Highlights
SABAH; Kota
Kinabalu-Sandakan-Tawau; Gayana Island EcoResort, Tamparuli, Kinabalu National Park, Mt.
Kinabalu Climb, Poring Hot Springs, Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Sukau
Village, Kinabatangan River Cruise, Ox-Bow Lake, Gomantong Caves, Sipadan Island Diving,
5-Star Beach Resort leisure.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kota
Kinabalu
Welcome at the Kota Kinabalu
International Airport (KKIA), and transfer to the Gayana Island EcoResort; transfer from
the airport to the jetty in Kota Kinabalu takes about 20 minutes, and the ferry to the
island another 30 minutes (regular ferry transfer; pending on your flight schedule, we
will have some time to take you through Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s capital first); rest
of day free at own leisure at the island. Overnight at Gayana Island EcoResort. (No Meals)
Day 2: Gayana Island
EcoResort
Spend a leisurely day at the
Gayana Island EcoResort and profit of its many facilities: jungle trekking on Gayana
Island, snorkelling, sun-bathing, and explore the Marine Ecology Research Centre.
Overnight at Gayana Island EcoResort. (Breakfast)
Day 3: Local Markets
and Kinabalu National Park
07:15 hrs Take the ferry from
Gayana Island to Kota Kinabalu, and meet your guide and driver at the jetty. Proceed to
Donggongon, a rural town some 30 minutes from Kota Kinabalu and immerse yourself in the
weekly market with all its local vegetables and other products; later proceed over
Tamparuli and Nabalu, where there is another small but famous market to the Kinabalu
National Park Head Quarters (KNP HQ). At the KNP HQ get a first impression of the
incredible Flora & Fauna of Sabah; admire the range of medical plants and orchids,
many of which are endemic to Sabah, at the Mountain Garden. We are entirely at your
disposal, and we take the day at leisure. We’ll have lunch in a local restaurant on
the way to Kundasang, where in the late afternoon we check in and spend the night.
Overnight at Kinabalu Pine Resort near KNP. (Breakfast, Lunch,
Dinner)
Day 4: First Day of Mt
Kinabalu Climb
07:00 hrs After breakfast we
take you to the KNP HQ for registration of your climb. Here, you meet your local mountain
guide, and you can hire a porter if necessary. You start your climb around 9 am, and some
five hours later you should reach Laban Rata, at 3300 m where you will stay overnight at
the Resthouse. (Breakfast)
Day 5: The Summit and
Poring Hot Springs
02:00 hrs You are woken at 2
am, and by 3 am you are on the summit trail. You should reach Low’s Peak, the highest
point in South East Asia, just before sunrise. After that back to Laban Rata and the KNP
HQ, where we expect you around midday to 2 pm for a well-merited lunch. 14:00 hrs We
continue our journey to Poring Hot Springs. There are no more active volcanoes in Sabah,
but there are some hot springs, the last manifestation of volcanic activity a long time
ago. Poring is part of the KNP and at 400 m a.s.l. is surrounded by beautiful tropical
rainforest. Soak your sore muscles in the hot waters, they will appreciate it! Late in the
afternoon we head back to Kundasang, Pine Resort. For dinner awaits you a typical Chinese
Steamboat with delicious seafood and rice wine. Overnight at Kinabalu Pine Resort. (Lunch, Dinner)
Day 6: Sukau, Sandakan
08:00 hrs Today, we take you
overland to Sukau. The five to six hours’ drive takes you through some of
Sabah’s most spectacular landscapes, tropical rainforests, and in its second half
lots of palm oil plantations. We have lunch at a local restaurant on the way.
Later continue to overland to the Gomantong Caves, famous especially amongst the Chinese
since ancient times for their swiftlets that produce edible nests - the caves of Gomantong
are also called "Bird nests’ Caves!" The drive takes approximately thirty
minutes. A 15-minute walk over wooden bridges takes you to the impressive limestone caves,
where during harvesting times men climb up to the 60 meter high ceiling on flimsy-looking
rattan ladders. The caves are not only home to swiftlets, but also to
couple of millions of bats and smell accordingly. In Sukau,
check into your chalet on the Kinabatangan River, and in the late afternoon. take a
leisurely boat ride in search of wildlife, notably the Proboscis monkeys, a unique creature
that is endemic to Borneo and exists no where else in the world. By nightfall return to
the lodge for a sumptuous dinner with local and Malaysian specialities. Overnight in
chalet on the Kinabatangan River. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 7: Wildlife in
Sabah
05:30 hrs In Sukau you are
woken up to the calls of gibbons and hornbills. By 0600 h board a small boat that takes
you to an Ox Bow Lake to experience the mystique and charm of an early morning on the
Kinabatangan River, and to observe wildlife. On a short jungle walk along the lake we
might see some interesting Bornean wildlife and birds. Return to the lodge
for breakfast; Free at own leisure, and lunch; in the afternoon you are
taken for another river cruise in search of more wildlife. Overnight in chalet on the Kinabatangan River. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 8: Sepilok Orang
Utan Rehabilitation Centre
07: 00 hrs You leave Sukau by
car, to arrive in time for the feeding of the orang utan at the world famous Sepilok Orang
Utan Rehabilitation Centre, where you can experience a close encounter with the "Wild
Man of Borneo." In Sepilok, orphaned and captive or as pets treated Orang Utans are
being rehabilitated to a life in the jungle of Borneo. Visitors are taken over wooden
bridges to a feeding plat form, where every day the apes have the possibility to obtain
food. However, he centre is no zoo and one cannot guarantee that there will be a lot of
Orang Utans. These animals live wild in an area that caters to their needs, and the less
they depend on man the more successful the rehabilitation programme works. After the
feeding, followed by a video presentation on the mission and work of the centre, you
continue back to Sandakan for lunch. You leave Sandakan for Tawau on flight MH2139, 1610
hrs arrival 1650 hrs. In Tawau check into the prestigious 4-star
Marco Polo Hotel. (Breakfast)
Day 9-11: Sipadan -
World Class Diving
08:00 hrs (exact schedule upon
booking) You are picked up from your hotel and taken to the jetty for transfer to Sipadan,
the world class diving site. The next three days discover the underwater flora & fauna
unique to Sipadan, unique in the world! Overnight at beach chalet on Sipadan. (Full Board while at Sipadan - except for alcoholic and carbonated
beverages)
Day 12: Back to Kota
Kinabalu
07:00 hrs (exact schedule upon
booking) Leave Sipadan and reach Kota Kinabalu on flight MH2663, 1740 hrs arrival 1820
hrs; transfer to the 5-star Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru
Resort. (Breakfast)
Day 13: Back to Kota
Kinabalu
Day free at leisure. Overnight
at the Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort. (Breakfast)
Day 14: Departure
Day free at leisure until your
departure. Transfer from hotel to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Tour Service
ends here. (Breakfast)
Inclusive
in the Programme:
* All transport (from KK - KNP - Sukau in 4x4; other land transfer in
air-conditioned coach)
* Airfares from Sandakan to Tawau and Tawau to Kota Kinabalu (incl. of airport tax)
* All boat trips
* All accommodation in Hotels (based on twin-share) / Lodges as indicated
* Experienced, licensed tour guides throughout
* All meals as indicated below
* All excursions as per programme
* All entrance fees
* Mountain Climbing Permit and Insurance
* Mountain Guide
* Diving: three boat dives per day; unlimited shore dives
Not included:
International airfare to/fro Sabah, Camera & Video fees where applicable,
meals and drinks not indicated, tips and other personal expenses.
Special
Note on Diving at Sipadan:
* All divers must show proof of diver certification for each level and specialty
before diving is allowed.
* All divers and snokellers will be required to sign a waiver form.
* Flying after diving (last day at resort) -- The latest recommendation from DAN, Training
Agencies, etc. indicates that you should wait a minimum of 12 hours and sometimes up to 24
hours after diving before you fly. However, SMART recognises that people, agencies and
even computers and tables differ on this. If you choose to dive on the day you leave and
fly, you will be required to sign a seperate Liability/Release Form (Waiver) to do this.
You will only be able to do one morning dive; however, this is at the discretion of the
Resort Management. The extra charge for the dive on the last day is RM50/USD14 per
person/per dive.
NOTE: Tour Itinerary, Sequence
and Final Rate subject to availability of spaces, accommodation at specified hotels, and
tour sites.
Special Request: When booking this tour, you can request for
a different hotel or ask to suggest a different type of hotel (i.e.,
4-star or 3-star only) - applicable for accommodation on Day 8, 12
and 13 only. A different package cost will be
furnished.
