Trip
Information
Tour
Dates: September 12 - 26, 2009
Duration: 15
days
Limit: 12
people
Cost: $4095
USD, $5150 CDN, single supplement $650 USD/$815 CDN (where available)
From: Kota
Kinabalu, Borneo
Tour
Leaders: Richard Knapton & local
guide
Highlights:
• Wonderful rich and varied birding!
•
Lots of very special and unique birds and wildlife, including astounding mammals,
from Orang-utans to Proboscis Monkeys
•
Excellent reserves and birding areas at Mount Kinabalu, lowland rainforests,
and along marvelous rivers
Featured Birds & Other Wildlife:
• Bornean Bristlehead
•
Buffy Fish-Owl
•
Whitehead’s Trogon
•
Rhinoceros Hornbill
•
Bornean Wren-Babbler
•
Great Argus Pheasant
•
Whitehead’s Spiderhunter
•
Black-breasted Fruit-hunter
•
Bornean Pygmy Elephant
•
Orang-utan
•
Proboscis Monkey
Tour
Summary:
• One internal flight included
•
Excellent high-quality hotels and lodges
•
6 to 12 participants with two leaders
•
All meals included
•
At low altitudes, hot, humid and sunny, with frequent rain. Cool
on Mount Kinabalu.
•
Generally easy to moderate walking; fairly arduous optional walk
at Mount Kinabalu
•
Boatrides along Kinabatangan River
This
tour can also be combined with our Peninsular
Malaysia tour (Sept.
5 - 12) or with our Papua New Guinea tour (Sept. 27 - Oct. 13) |
The
island of Borneo, once a land of the mythical and mystical, has rapidly
become one of the most exciting and richest destinations for wildlife.
There are still vast tracts of forest remaining, in spite of widespread
logging and clearings, supporting a wonderful and truly exotic array
of animals and plants. Broadbills and barbets, hornbills and trogons,
bee-eaters and bristleheads, as well as  flying foxes, tree shrews and
monkeys including the bizarre Proboscis Monkey and, of course, Orang-utan.
Rising out of the lowland rainforests is the superb and spectacular Mount
Kinabalu, over 4000 metres to its bare granite summit, the highest peak
between the Himalayas and New Guinea, and an area of a high degree of
endemism – birds with names like wren-babblers, stubtails, blackeyes
and Friendly Bush Warbler.
We start our journey in the modern city of Kota Kinabalu, where we encounter
lowland coastal species, and then travel to the superb Tabin Wildlife Refuge,
one of the most diverse and rich wildlife areas on the planet. We then
move to a rainforest lodge for boatrides along the Kinabatangan River for
kingfishers, darters, storks and Proboscis Monkeys. We will see a huge
number of species! A trip to Sepilok for Orang-utans and a surprisingly
rich avifauna is followed by several days at Mount Kinabalu, with its unique
and exciting fauna and flora. A visit to Borneo is a marvelous and unforgettable
experience.
See detailed itinerary
below
Click
here to download a registration form
Click
here to download a list of birds and mammals seen on the 2007 Borneo
tour (179 KB PDF)
2005 Borneo tour
species list (134 kb pdf) |
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Kota Kinabalu
Arrive in Kota Kinabalu where our tour starts with a welcome dinner.
Kota Kinabalu is the new name of Jesselton, named after Sir Charles
Jessel, a director of the British North Borneo Chartered Company.
The town was established in 1897 when the small British settlement
was moved from Gaya Island to the mainland after it was razed by
Mat Salleh, the local native chief. Jesselton was almost completely
destroyed during World War II save for three buildings. Today, this
city of over 200,000 people of various ethnic groups is completely
transformed. Kota Kinabalu (KK) is the entry point to the state of
Sabah, known as the “Land Below the Wind” (actually below
the typhoon belt). KK’s coastal location and mountain backdrop
make this one of the most spectacularly set cities in the region.
When skies are clear the most prominent feature is the massive Mount
Kinabalu, the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea.
Time permitting, we may check mudflats at a wetland near the airport
where Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, Gray-tailed Tattler and Red-necked
Stint, and possibly wintering (and globally threatened) Chinese Egrets
occur. Around our hotel, we sample some common Bornean birds - Spotted
and Zebra Doves, Glossy Swiftlet, House Swift, Pacific Swallow, Yellow-vented
Bulbul, White-breasted Wood Swallow, Asian Glossy Starling and Eurasian
Tree Sparrow. Night at Kota Kinabalu Hotel.
Day 2 - Kota Kinabalu to Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Today we fly to Lahad Datu and transfer to the Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
The largest reserve in Sabah, Tabin consists of 120,500 hectares
of diverse rainforest located on the Dent Peninsula on the eastern
coast of Sabah, and is a breeding ground for Sumatran Rhinoceros,
Tembadau (Wild Cattle) and Borneo Pygmy Elephant. Tabin is dominated
by secondary rainforest with a core of primary forest. On arrival
at the resort, after settling into our rooms, we have opportunities
for finding species close to the resort; sunbirds, Ashy Tailorbird,
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Stork-billed and Black-backed Kingfishers
and the loudly trumpeting Rhinoceros Hornbill. Night at Tabin Wildlife
Resort.
Day 3 - 5 – Tabin Wildlife Reserve
The road leading to primary forest is excellent for Asian Paradise
Flycatcher, White-crowned Shama, Thick-billed, Long-billed and Gray-breasted
Spiderhunters, Yellow-rumped and Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers, Gray-streaked
Flycatcher, Purple-throated and Plain Sunbirds, Black-naped Monarch,
Olive-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped and Scarlet-rumped Trogons, Changeable
Hawk Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Storm’s Stork and the tiny endemic
raptor, White-fronted Falconet.
Tabin is particularly good for hornbills, eight species of them,
broadbills, babblers and raptors, and we have a good chance at finding
scarce endemics such as the bizarre Bornean Bristlehead, Black and
crimson, Blue-headed and Blue-banded Pittas, Dusky Munia, Black-throated
and Bornean Wren-babblers and, with extreme luck, Bulwer’s
Pheasant. We’ll look for Great Argus Pheasant, the world’s
largest and spectacularly plumaged pheasant. Chestnut-necklaced Partridge
is a shy reclusive bird which we hope to find, along with Wallace’s
Hawk-Eagle, up to three species of pittas including the magnificent
Blue-headed and stunning Banded Pittas, and a host of tit-babblers,
broadbills, an array of woodpeckers, barbets, minivets, fantails,
cuckoos, trogons, and nearly all of Borneo’s hornbills. Endemics
here include the bizarre and still mysterious Bornean Bristlehead,
as well as White-crowned Shama, Pygmy White-eye, Bornean and Black-throated
Wren-Babblers. The region is also rich in mammals; in the Reserve
there are over 70 species, including Orang-utan, elephant and rhinoceros,
along with Sambar and Mouse Deer, Bearded Pig, Bornean Gibbon, Red
Leaf Monkey, Malayan Flying Fox, several species of civet, flying
squirrels, Silver Langur, Pig-tailed and Long-tailed Macaques.
One of the natural attractions is the Lipad Mud Volcano, which contains
highly mineral rich mud which attracts many animals. Here, from an
observation tower, it is possible to see many birds, monkeys and
possibly elephants. A Night Drive Safari could turn up Bearded Pigs
and flying foxes, and with luck such prizes as Buffy Fish Owl and
Brown Wood Owl, Greater Mouse-Deer, Sambar Deer, Slow Loris or a
Leopard Cat.
Nights at Tabin Wildlife Resort.
Day 6 – Tabin Wildlife Refuge to Bilit Rainforest Lodge, near
Sukau
After breakfast, we leave the resort, and head toward the Bilit Rainforest
Lodge for a three night stay. Bilit Rainforest Lodge is situated
along the Kinabatangan River, 126km from Sandakan. The lodge is build
appropriately from local hard-wood material and designed to blend
into natural surroundings. Night at Bilit Rainforest Lodge.
Days 7 - 8 – Bilit Rainforest Lodge
The Kinabatangan River at 560 km long and with a catchment area estimated
at 16,800 square kilometers is Sabah’s longest river. The greatest
concentration of wildlife in Malaysia, and all of Borneo, can be
found along the lower reaches of the Kinabatangan River. The main
river is lined with forest on fertile alluvial terraces. Behind these
are extensive, low-lying seasonally flooded forested swamps which
are usually water logged and Dry Dipterocarp Forest & Mangroves.
Within the swamps, scattered lakes and small hills dot the landscape.
Various wildlife species abound here, including elephants and Orang-utans.
The proboscis monkey, a species confined to Borneo, is most readily
seen and particularly abundant in the mangrove forests of the lower
Kinabatangan. They live in groups of up to twenty or more, and these
placid vegetarians can be found among the mangrove forests along
the river banks, late afternoon before they retire for the night,
or early in the morning, before they move off in search of food.
On one day, in the early morning, we travel upriver and visit one
of the oxbow lakes teeming with bird life. Possibilities here include
Stork-billed and Blue-eared Kingfishers, huge Great Slaty Woodpeckers,
Black-and-red Broadbill, White-chested Babbler, the rare and sought-after
Storm’s Stork, Lesser and Gray-headed Fish-Eagles, Jerdon’s
Baza, three species of blue flycatchers, Oriental Darter, and several
barbets and hornbills. We could also encounter the enigmatic Bornean
Ground-Cuckoo. In the afternoon, we venture on another river cruise
down the Menanggul River and along the Kinabatangan River, returning
to the lodge at dusk.
On another day we visit the famous Gomantong Caves. This huge cave
system in a limestone outcrop supports enormous numbers of swiftlets
and bats. The ecosystem here is one of constant darkness with the
various animals having adapted to such conditions. The main cave
is the nesting area for four species of swiftlets, identifiable by
their noticeably differing nest structures. At dusk, huge numbers
of bats emerge from the caves and several Bat Hawks are usually here
attempting to catch them. The reserve for the caves is also rich
in birdlife and we should find a good selection of forest birds here.
Nights at Bilit Rainforest Lodge.
Day 9 – By road to Sepilok
After breakfast we transfer to the Sepilok Nature Resort about 24
km from the city of Sandakan.
Night at Sepilok Nature Resort.
Day 10 – Sepilok to Kota Kinabalu National Park
We have an early morning bird walk followed by a morning visit to
the Sepilok Rehabilitation center. Sepilok is an old Forest Reserve,
about 43 square kilometers in area, which served as a timber production
area in the early 1900s before it was gazetted as a forest reserve
in 1931. Highly selective logging occurred until the mid-1950s, when
it was prohibited in 1956. Research on Orang-utan began in the 1930s,
and the Orang-utan rehabilitation program started in 1964. The centre
is aimed at returning orphaned and captive Orang-utan to the wild.
Its rich tropical rainforest is a good example of lowland primary
forests with over 277 different species of birds and at least 300
types of trees. After our visit to Sepilok, we drive to Kinabalu
National Park.
Covering an area of 754 square kilometers, Kinabalu Park is one of
the greatest attractions of Sabah. At 4,101 m, Mount Kinabalu is
Borneo's highest peak. Vegetation types range from the rich lowland
dipterocarp zone through the montane oak, rhododendron, and conifer
forests to the alpine meadow plants and stunted bushes of the summit
zone. There are some 1,500 species of orchids, 26 species of rhododendrons,
9 species of pitcher plants, 60 species of oak and chestnut trees
as well as 2 species of Rafflesia. Around the Park Headquarters are
several easy, graded trails which lead through montane forests, follow
valleys and ridges, and lead to scenic viewpoints and clear mountain
streams. The Mountain Garden, situated near the Park Administration
Office, has an exotic collection of orchids and other mountain plants
including rhododendrons, pitcher plants and kerosene plants.
Night in Kinabalu Rose Cabins.
Days 11 - 13 – Kinabalu Park & Poring
We have three days to explore this marvelous area. The imposing granite
massif of Mount Kinabalu towers above the lowland rainforest and
cultivated areas. The summit is generally visible in the early morning,
allowing stunning views, but thereafter is frequently cloaked in
mist. Mount Kinabalu is a naturalist’s paradise, and the park
is an excellent location to view some of Borneo’s montane bird
life. We will see a good range of lowland and upland species confined
to areas above 1500m. Many of these montane species are endemic to
Borneo. We look for Sunda Cuckoo-shrike, Whitehead’s Trogon,
Temminck’s Sunbird, Short-tailed Magpie, Gray-throated Babbler,
Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Ashy and Hair-crested Drongos, and Mountain
Leaf-Warbler, and we also target Kinabalu’s local specialties
such as Whitehead’s Broadbill, Mountain Serpent-Eagle, Red-breasted
and Crimson-headed Partridges, Bornean Whistler, Mountain Wren-Babbler,
Black-sided Flowerpecker and Bornean Stubtail. In addition our walks
may turn up mammals such as the remarkable Mountain Treeshrew and
several species of squirrels including pygmy-squirrels.
Weather permitting, we have an option to start along the steep summit
trail into the upper montane zone. We will hopefully not have to
go too far before we find Friendly Bush Warbler, a bird which has
recently not lived up to its name, as well as Flavescent Bulbul,
Sunda Bush Warbler and Mountain Black-eye. An excursion after dark
near our chalets should allow us to hear the reclusive Mountain Scops
Owl. Whilst based at Kinabalu we may make an excursion to Poring
Hot Springs, situated at lower altitudes near the foot of the mountain.
The hot sulphur springs were developed by the Japanese in the Second
World War and are now a popular tourist attraction. They are surrounded
by lowland rainforest which harbours a good range of birds not found
at higher altitudes on the mountain, including Rufous and Maroon
Woodpeckers, Red-eyed, Black-headed, Scaly-breasted and Streaked
Bulbuls, Moustached Babbler, Oriental Magpie-Robin (of a distinctive
near-black form), Everett’s White-eye, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker,
and perhaps also the enigmatic Bornean Spiderhunter. Nights in Kinabalu
Rose Cabins.
Day 14 – Rafflesia Forest Reserve and return to Kota
Kinabalu
Today we make an early start and head off for the Rafflesia Forest
Reserve situated in the Crocker Range. This mid-elevation forested
area holds several species which are particularly difficult to find – the
endemic Bornean and Mountain Barbets, Bare-headed Laughingthrush,
Black-breasted Fruit-hunter, Blue-winged Leafbird, Ashy and Black-crested
Bulbuls, and Whitehead’s Spiderhunter. We also look for flowering
Rafflesia, the largest flower on earth! We then return to Kota Kinabalu.
Overnight in Kota Kinabalu.
Day 15 – Departure
Our tour ends after breakfast for our flights home, or you can connect
to our Papua New Guinea tour with a flight to Singapore and a direct
flight from there to Port Moresby.
The Borneo tour can also be combined with our Peninsular
Malaysia tour, which immediately precedes this tour (September 5 - 12).
What to expect
Be prepared for hot, humid and sunny weather at low altitudes,
with showers in the afternoon. It is recommended to take a light rain-jacket
or poncho, although we try to avoid birding in any rain worse than
a light drizzle. It will likely be cool at higher elevations on Mount
Kinabalu. We usually have early breakfasts and some before-breakfast
birding since it is best to begin birding at daybreak. Some lunches
will be picnic style to maximize our time in the field.
Walking conditions will be generally easy to moderate; there is a fairly
arduous optional walk on Mount Kinabalu, as we try for some higher
elevational species. Trails anywhere may be muddy depending on how
recently it has rained. Bring mosquito repellent and/or mosquito-proof
clothing because bugs can be a problem, especially at low elevations
in moist humid conditions. Leeches can be a nuisance, but can usually
be deterred with insect repellant. You will need to bring a hat and
sunblock, especially on the boat trips along the Kinabatangan River.
In the evenings we usually eat at the hotel or lodge where we are staying
and review the list of birds and other wildlife that we have encountered,
as well as discuss the following day’s activities.
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