Tham, our local guide in Borneo and creator of ‘Ecotourism on pedals’ has over 15 years experience in guiding trips around his native country and works closely with local communities committed to sustainable tourism development. During the trip he will share with you his local knowledge of the area to help increase the awareness of the culture and history of Borneo. Throughout the trip we stay in a variety of accommodation including bamboo lodges, a mountain refuge, a night camping and Rungus longhouses. This choice of accommodation reflects the diversity of this country and enables us to learn about the way of life of the local communities, such as the Rungus. During the trip we learn about the history of the country; we make a tour of a tea factory, visit the end point of the WW2 death marches in Ranau. Using a variety of transportation, such as the North Borneo Jungle Railway and Canoes, we reach remote villages and spend an afternoon learning about the fauna and flora of the jungle. Our trip ends with the option of visiting the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, 43 sq km of protected land at the edge of the Kabili Sepilok forest reserve, with the aim of rehabilitating orphan Orang Utans. For all our trips we off-set emissions for staff and guide flights, office energy and vehicle usage and recycle our office waste. We offer all our customers with the opportunity to off-set their emission for flights. |
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