Overview

The tour offers a lot more of the local lifestyle and interactions with tribal groups as we spend time at the longhouse. The wildlife and nature exploration is always a component when visiting Borneo. The tour will take you to the Bako National park and Semenggoh Nature Reserve. Visit the fruit markets and the pepper farms. Travel up to Batang Ai and relax in the idyllic Aiman Batang Ai Resort and Retreat. Take a morning ride in a traditional longboat and head upriver to meet the former headhunters of Borneo and later watch them sound their gongs and perform a war dance in full ceremonial regalia. Unwind in the lap of nature with endless walks in the woods nearby.

Take an express boat ride to Sarikei division and explore the native market. Walk in the jungle and pass through farmlands to arrive at a jungle waterfall. Swim & relax while native lunch is prepared for you. We now go for a Rainforest Kayaking expedition. Explore small pepper farms on the way to the start point. Hop into your kayak and follow a tributary before it joins the Sarawak Kiri river. Alight to explore a delightful Bidayuh village & enjoy a native lunch. Continue kayaking, surrounded by lush vegetation and some stunning views. Enjoy a culinary evening tour back to Kuching where a Malaysian family will invite you into their home to show you how to make traditional local food.

9 Nights 10 Days Available on request Kuching 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
  • The longhouse community room (2-nights) 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
Highlights
What makes this tour special
  • The tour is nature all the way - an array of flora & fauna in Bako National Park and Semenggoh Nature Reserve
  • Spend time at the local longhouse - Meet the former headhunters, enjoy a war dance.
  • Go fun riding in an express boat to Sarikei division
  • See a vibrant native market, explore the culinary delights of Kuching and learn cooking in the home of a local family
  • Get up close to nature with Borneo Rainforest Kayaking
  • Visit a Bidayuh village in the Borneo Highlands
  • Float downriver amid lush green vegetation
Itinerary
Day 1: Kuching Arrival
  • A courteous English-speaking guide will be at the Kuching International Airport for facilitating your arrival, transfer by AC vehicle to your hotel of choice and hotel check-in. The rest of the morning is designed to give you some time to get used to the tropical climate and to relax away any jet lag that you may experience. If you arrive in the morning 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: none
Day 2: 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 3: Kuching – Semenggoh Nature Reserve – Batang Ai
  • A day of activity starts with a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. We then trav el 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 4: 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 5: 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. You can move into a hotel of your choice for the extended stay in Kuching. The rest of the day is at leisure – explore the hotel or the nearby areas. Night stay at the hotel is arranged in standard rooms.
  • Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 6: Kuching – City Tour
  • Enjoy a good spread at the Breakfast before starting a day of adventure involving Borneo Rainforest Kayaking and a Culinary tour. The Kayaking is a “must-do” activity while visiting this part of the world. It will enthuse the nature lovers and everyone looking for some good adventure. We start with a short journey through scenic lands dotted with small pepper farms to a place called Bengoh. This is a picture postcard delightful Bidayuh village in the mist-covered highlands of Borneo.
  • The kayaking instructor will introduce you to the equipment and give you detailed paddling instructions and a safety briefing. Now we move to a small tributary of the Sarawak Kiri river where a set of parked kayaks await you. This small shaded stream with overhanging trees, steep banks, and a bridge overhead has just enough room for your kayaks to get through and meanders a short distance before opening into the vista of Sarawak Kiri river.
  • Once we have paddled about half-way down the river, we will alight to explore a delightful Bidayuh village and enjoy a native lunch. We now, continue our kayaking surrounded by lush green vegetation, enthralled by the ever-changing and stunning scenic views of limestone hills around each bend in the river. Just when we are reaching the end of our journey, we will have to get past an 'exciting' class 1 to 2 rapid! (depending on the water volume and flow). With the kayaking done we return to our hotel in Kuching to freshen-up before starting our culinary evening tour.
  • This for sure will be a novel experience even for the most seasoned traveler, you will visit the home of a Malaysian family. We are invited to see, experience and learn traditional local food! While we travel to the family's house, we will stop at a local market to buy some fresh ingredients. As a guest in the family's house, you will not only learn how to cook, but you will also get a deeper insight into the Malaysian way of life. Taste your self-made dishes and enjoy a delicious local dinner with the host family. We bid god buy to our hosts and return to our hotel for the night.
  • Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 7: Kuching – Sarikei Iban Longhouse
  • We enjoy breakfast at the hotel and have some time to explore a bit more of the act ivities at the Hotel and then checkout. We have a pickup arranged from your hotel in Kuching. The AC vehicle will take about 20 min to drive us to the express boat wharf. We now board the express boat for a 3.5-hour boat ride to Sarikei division, your tour guide will be with you on the trip.
  • Once you reach Sarikei, explore the native markets while walking with your guide before you reach a local Caf’e / restaurant for lunch. We now start by car for a 45 min drive to reach an Iban longhouse.
  • Longhouses are traditional places, this one was build in 1955. Around 45 families live in this one, that is over 300 people in a single house. This longhouse is special as it is built with the strongest wood found in the rainforest – the Iron Wood. Your guide will take you for an exploratory tour of the longhouse and will introduce you to the Iban people. You will get a chance to join the families in their daily work as well. The latter part of the afternoon is available at leisure and one can enjoy a swim in the cool mountain stream located next to the longhouse. 
  • The evening program starts after dinner, the Ibans will sound their gongs and a traditional dance performance will follow. Night stay is arranged at the longhouse, it is basic in nature with mosquito net, mattress, pillows, and blanket provided.
  • Meals included: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 8: Sarikei
  • The day starts with breakfast at the longhouse. We now go on an exploratory tour of the surrounding areas and walk through farmland, rice fields, pepper farms, fruit orchards and more. We will walk up to a beautiful waterfall, time to relax and go swimming. Your guide will get involved in getting a native lunch arranged while you relax in the cool waters. We walk back to the longhouse in the afternoon, once again crossing the fields and enjoying the views.
  • Tea will be ready by the time you reach the longhouse, relax and enjoy the brew. Now join the Ibans in doing what they do best, brewing rice wine, weaving mats and even cooking. The activities depend on the season and time and every experience will be new and exciting. Night stay is arranged in the longhouse.
  • Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 9: Sarikei – Kuching
  • We enjoy a traditional Breakfast in the longhouse. We thank our hosts and start our journey back to Kuching. A car awaits to take you to Sarikei town. We stop for an early lunch and then hop on to the express boat for our boat journey to Kuching. An AC vehicle awaits at the boat wharf to take you to your hotel in Kuching.
  • Meals included: Breakfast
Pickup point
Directions.
Kuching International Airport (KCH/WBGG) (KCH), 900B, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia View on Map