Borneo: Bristleheads & Orangutans

Arrive in Kota Kinabalu where our Borneo birding tour starts with a welcome dinner.
Kota Kinabalu (KK) is the modern name of Jesselton, named after Sir Charles Jessel, 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, it is a modern city of diverse ethnic communities.

Kota Kinabalu is the entry point to the state of Sabah, known as the “Land Below the Wind”, below the typhoon belt. Its coastal location and mountain backdrop make this a spectacularly set city. When skies are clear, massive Mount Kinabalu is a prominent feature.

Depending on arrival times, there may be an opportunity to sample some local birds. Possibilities include Spotted and Zebra Doves, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Little Swift, Pacific Swallow, Yellow-vented Bulbul, White-breasted Woodswallow, Asian Glossy Starling and Eurasian Tree Sparrow, with perhaps White-bellied Sea-Eagle along the shoreline. Blue-naped Parrot and Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker are other birds we may look for around Kota Kinabalu.

Night in Kota Kinabalu.

Today we make an early start for the Crocker Range. This mid-elevation forested area holds several species which are particularly difficult to find—the endemic Bornean and Mountain Barbets, Fruit-hunter, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul and Whitehead’s Spiderhunter. We continue birding around Tambunan in the afternoon.

Night at Padi View Lodge or similar, Tambunan.

We depart early this morning for the hide in Trusmadi Forest. Trusmadi is the second-highest mountain in Borneo and is surrounded by forest ranging from about 1,000 to 2,600 metres in elevation. We will be looking for Bulwer’s Pheasant, Crested Partridge and possibly Bornean Banded-Pitta. Other possibilities include Sunda Scimitar-Babbler and Orange-headed Thrush.

In the afternoon, we continue to Kundasang, our base for exploring Kinabalu Park.

Night at Pines Resort or similar, Kundasang.

We have two days to explore this marvellous 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 look for montane birds, many endemic to Borneo.

We look for Sunda Cuckooshrike, Whitehead’s Trogon, Temminck’s Sunbird, Bornean Green-Magpie, Everett’s Thrush, Gray-throated Babbler, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Ashy and Hair-crested Drongos, Mountain Leaf Warbler and Yellow-breasted Warbler. 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 Whitehead’s Pygmy Squirrel.

Weather and conditions permitting, there may be an opportunity for an optional walk along the steep summit trail into the upper montane zone. Possibilities include Friendly Bush Warbler, Pale-faced Bulbul, Aberrant Bush Warbler and Mountain Black-eye.

We may also venture out after dark near our accommodation to listen for Mountain Scops-Owl.

Nights at Pines Resort or similar, Kundasang.

We will depart this morning for 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, Puff-backed, Spectacled, Red-eyed, Black-headed, Scaly-breasted and Streaked Bulbuls, Moustached Babbler, Oriental Magpie-Robin (of a distinctive near-black form), Hume’s White-eye, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Bornean Spiderhunter and Crimson Sunbird. Rafflesia, with its enormous flowers, is sometimes in bloom close by. In the afternoon, we will continue to Sepilok Forest.

Night at Sepilok Jungle Resort or similar.

We spend the morning and afternoon birding at the Rainforest Discovery Centre, exploring its rich lowland tropical rainforest. We search for the enigmatic Bornean Bristlehead, along with Black-crowned Pitta and Diard’s Trogon. Woodpeckers are particularly well represented—White-bellied, Gray-and-buff, Rufous and Buff-necked among them. Other pittas and kingfishers will also vie for our attention.

Night at Sepilok Jungle Resort or similar.

After breakfast, we leave Sepilok and head toward the Kinabatangan River, where we will spend the next couple of days birding. On the way, we visit Gomantong Cave to look for Black-nest Swiftlet, Plume-toed Swiftlet, White-nest Swiftlet and possibly Mossy-nest Swiftlet.

Night at Borneo Nature Lodge or similar, Kinabatangan River.

Today we explore the Kinabatangan River by boat, with morning and afternoon birding excursions.

The Kinabatangan River is Sabah’s longest river, with rich wildlife along its lower reaches. The main river is lined with forest on fertile alluvial terraces. Behind these are extensive, low-lying seasonally flooded forested swamps, together with dipterocarp forest and mangroves. Within the swamps, scattered lakes and small hills dot the landscape.

Various wildlife species occur here, including elephants and Bornean Orangutans. The Proboscis Monkey, a species confined to Borneo, is a particular attraction. Groups may gather in trees along the riverbanks in the late afternoon before retiring for the night.

Bird possibilities include Stork-billed and Blue-eared Kingfishers, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Black-and-red Broadbill, White-chested Babbler, the rare and sought-after Storm’s Stork, Lesser and Gray-headed Fish-Eagles, Lesser Adjutant, Jerdon’s Baza, flycatchers, Oriental Darter and several barbets. Hornbills may include Rhinoceros, Wrinkled and White-crowned Hornbills. We could also encounter the enigmatic Bornean Ground-Cuckoo.

Night at Borneo Nature Lodge or similar, Kinabatangan River.

We have a morning boat trip, targeting species not yet found, before we transfer approximately two hours to Lahad Datu for lunch and on to Danum Valley. The onward journey takes around 2.5 hours and includes travel along logging roads. Elephant sightings along the way are uncommon, but possible.

The Danum Valley Conservation Area spans 438 square kilometres of rainforest west of Lahad Datu and lies within the forest concession of the Sabah Foundation. Established in 1981 for rainforest-related conservation, research, education and recreation, the Conservation Area demonstrates how tourism can aid rainforest protection.

Within Danum, a network of trails and canopy walkways provides opportunities to experience the wildlife. Our lodge is situated near the banks of the Segama River and is surrounded by luxuriant forest with excellent birding right on the grounds.

Night at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley.

Danum Valley contains some of the most accessible untouched lowland rainforest in Sabah. Huge trees support a myriad of lianas and epiphytes, which in turn support a profusion of wildlife. Butterflies are numerous and prominent.

Over these two full days, we enjoy the lush tropical forest with its many distinctive plants and animals, birding in the morning and afternoon. We look for the spectacularly plumaged Great Argus, Bornean Crested Fireback and the shy and reclusive Sabah Partridge.
Raptors include Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, Black Eagle and Jerdon’s Baza. Opportunities for nocturnal walks and/or drives may bring Buffy Fish-Owl, Brown Wood-Owl and perhaps Blyth’s, Gould’s or Large Frogmouths.

Blue-headed Pitta is a particular target. Other possibilities include Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Malayan Forktail and a host of babblers, tit-babblers and broadbills. An array of woodpeckers, from Great Slaty Woodpecker to Rufous Piculet, is joined by barbets, minivets, fantails, cuckoos, malkohas, Red-naped Trogon, spiderhunters and Crested Jayshrike. Hornbills include the trumpeting Rhinoceros Hornbill and the strange Helmeted Hornbill.

Endemics here include the bizarre and still mysterious Bornean Bristlehead, as well as White-crowned Shama, Bornean and Black-throated Wren-Babblers, Bornean Black Magpie and Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker.
The region is also rich in mammals, and we may see Muller’s (Bornean) Gibbon, Red Leaf Monkey, Malayan Flying Fox, civets, flying squirrels, Sambar Deer, Greater Mouse-Deer, Leopard Cat, colugos, Sunda Slow Loris and tarsiers. We may even chance upon a wild Bornean Orangutan!
Nights at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley.

We enjoy one last morning birding walk in Danum Valley before lunch. Afterwards, we drive to Lahad Datu Airport for our late-afternoon flight to Kota Kinabalu.

Night in Kota Kinabalu.