Overview

Explore the natural beauty of Borneo on our tour covering Permai rain forest and Kuching. We start with adventure and reach the Permai Rainforest Resort – a small eco-resort set in pristine rainforest. This is the gateway to natural beauty and rare wildlife starting from 3 species of monkeys. Enjoy a night walk and go kayaking in the sea around the coast of the Santubong Peninsula. Set up camp and spend the night on a small remote beach at Teluk Pasir. Return to civilization through a jungle trek taking you to the pristine primary rainforest. The adventure continues on the evening cruise where you glide through the mangroves of Kuching Wetlands National Park.

Nature surrounds you when in Bako National Park – a journey by boat to see the primary forest full of botanical treasures and home to the ​proboscis monkey & other wildlife. Understand the conservation efforts at the Semenggoh Nature Reserve and explore local lifestyle through native fruit market and pepper farm. The local flavor will grow as you reach Batang Ai and the idyllic Aiman Batang Ai Resort & Retreat. Visit the home of the former headhunters of Borneo and enjoy local traditional dances in full ceremonial regalia. Every moment to live for when you are on the tour.

9 Nights 10 Days Available on request Kuching International Airport
Inclusions/Exclusions
What we'll give. What we won't

What is included in the tour

  • You will enjoy 6-nights in an Air-conditioned hotel accommodation on twin sharing basis. The hotel rooms will have a private bathroom
  • Package includes 1-night camping at Teluk Pasir
  • Meals are covered as stated in the detailed description
  • All tour and transfers are with local English-speaking driver or guides in as air-conditioned vehicles
  • All entrance fees and/or boat fees as stated in the program
  • Drinking water available on the vehicles
  • Package includes GST 6% (Good and Service Tax)

What is NOT included in the tour

  • Air-travel Domestic or international to/from Malaysia, this can be quoted separately by us on request
  • Any optional tours you opt for
  • Charges for arranging guides for other languages if requested
  • Personal expenditure, such as drinks, souvenirs, laundry, camera fees, communications – including phone bills, postage, gratuities and the likes
  • Meals and services other than mentioned in the program
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Drinks with meals and bottled water
  • Porter charges, certificate, and the likes
  • Hotels may charge for early check-in and late check-out, this can be covered only if it is explicitly mentioned in the program
  • Activities at Permai Rainforest Resort are charged separately
Highlights
What makes this tour special
  • Go for an exciting sea kayaking expedition along the coast of the Santubong Peninsula
  • Set up camp and relax in bliss on Teluk Pasir beach
  • Enjoy the local flora and fauna and take a night walk in the pristine rainforest
  • Take a sunset cruise to the mangroves and try spotting the elusive Proboscis monkey
  • Enjoy nature and explore conservation efforts at Semenggoh Nature Reserve and Bako National Park
  • Mingle with the former headhunters of Borneo at Batang Ai and enjoy watching a local war dance
Itinerary
Day 1: Kuching – Damai Beach
  • We will have a pick-up arranged from your hotel in Kuching. The trip to Permai Rainforest Resort start at 12:30 in the afternoon and is arranged in an air-conditioned vehicle. The Resort is located about 25 km from Kuching. The resort is a distinctive eco-resort build next to the shores of the south china sea in the middle of the pristine rainforest at the foot of the mystical Mount Santubong. The resort is designed with nature as the muse, everything here minimizes the human impact. It still gives you an experience you will remember for a lifetime. The resort has 10 treehouses, built on stilts 20 feet above the ground. These tree houses offer a unique experience of sleeping amongst the canopy of the trees.
  • Besides the treehouses, the resort also offers cabins designed to host as many as 6 persons each. Enjoy the rich forest views you may even get a glimpse of one of the three different species of monkeys that do occasionally roam in the resort's premises. Once we check-in at the resort the afternoon is free at leisure and we can spend time exploring the resort and its facilities.
  • The evening has a special adventure stored for you, we venture out on a night walk. Exploring the rainforest in the night is a rewarding experience as many of the creatures here are nocturnal. The animals ranging from insects to small mammals can only be seen in the late evening/night. Your guide will teach you how to use your torchlight to spot the animals in the night. The evening adventure ends with a trip back to the resort. Relax at the treehouse or the cabin.
  • Meals included: Dinner
Day 2: Sea Kayaking and Camping Adventure
  • The day of adventure starts with an early breakfast at the resort. We have a relaxed morning and we use this time to prepare for the adventure we are going to enjoy the day.
  • Around 12:00 we will assemble at the beach and our guide will explain in detail the way we kayak in the sea, this will include a safety briefing and a detailed introduction to our equipment. We now start our Kayaking adventure along the coast of the Santubong Peninsula to Teluk Pasir, the very tip of the peninsula. This trip will give you some of the most spectacular views of the pristine lush green rainforest covering the coastline!
  • The Kayaking expedition will take over 2 hours and will take us to the remote beach of Teluk Pasir. This is as remote as we can get in today’s world, solitude in its true sense. This gives the true feeling of being Robinson-Crusoe! Nothing but mother nature around us and of course the guide for a sense of security. It is now time to work with your guide and help set up a small camp and start a campfire. We will use this campfire to cook a simple dinner for us all. Enjoy the natural surroundings after dinner. If the weather permits and the sky is clear lie down on the beach and stargaze. Listen to the melody created by the nocturnal jungle creatures and experience coming together with nature like never before.
  • We spend the night in the temporary camp at Teluk Pasir.
  • Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Jungle Trekking & Mangrove Swamp & Fireflies Cruise
  • The morning glow and the songs of the forest birds will wake you up early. The rising sun is a sight to behold over the endless South China Sea. It is time to enjoy a refreshing swim in the shallow blue waters while your guide will arrange for a simple breakfast.
  • Once the Breakfast us done its time to break camp and pack-up for the trek back to Permai Rainforest Resort. This is an exciting trek, there are no marked trails and the only way to reach your destination is to rely on the guide. This is classified as real jungle trekking and would take around 3-4 hours for you to complete. The trek will give you a chance to enjoy pristine forest views, sounds, and smells, you may also spot a few of the rare birds like the Hornbill on this trek. You will reach the resort around noon, this way you have time to have a good shower and rejuvenate your self for some more exploring in the later part of the afternoon.
  • In the late afternoon, your guide takes you out on a mangrove cruise which will take you to the Santubong river delta. The route goes through the mangrove forests of Kuching National Park. Be amazed by the breath-taking views of the mangrove swamps and understand how nature has built complex symbiotic relationships between animal and plants of the wetlands. The best-described case if of the mangrove trees and the proboscis monkeys.  If the skies are open, you will witness a beautiful sunset over the mangrove forests of Borneo.
  • As dusk spreads we go deeper into the mangroves in search of the elusive estuarine crocodile. These are the local predators and hunt in the night. They have distinctive eyes which shine a bright shade of red when a torchlight is shown on them.  The other delight of the rainforest is a large number of fireflies which gather around the mangrove trees making them shine like Christmas trees. The evening adventure ends with a trip back to the resort. Relax at the treehouse or the cabin.
  • Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Damai Beach - Kuching
  • It’s now time to wind down our adventure, the checkout is at 12:00 noon but you get a lot of time to enjoy the morning after a good breakfast at the resort. The transfer to Kuching is arranged and you will be received by a courteous English-speaking guide on arrival in Kuching. He will arrange for hotel check-in. The rest of the day is designed to give you some time to rest. If you arrive in time you may opt to book the quite talked about walking city tour. “Walk the White Rajah Trail” which covers the places of interest in the city including the "White Rajah Palace", and other colonial buildings.
  • Return to your hotel for a well-deserved night’s rest.
  • Meals provided: Breakfast
Day 5: Bako National Park Tour
  • We have breakfast at the hotel we start on a 30 min drive to the small village called Bako. From here we take a 20 min boat ride to reach the national park. The national park covers the northern tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula and is spread over an area of 27 sq km. Bako contains a wide range of vegetation – swamp forest, scrub-like Padang vegetation, mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest, delicate cliff vegetation and more. Bako also contains a rich variety of wildlife and a coastline covered with small bays, coves, and beaches. The park has a number of well-marked trails offering interesting walks ranging from short pleasant strolls to serious full-day hikes. Visitors to Bako are almost guaranteed to see wildlife.  Long-tailed macaque monkeys and silver leaf monkeys are ever present, wild boar is often found rummaging around the park HQ, squirrels and monitor lizards are also common. There is every chance of seeing the rare and unusual proboscis monkeys on trails such as Telok Paku and Telok Delima, particularly if you go out late in the afternoon. A packed lunch will be served.
  • Once the tour is over we transfer back to the hotel in Kuching. The rest of the evening is free for some more of city exploration. Overnight stay at the hotel.
  • Meals included: breakfast and lunch
Day 6: Kuching – Semenggoh Nature Reserve – Batang Ai
  • A day of activity starts with a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. We then travel to the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, originally built to protect the Orangutans and to rehabilitate captive and orphaned ones back to the wild.
  • The reserve has its own rare flora and fauna including the giant squirrel, pigmy squirrel and splendid variety of birds. Trekking trails make Semenggoh an ideal place for wildlife photographers and nature lovers.
  • The highlight of the visit is a chance to see an Orangutan, your guide will help spot one during the morning feeding time. This is when the Orangutans swing down from the trees for a free handout of fruit. This reserve is one of the few places in the world where humans can interact with their shy jungle cousins.
  • Our next destination is Batang Ai, where we spend time with the natives of Borneo. This is a 290 Km drive in an air-conditioned vehicle through the countryside. We will stop at local markets and enjoy the local flair throughout the drive. We will enjoy a few well-chosen stops along the way: the first one at Serian town, where we will visit a fascinating native fruit and vegetable market. The other stops include a visit to the pepper farm and a stop for lunch at "Lachau", a small upcountry Chinese village. At Lachau you may wish to make some last-minute shopping, for necessities such as insect repellent or for gifts for the Ibans.
  • The long road will take us to a beautiful lake called Batang Ai. The local lifestyle is what we are exploring on this trip, we shift to a traditional long boat for a 60-90 min boat ride over the lake to reach our resort. After check-in, the rest of the day is free to explore the facilities at the resort and for some relaxation after a long drive. The night stay is arranged at the Aiman Batang Ai Resort and Retreat. 
  • Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 7: Iban Longhouse Tour
  • We enjoy an early breakfast at the resort and start our day with a visit to the former headhunters of Borneo. The journey to the Iban Longhouse involves a traditional longboat ride. On arrival, we interact with the resident families and relax over a cup of tea. Your guide will take you through the longhouse encouraging you to take part in daily activities. An elaborate local ritual is planned for your visit, The Ibans will sound their gongs and perform their traditional war dance in full ceremonial regalia. You will be invited to join in, this can be a lot of fun even if you do not understand the local language. A native lunch will be served in the longhouse and we recommend you try the traditional rice wine called “tuak”. We now return to the resort. The afternoon provides you the chance to explore nature around the resort. Go on a short trek including a canopy bridge. Rest of the day is relaxed at the Aiman Batang Ai Resort. The night stay is arranged in the standard rooms of the resort.
  • Meals included: breakfast and lunch
Day 8: Batang Ai – Kuching
  • We enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the Aiman Batang Ai Resort before packing up for our return journey to Kuching. The long drive to Kuching will include a break for Lunch at our designated village.
  • A transfer by Airconditioned vehicle to the Kuching International Airport for your late evening onward flight is available, alternatively, you can move into a hotel of your choice for an extended stay in Kuching.
  • Meals included: Breakfast and lunch 
Pickup point
Directions.
Kuching International Airport (KCH/WBGG) (KCH), 900B, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia View on Map