Overview

This tour blends the beauty of the UNESCO world heritage site of Mulu with the natural beauty of the Sarawak region. The tour starts at Kuching, where you can experience the amalgamation of many cultures and visit famous landmarks like Urang Sarawak Gallery. The region is rich in wildlife and conservation is a major theme. Visit Semenggoh Nature Reserve and the Bako National park to understand how the endangered local species including Orangutans are cared for. The local flair now cates on and its time to visit the markets and the local people, travel on, longboats and experience life in a longhouse. Be part of the war cries when the Ibans sound their gongs & perform their traditional war dance in full ceremonial regalia.

The Mulu Caves are a gigantic system and can overwhelm you with beauty and size. Travel through the forest to Lang and Deer Cave, witness the simultaneous exit of millions of bats from the cave. Travel through 12 Km of the stunning rainforest, this is the very rout used by traditional headhunting parties in historical times. The tour has something for everyone and gives a lot of great photo opportunities as well.

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

What is included in the tour

  • You will enjoy 7-nights in an Air-conditioned hotel accommodation on twin sharing basis. The hotel rooms will have a private bathroom
  • Camp 5 accommodation is basic, 1-night with shared sanitary facilities
  • The longhouse community room night is with basic amenities and shared sanitary facilities
  • 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 take
  • 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
  • Gifts for the visit to the longhouse, this is quite a tradition in this part of the world
  • Hotels charges for storage of Luggage and use of porter services
Highlights
What makes this tour special
  • Visit the sprawling city of Kuching with its many faces
  • Understand the local wildlife at Semenggoh Nature Reserve and Bako National Park
  • Experience local life, travel in a native longboat. Stay at the Ibans longhouse and watch a traditional war dance.
  • Explore some of the world's greatest caves at the Mulu Caves understand how they formed
  • Experience local history as you follow in the headhunters' footsteps 
Itinerary
Day 1: Kuching Arrival
  • You will be received by an English-speaking guide at the Kuching International Airport and a transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to a Hotel of your choice in Kuching. Check-in to the hotel, the day is at leisure – explore the hotel or the nearby areas. Night stay at the hotel is arranged in standard rooms.
  • Meals included: none
Day 2: Kuching – City Tour
  • Enjoy a lavish spread at the Breakfast before sta rting for a half day tour to explore the city of Kuching. The city brings together a number of cultures and has a flavor of all including the Malay, Indian and Chinese culture. You will also get to learn about the rich history of Sarawak
    The tour highlights include the Gambier spice streets, India street, Urang Sarawak Gallery, the oldest Chinese temple in Sarawak, Kuching South City Hall, as well as the Brooke Gallery at Fort Margherita. The tour will include visiting a Malay Village, the old State Mosque that is situated on the waterfront and the Civic Centre with the Chinese graveyard. Other places of interest that should not be missed are the Kuching Waterfront with a view of the Astana, the former "White Rajah Palace", and other colonial buildings. Once the city tour is over we return to the hotel for a relaxed afternoon. Night stay in standard rooms at the Hilton.
  • Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3: Semenggoh Nature Reserve
  • 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.
  • We return to the hotel after the tour and relax the rest of the afternoon. Night stay at the hotel.
  • Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4: Kuching – Batang Ai
  • We check out from the hotel after our Breakfast. 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 an Iban Longhouse. On arrival, interact with the resident families, 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. Overnight stay is arranged at the longhouse is very simple accommodation. This will be in the community hall of the longhouse and you will be provided with mosquito net, mattress, pillows, and blanket.
  • Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Batang Ai – Kuching
  • The longhouse is as close to nature as civilization gets, the morning will be greeted by the singing of cockerels as you wake up and start your day. After a traditional breakfast join the Iban people in a blowpipe demonstration.
  • We now start our return journey by native longboat downriver to arrive back at the jetty. The drive from here to Kuching is by air-conditioned vehicle and we do stop an en-route for lunch at a local cafe. Night stay is at your hotel of choice in Kuching.
  • Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 6: Bako National Park Tour
  • We have breakfast at the hotel before 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 7: Kuching Departure - Mulu Arrival – Mulu Caves Tour
  • We enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Kuching international airport for your onward journey is arranged. You will be received at the Mulu airport, a quick transfer to your designated hotel follows. Once settled in comfortably, change into your trekking gear. We now move to the Mulu National Park Headquarters for registration. Lunch is arranged at the park’s canteen.
  • We start our adventure with a 45 min walk to the first set of caves. This walk is on narrow forest paths made of wooden planks that take you through riverine and lowland forests on limestone cliffsides. The first cave we reach is the Lang’s cave which has an exquisite collection of stalagmites and stalactites. You are observing nature at its creative best, we recommend carrying a good camera for some stunning pictures. The next cave we visit is the Deer cave, this is famous for its passage which is the largest for any cave in the world. The Deer cave is also famous for its large (as many as 3 million) populations of bats. These caves are designated as world heritage by UNESCO.
  • Once the exploration of the caves is done we move to the bat observation platform. The site of millions of bats coming out of the caves in the dusk is simply mesmerizing. It appears like black streams emerging from the caves. You will require a good camera as the light is low when the bats finally decide to venture out in the evening.
  • We return to the park headquarters for a transfer to the hotel.
  • Meals provided: Breakfast and lunch
Day 8: Mulu Caves Tour – Camp 5
  • Breakfast is followed by check out from your hotel.
  • The day’s adventure begins with a half hour long boat ride. Our first shortstop is at a Penan settlement. This is your chance for understanding the old nomadic lifestyle of the people and indulge yourself in the local handicrafts market. The boat ride then takes us to the wind cave. A plank walk leads from the riverbank to the entrance of the Wind Cave. This cave is so named because of the cool breezes which you can feel at the narrow parts of the cave. This cave is part of the Clearwater system and has many impressive stalactites, stalagmites, flowrocks, helitites and rock corals. Some of these are illuminated in the ‘King’s” Room. A short walk takes us to the Clearwater springs, we take a short break here. 200 steps lead up through the forest to the mouth of Clearwater Cave. Clearwater is a fascinating cave system to scroll around, it has its own underground river system. Plank walks, paths and small floating bridges make this an easy and enjoyable experience. There are excellent photo opportunities for those who are bitten by the photography bug.
  • We now climb down the steps to the picnic area for a quick lunch.
  • We now take a one-hour long boat ride to Kuala Litut, this is the starting point for our trek to camp 5. The 2-hour trek will take us to camp 5 which is a large shelter located at the base of Mount Api. Camp 5 is really basic, and you have to carry your own sleeping bag as well. Night stay is arranged at the camp shelter.
  • Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 9: Camp 5 – Limbang
  • A day of trekking and boat rides awaits us. Post breakfast we start a 12 Km trek along the Head-hunter’s trail.  This will take us about 5 hours, and we will follow the footsteps of the old-world head hunting war parties. We now reach the town of Kuala Terikan.
  • From Kuala Terikan we shift to a boat and take a 2 to 3-hour long ride (Depending on water levels in the river) over the Terikan and Medalam rivers. This river ride takes us to an Iban longhouse. We now shift to an AC vehicle for a 30 min transfer to the town of Limbang.  We now check-in to our hotel for the night stay at Purnama Hotel in Limbang. Dinner is arranged at a local restaurant.
  • Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 10: Limbang Departure
  • A relaxed breakfast starts the morning. We have time for some exploration of the local markets with traditional native products on sale. Time for some memorabilia. Your transfer to the airport awaits you. Time to take your flight to the next destination.
  • Meals included: breakfast
Pickup point
Directions.
Mulu Airport, Sarawak, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia View on Map