BORNEO: Primate Paradise!
I had the opportunity to visit Borneo with Destination Asia Malaysia in November 2017, obviously I jumped at the chance and I’m so glad that I did!
Our trip to Borneo was the highlight, but it was bookended by a stay in Singapore & Kuala Lumpur as well. This report is going to focus on the Borneo experience, as I’ve traveled to both cities previously, however I must say that both warrant a stay from your guests. They are beautiful, clean cities with an incredible food scene, world class hotels, and English is spoken in both. Singapore & KL are especially attractive if your clients are visiting Asia for the first time and/or are a bit nervous about visiting such a faraway land. Utilizing these gateways offers a great starting point to get over jetlag and ‘ease’ into the trip to Asia.
Singapore – this island nation serves as a perfect start or end to your clients’ Asian adventure. Singapore often gets the reputation of being expensive, but it does not have to be if your clients don’t require the best of the best in accommodation and/or dining. I would recommend a 3 night stay in Singapore if this is your point of entry b/c the first night will be used just to get over the long journey (2 nights would likely be sufficient if you are ending here and ready for activities upon arrival). Highlights of a visit to Singapore include Gardens by the Bay, a city tour showing the ‘Cultural Kaleidoscope’ that is Singapore (Kampong Glam is my favorite neighborhood), a short cruise on the Singapore River and Marina Bay offering stunning views of the iconic skyline, a food tour visiting hawker (street food stalls) centers to try local favorites, and those keen on exploring local nightlife cannot miss Clark’s Quay for dinner and drinks.
Kuala Lumpur – I think KL has become my favorite (major) city in Asia following this, my second, visit to the metropolis. The culinary scene in Singapore is internationally acclaimed but the Malaysian capital 200 miles north certainly gives it a run for its money. Fine dining, trendy fusion joints, rooftop restaurant/bars, and food stalls offering local fare are all on offer in abundance. KL is a MUST for any foodie and Destination Asia can put together an unforgettable culinary experience. The nightlife is also good in KL ranging from Changkat Bukit Bintang, which is one street of bars and restaurants similar to Pub Street in Siem Reap (think mini Bourbon Street but much cleaner) to the trendy Skybar at the Traders Hotel complete with a swimming pool and amazing city views.
Don’t worry there is more to KL than just food – Batu Caves just outside the city is a must see; guests should enjoy a city tour including views of the world renowned Petronas Twin Towers; Malaysia is a major producer of pewter and visiting the Royal Selangor factory and workshop is an interesting and fun tour (guests can make their own pewter bowl at the School of Hard Knocks during their visit); Central Market is a huge marketplace allowing you to put your ‘negotiating’ skills to task, and if you’re in the market for a more upscale shopping experience you’d want to visit the glamorous Jalan Bukit Bintang. The newest tour on offer is a helicopter ride over Kuala Lumpur; Destination Asia is the ONLY DMC in Malaysia offering this tour – which can be done during day or night. The 25 minute ride flies you around the city center offering unrivaled views of the twin towers, over the dam just outside the city (I never realized how green KL was until being 1,500 feet above it) and a visit to the aforementioned Batu Caves for a different perspective.
Given the diversity of experiences on offer and proximity & connectivity to Borneo I would strongly recommend including these international cities on your guest’s Borneo itinerary.
INTERNATIONAL ACCESS
We had the privilege of flying Singapore Airlines (SQ) business class internationally and if your clients have the means I think this is the best way to go, but if the sticker price is a bit too high their premium economy is incredibly comfortable and a great value. SQ flies an A380 from JFK (via Frankfurt) daily, a 777 from LAX (via Tokyo or Seoul) and A350 from SFO (nonstop). The JFK & LAX service will be nonstop starting in Q3 2018 which will make the ride even better.
The seats are incredibly comfortable and well thought out to maximize passenger comfort and convenience; the service is second to none; and food & entertainment on offer is excellent.
Additionally, SQ has a regional airline, Silk Air, which connects Singapore with the entire continent so getting around the region on one ticket is easy.
There are alternative options to access Singapore/Malaysia but all require a stop. Some of the best options besides SQ include: Emirates via Dubai, Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, and Delta via Tokyo, amongst others.
BORNEO
Most people are unaware of the size of the island of Borneo. Many also don’t realize that over 70% of the island belongs to Indonesia; the Indonesian side is referred to as Kalimantan. The Malaysian side is East Malaysia but commonly just called Borneo and that is more popular and better developed for tourism than the Indonesian side.
The population of the entire island is nearly 20 Million, with the following breakdown:
Kalimantan (Indonesian side) = approx. 14 Million
East Malaysia (Malaysian side) = approx. 5.5 Million – just over 3 Million are in Sabah
Brunei (independent country) = 500,000
East Malaysia is made up of two states – Sabah & Sarawak.
Sarawak is almost twice the size of it’s neighbor to the northeast but Saba has nearly 1 million more people. Travelers looking for the full Borneo experience can visit both states, but if they are short on time or just looking for a ‘taste’ of Borneo Sabah would most likely be the choice.
If you need help deciding which your clients should visit (or both), here’s a quick guide that might be helpful.
There are many reasons to visit Borneo (wildlife being the most obvious) so here are some, along with which state offers better experiences for that interest:
Orangutans: Both/Either
Proboscis Monkeys: Sabah
Sun Bears: Sabah
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling: Sabah
Cultural Experiences & Festivals: Sarawak
Climbing and/or Hiking: Sabah
As you can see above, there is a lot to do on Borneo and it’s important to know where your client’s interests lie so you can plan their itinerary accordingly.
REGIONAL ACCESS
Guests visiting Sarawak would use Kuching (the capital city of Sarawak) as a hub. Several regional airlines service Kuching from both Singapore & KL. The flight time is only about 90 minutes.
Sabah has two cities with air access from SIN & KL – Kota Kinabalu (KK) & Sandakan. The flight time from either to Sabah (Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan) is +/- 2 hours.
SABAH
Sabah welcomed almost 3.5 million visitors in 2016 (they are projecting good growth in ’17), but only 1.1 million were international guests and just 14,433 visitors were from the USA. 70% of international visitors are aged 21 – 50 and more than half are FIT clients.
Sabah is very multicultural and also has many religions practiced across the state, Islam being the largest but Christianity is also prevalent in the region. It’s an incredibly diverse and welcoming region.
Kota Kinabalu is the biggest city in Sabah and sits right on the water offering a tropical feel, although the city does not have great beaches. There are 5 barrier islands which can be accessed by short boat rides for snorkeling, scuba diving, sunbathing, ziplining, and beach dinners. KK could appeal to anyone – lots to do for families, you can just relax by the pool or on one of the barrier islands, and there are plenty of water sports and hiking for your more active visitors. The real adventurous may wish to climb Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea, standing at 13,435 feet. This must be booked far in advance and requires an overnight on the mountain. This is a hike, not a technical climb, but anyone attempting this must be in good physical condition.
If guests are coming solely for the wildlife they can fly straight into to Sandakan, the gateway to the rainforest (if you’re an Africa seller think Maun but larger).
Sandakan is the gateway to the rainforest and key game viewing areas so your wildlife experience will begin there. Sandakan is a small city on the water with a couple of hotels, the nicest being a Four Points by Sheraton. Just outside of town is an incredible wildlife rehabilitation center called Sepilok. The main attraction is the orang utan rehabilitation center. Given my experience with Africa and love for wildlife I am always skeptical of such centers that keep animals in ‘semi-captivity’, however Sepilok is doing great things and a visit should be included for all travelers. In addition to the orang utan center there is a sun bear conservation center which was equally as interesting. Sun bears are the smallest bear species and they’re endangered so viewing them in the wild is near impossible. Additionally, there is a proboscis sanctuary located about a half hour away that you can visit and see them up close during feedings.
One of the highlights of the entire trip was our evening/night walk in the sanctuary with our guide. We had some great sightings – including 4 flying squirrels! Even without the sightings I would highly recommend this, as being in nature surrounded by wilderness and sounds was very cool. In addition to the wildlife our guide did a great job of pointing out plant species, and some smaller nocturnal animals.
Although there are city hotels I would recommend staying at Sepilok Nature Resort, a very cool 23 chalet lodge sitting between jungle and lake located within walking distance of the orang utan sanctuary. The property is not luxurious but it has a great vibe and it’s more than comfortable, offering air conditioning and excellent food.
Following the stay in Sandakan (1 or 2 nights), guests embark on a +/- 2 hour boat ride down the Kinabatangan River to Sukau. Luggage is sent ahead by vehicle, and you only take what you need on the boat transfer. You are now entering the jungle and we actually spotted an orang utan, several other monkey species, crocodiles and plenty of bird species on the transfer in.
Sukau is a small town with a population of 2,000 and the center of the primate ecosystem in Sabah. There are a number of lodges on the river but the best by far is Sukau Rainforest Lodge, a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World. The property features 20 superior rooms which are very basic and the brand new villas which are beautiful, definitely the best accommodation option in the region.
ITINERARY / PROGRAM
The lodges run on a 2 night, 3 day program as follows:
Day 1: Depart Sandakan around 12:30pm, arrive for afternoon boat cruise, dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Early wakeup for 6am boat cruise, day at leisure with optional activities (including nature
walks, lectures, etc.), 4pm afternoon/evening boat cruise (2 hours), dinner and overnight
Day 3: Breakfast at the lodge, then 8am departure on boat back to Sandakan
As you may have ascertained from the above all game viewing is done from the river by boat. This provides a great viewpoint for seeing game but it also limits you to only viewing animals that are on the banks of the river – in trees for the monkeys & orang utans, and on the banks for elephants. The birding is exceptional with beautiful species of kingfishers, hornbills, hawks and more endemic to the area.
During our time in the jungle we saw LOTS of proboscis monkeys which are very entertaining creatures, loads of macaques (long tailed & short tailed), silver leaf monkeys, many crocodiles and lots of birds (hornbills and kingfishers being the prettiest by far).
Do not expect to get great photos on your iPhone to post on Facebook or Instagram. Due to the thick jungle and distance from the animals you must bring a proper camera if you are hoping to make your friends back home jealous from your pictures.
There is another area called Danum Valley that offers another way to see the rainforest ecosystem’s flora & fauna. This area is reachable either by light aircraft or a boat ride followed by a very bumpy road transfer. As opposed to Sukau, where all activities are on the river, Danum Valley offers more walking through the jungle – both on paths and on canopy walkways.
Unfortunately we did not have enough time to visit this area but that’s fine by me because it gives me a reason to come back!
THE BORNEO BIG FIVE
The rainforests of Sabah are unrivaled for anyone seeking primate viewing and/or avid birdwatchers, however just like in Africa the local tourism industry has created their own ‘Big Five’: orang utans, proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, pygmy elephants, and rhinoceros hornbills.
We were able to see four of the five, only missing the pygmy elephants. Our guide (who was AWESOME) said guests get to see this smallest elephant species about 50% of the time and on our day of departure they were spotted by another group. Our viewing of the rhinoceros hornbill was from a great distance but the sightings of the other three were excellent and we did see a number of other hornbill species up close that were very interesting.
SUMMARY
In a few words - Borneo is Awesome!
I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of accommodation and service as I had always perceived these aspects to be lacking. The game viewing element was not quite what I expected but it was very good. I thought it would be a mix of walking and river in the jungle but it was exclusively boating. The biggest surprise to me was how much I enjoyed the sanctuaries – all three that we visited (orang utans, sun bears, and proboscis monkeys). They offered the best opportunity to view the animals up close and they’re really doing great things to ensure that these species live on for future generations.
I would recommend Borneo, and specifically Sabah to anyone interested in conservation, primates and/or birding. The region definitely offers a unique experience and I’m already eager to go back.