12 THE JEWELS OF THE JUNGLE
Gorgeous beaches, rushing rivers, rainforests where rare animals roam free: Borneo is the world’s secret garden.
10 DAY TOUR & CRUISE: 2 FOR 1 BORNEO Includes return flights to Borneo for two people Enjoy three cruises on the Kinabatangan River to see rainforest wildlife Visit Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and snorkel on Manukan Island Oct 2022 – Nov 2023
On the world’s third-largest island, the star attraction is an ancient rainforest brimming with birds, butterflies and ginger-haired orangutans that swing gymnastically from branch to branch. Wildlife lovers, this is your paradise. Before delving into the jungle, you’ll begin in northern Borneo, snorkelling the warm, turquoise waters of Manukan Island, meeting descendants of diverse tribes at Mari Mari Cultural Village, hiking through Kinabalu National Park in search of wild orchids and visiting the poignant Kundasang War Memorial Park, which commemorates the Australian, British and local lives lost during World War II. Then you go deep: a two-night stay at a rustic eco lodge on the banks of the Kinabatangan River puts you right in the heart of the rainforest. Here, the cast of wildlife shifts as the seasons change but you’ll spend much of your time out on the water, keeping your eyes peeled for proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, gibbons and even endangered pygmy elephants, which are about a fifth smaller than their mainland cousins in India. More animal encounters await at the Labuk Bay Proboscis Sanctuary, home to hundreds of the endangered, big-nosed monkeys, and at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, where the world’s smallest bears climb 40-metre-tall trees to forage for honey. From the suspended walkways and observation tower at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok, you’ll have 360-degree views over the canopy – Instagrammers and birdwatchers, this is your moment.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Founded in 1964, the Sepilok Orangutan Centre rehabilitates baby orangutan orphans so they can return to the wild. Seeing the young primates learn to forage and climb elicits plenty of oohs and aahs but the conservation work is inspiring – and by visiting it, you will be helping the organisation.