BORNEO: KUCHING E KOTA KINABALU

After immigration formalities, passport control, baggage retrieval, and customs, you will be greeted by a local guide and transferred to the hotel. The room is available starting from 14.00/15.00. Around 3 pm, I will meet with the guide and start exploring this exotic city, the capital of the state of Sarawak. The tour will begin with a visit to one of the most important Buddhist temples in the city center, followed by a visit to the Urang Museum, rich in Sarawak traditions. We will then proceed through the old Malay village to discover the true "kampung" (village) lifestyle. Returning to the city center, we will start an interesting walking tour, starting from the Kuching Mosque, and walking through old streets with their typical arcades and small local artisan shops. We will admire the British colonial area with the Court House and other buildings in the same style, and then walk along the Sarawak River and Main Bazar, where various ethnic shops and local wood processing shops can be found. I return to the hotel on foot with the guide. Available evening. Dinner free. Accommodation The Waterfront Hotel.

Breakfast. 7.30 am: meet with the guide at the hotel and depart for the fishing village of Bako, passing through the mangrove forest with its typical nipah palms. We will set off by boat to descend to the mouth of this river and cross a stretch of sea for about 30 minutes to reach Bako National Park, created in 1957, which offers a perfect introduction to the forests and wildlife of Sarawak. Bako Park contains a wide range of vegetation over an area of 27 square kilometres: mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest, delicate marine vegetation and a rich variety of wildlife including proboscis monkeys, macaques, silvered leaf monkeys and monitor lizards. We will set off on an exciting journey that will take us to the western part of the park through rainforests to reach a beautiful unspoilt bay, on the edges of which stand rock formations of immense beauty. On the way back, it will be interesting to take a walk through the mangrove forest where, thanks to the low tide, you will have the opportunity to observe “fiddler crabs” and other small crustaceans emerging from the mud, which provide additional food for the wild animals of this forest. Return to the Park Management Centre where you will also have lunch with local specialities. We will return by boat to your hotel in the city, dinner at your leisure. Accommodation The Waterfront Hotel.

Breakfast. At 08.00 meet your guide at the hotel and set off towards and then on to the Semenggoh Orang Utan Conservation Centre. This is a special protection centre for these primates, established in 1975 across 740 hectares of virgin forest. Most of these animals were rescued from captivity and, over the years, have been rehabilitated to a free life in their natural environment. In recent years this Orang Utan community has grown to more than 26 individuals, with many natural births. We shall admire these creatures as they emerge from the dense vegetation to take advantage of a little extra food set out on platforms by the Centre's rangers. No ranger will touch them, precisely so that these primates can retain their freedom in their own environment. Each day few or many individuals may appear before visitors... it all depends on the decision of the dominant male! Note: orangutans are wild animals, so sightings cannot be guaranteed, even though at the Semenggoh Centre the chances are always high. Nevertheless, as these are animals living in the wild, their presence cannot be guaranteed 100%. We then continue to the small town of Serian, home to a characteristic open-air market selling typical local produce. Wandering among the stalls you will notice how clean this market is, offering visitors the chance to discover very unusual vegetables and fruits, some of them found only in Sarawak. We continue on to the village of the Bidayuh community of Annah Rais, situated not far from the border with Indonesian Kalimantan. This is a thriving rural community and is home to one of the few remaining traditional Bidayuh houses in Sarawak. The Bidayuh, or Land Dayak, are the second largest Dayak tribe in Sarawak. Traditionally they lived in terraced houses, but nowadays most Bidayuh settlements consist of single houses rather than longhouses. On arrival at the traditional longhouse you will be able to learn about this community's way of life and their traditions, still preserved intact despite modernity. Lunch in local style inside the longhouse, followed by a walk through plantations of rice, pepper (the famous aromatic pepper of this region) and rubber, the typical crops of this ethnic group. At the end of the visit, transfer directly to Kuching airport for the flight to the next destination, or return to the hotel to collect your luggage if you have an evening flight. Arrival at Kota Kinabalu airport and meeting with the English-speaking driver for the transfer to your hotel in the city. Dinner not included, overnight. Accommodation Grandis hotel Kota Kinabalu.

Breakfast. At 09:00 meet your guide at the hotel to visit the fascinating Mari-Mari Cultural Village. The village lies not far from the city of Kota Kinabalu and operates as an open-air museum where you can observe the ways of life of all the main ethnic groups present in the state of Sabah, including the Murut (former headhunters), Bajau, Kadazan-Dusun and others. You can visit the traditional houses belonging to the various ethnic groups and see live examples of foods still cooked in bamboo today, traditional fire-making and traditional dances. A simple but tasty lunch in local style. At the end of the visit, at around 14.00, you will set off with your guide for the Klias river, with its mangrove ecosystem and low riverine jungle. In just over two hours' travel, crossing villages and oil palm plantations, you will reach the river for a coffee break with fried bananas and local sweets, before setting off in a motorised boat to travel upriver in search of proboscis monkeys, primates endemic to Borneo. The excursion also offers the chance to observe birds, macaques and, in some cases, water buffalo and monitor lizards. At sunset return to the jetty for dinner in local style, after which you board the boat again for a short trip along the river to enjoy the wonderful natural spectacle of hundreds of fireflies adorning the mangroves like Christmas trees. Afterwards return to Kota Kinabalu, arriving late in the evening. Accommodation Grandis hotel Kota Kinabalu.

Breakfast. Check out of the hotel. At 8 a.m., meet with the guide at the hotel and depart for a day dedicated to visiting the mountainous areas of Mount Kinabalu, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its high concentration of biodiversity. We will climb up the eastern ridge of the mountain until we reach the typical Nabalu market, an excellent vantage point for viewing the mountain, a large, jagged granite block 4,095 metres high. We will then continue to the other side of the mountain, descending to an altitude of about 600 metres, where we will reach the Poring Hot Spring area, natural outdoor hot and cold water springs built during the Second World War by the Japanese during their occupation. The tropical nature of this area is different from that of the first side: the trees can reach a height of 60 metres and the vegetation seems to dominate the landscape! We will have a local-style lunch and then set off on a short, easy walk to reach four short suspension bridges 30 metres above the ground (Canopy Walkway) and some small waterfalls. On the way back to the city, if we are lucky, there will be a short stop to see the Rafflesia, a rare plant endemic to rainforests, parasitic, without a trunk, leaves or real roots, which can reach 1 metre in diameter and weigh up to 11 kg.

The Rafflesia is considered the official flower of the state of Sabah in Malaysia and its image is also featured on local banknotes. In the late afternoon, we will arrive at the resort to check in to our rooms. Dinner and overnight stay at the Kinabalu Pine Resort in Kundasang.

***From 01/04/2027:

Check-out from the hotel. At 08:00, meet your guide at the hotel and depart for a full-day excursion to the mountainous areas of Mount Kinabalu, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its exceptional concentration of biodiversity. We will travel along the eastern mountain range towards the typical Nabalu Market, an excellent viewpoint overlooking Mount Kinabalu, a spectacular granite massif reaching 4,095 metres in height. Continue to Kinabalu Park, where we will enjoy a nature walk along an easy trail through the typical vegetation of tropical lower montane forests. The visit continues with the interesting Botanical Garden, where it is possible to observe a variety of orchid species, wild ginger, mosses, ferns, carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes, medicinal plants, rattan and many other species, offering a remarkable example of the area's unique biodiversity. Local-style lunch at the Park. The journey continues to the other side of the mountain, descending to an altitude of approximately 600 metres, until reaching the Poring area, where we will search for the Rafflesia, a rare endemic plant of the rainforest. This parasitic plant has no stem, leaves or true roots and can reach up to 1 metre in diameter and weigh as much as 11 kg. The Rafflesia is considered the official flower of the Malaysian state of Sabah and its image also appears on local banknotes. In the afternoon, we will reach the resort for check-in. Dinner and overnight at Kinabalu Pine Resort in Kundasang.

Please note: we recommend leaving your bulky luggage at the hotel and taking only what you need for one night with you. We also suggest bringing light long trousers, comfortable trainers, a hat, a light poncho, insect repellent and T-shirts for the various excursions. Accommodation Pine Resort.

Breakfast. Stop at the typical markets of Kundasang before continuing to Kinabalu Park, where we will visit the Botanical Garden and enjoy a nature walk through the typical vegetation of tropical lower montane forests. Along the way, it will be possible to observe a variety of orchid species, wild ginger, mosses, ferns, carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes, medicinal plants, rattan and many other species, offering a remarkable example of the area's unique biodiversity. Local-style lunch at the Park, followed by a visit to the interesting Botanical Garden. At the end of the excursion, return to Kota Kinabalu, arriving in the late afternoon. Dinner at leisure.

*** From 01/04/2027:

Stop at the typical markets of Kundasang before continuing in the morning to a rural area set in a beautiful valley, with a waterfall accessible by an easy trek. We will then explore a local village to observe the rural way of life, including rice cultivation and other agricultural activities carried out by the local communities. Local-style lunch, followed by the return journey to Kota Kinabalu, arriving in the afternoon. Dinner at leisure. Accommodation Grandis hotel Kota Kinabalu.

Breakfast. Check-out of the room by 12.00. At the locally indicated time, transfer to the airport only with a driver, without assistance. End of the tour.