BORNEO - IN SEARCH OF RARITY

ARRIVAL DAY - SEPILOK [-/-/D]

Pick up from Sandakan airport. Transfer to Sepilok Nature Resort (20 minutes) from Sandakan Airport. In the evening, we will give you a trip briefing, post which you shall proceed for a welcome dinner. After dinner, we shall head out for an optional night walk in the forest to search for nocturnal wildlife.

SEPILOK - KINABATANGAN [B/L/D]

This morning you will focus on sunrise at Rainforest Discovery Centre for early morning photography. Return for breakfast and then continue to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and the Bornean Sun Bear Centre before packing up and heading to the Kinabatangan after lunch. Check into your lodge and take an afternoon river cruise to search for wildlife. After dinner, head out for a river cruise to search for nocturnal wildlife. This area focuses on great up-close photography of orangutans in the sanctuary. The light is good because there is a large opening in the canopy around the orangutan feeding platform. The Rainforest Discovery Centre can produce good orangutan sightings as well as rhinoceros hornbills and other species.

*super telephoto lenses (400mm 2.8, 500mm f4, 600mm f4) at the 2 sanctuaries have a high camera fee of 250usd. Recommended to use 70-200, 100-500, etc to avoid the high fee.

KINABATANGAN [B/L/D]

Early wake up for morning cruises and search for orangutans, proboscis monkeys, silvered langurs, hornbills, and more. Return to the lodge for breakfast and then go out on a jungle walk behind the lodge to search for more wildlife. Rest in the middle of the day and have lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, head out for another river cruise to search for more wildlife. In the evening, head out for a night cruise to search for wildlife by spotlight. The Kinabatangan River is the longest river in Sabah known for the highest concentration of primates in North Borneo. The forest is a secondary forest, with a large amount of ficus racemosa, a preferred food source for a variety of species. The focus of this area is river cruises and photography from the boat. Photography is great here because of the open area around the river. The light is good and the wildlife is generally cooperative for photography. There are also beautiful riverscape photography opportunities as well.

KINABATANGAN [B/L/D]

Watch the sunrise during an early morning river safari cruise. Return to the lodge and set out on a jungle walk to search for wildlife. Before lunch, there will be a talk by an orangutan expert. After lunch, we will take a short boat ride and overland transfer (15 minutes) to Gomantong Caves. We will spend the afternoon walking in the reserve and visiting the bat cave. At dusk, we will have an opportunity to see the bat exodus, where over 1 million bats come out of the cave to feed in the night. Return to the lodge for dinner. After dinner, set out for a night cruise to search for nocturnal wildlife on the riverbanks. This is an amazing experience, with great wildlife around Gomantong Caves (orangutans, hornbills, red leaf langurs, birds, etc.). If it is a clear day, shooting a million bats emerging from the cave is a spectacle worth seeing. Long ropes of tens of thousands of bats come out at a time, with raptors waiting to hunt the bats mid-air. There is a new platform that will be open that makes this eye level.

KINABATANGAN - DANUM VALLEY [B/L/D]

Travel to Danum Valley (2 hours to Lahad Datu, 2.5 hours to get to Danum Valley), known for its 400 square kilometres of virtually undisturbed primary rainforest. Spend three days exploring the local nature trails on your own or with a guide. Keep an eye out for rare species, including the pygmy elephant, clouded leopard, Bornean gibbon, and maroon langur. Bird life is especially diverse, with some 275 recorded species. Take a guided night hike when the forest is vibrant with wildlife. Watch a dazzling sunrise over the valley from atop an observation tower—and enjoy a light breakfast with a stunning view. Night activities will switch between 2 nights of night drive and 1 night of night walk. Both activities focus on different species. You will spend 3 nights in Danum Valley at the field centre. This is a simple research station that has fan rooms, and ensuite bathrooms with no hot water. Electricity is supplied by a generator, and the running hours of the generator are 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. In Danum Valley, the photographs will all be by foot. Walking on well-maintained trails to focus on photographing orangutans. This is one of the best places in Borneo to photograph orangutans in the wild. There are over 30 resident orangutans around the lodge. Because there is no hunting, they are very comfortable around people. Other notable species are red-leaf langurs which hang around close to the lodge, hornbills, gibbons, deer, owls, and more. Snakes, lizards, insects, and frogs are also fantastic around the lodge. The frog pond just outside of the property has a good number of species and is great for photography. Photography can be challenging in Danum Valley. Even though you get up close during the day, the canopy is very tall (100-140 feet) and it can be quite dark on the forest floor. A tripod and a lens with a wide aperture is recommended. Cameras that handle well with high ISO are also recommended for this. Macro workshops are great in Danum as well for evening time.

DANUM VALLEY [B/- /-]

Spend a final morning in Danum Valley searching for wildlife. We will depart at 11 am from Danum and return to Lahad Datu by 1:00 pm. Flights should be arranged from Lahad Datu after 2:30 pm.