XThanks so much for everything.  We had an absolutely fantastic trip with Borneo Ecotours.  Your logistics were excellent as were the drivers, guides, lodges, etc.  I wrote a review on Trip Advisor.

... (Read More)

Mark Pretti , American Samoa

Birding in Borneo

Summary Itinerary Rates New Villa Photos ReviewsAbout Sukau
 

16 Days of Birding Extravaganza! Borneo is home to 688 resident and migratory species of birds, 59 of them endemic to Borneo. We pride ourselves in being the Birding Specialist of Borneo with our own in-house specialist Bird Guides. Come with us as we take you through the best of Borneo in search of Borneo's birds including to Kinabalu Park, Poring, Sepilok, Sukau, Tabin and Danum Valley, staying in top-notch locations along the way such as Borneo Rainforest Lodge and a recently recognized National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World - Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

For more Birding Packages, please visit www.borneobirding.com

Tour Highlights

  • Birding at Sepilok Nature Reserve
  • 02 Nights stay at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, National Geographic unique lodges of the world, Superior Room. Travel to SRL by speedboat.
  • 02 afternoon river cruises and 01 early morning river cruise in search of Borneo's birdlife
  • Experience the uniqueness of Gomantong Cave and its surrounding to witness the amazing bat exodus at dusk and see the bat hawks in action
  • At Sukau Rainforest Lodge, enjoy a night safari river cruise through Kinabatangan River to spot nocturnal wildlife (Optional Tour)
  • Bird watching in Tabin Wildlife Reserve
  • Exploring Kinabatangan River
  • Stay at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, award winning nature lodge
  • Explore Danum Valley Conservation Area

birdingborneo rainforest lodge kinabalu parknature poring hot spring rainforest discovery center sepiloksukau rainforest lodge tabin wildlife reserve

This tour includes a stay in our Superior rooms and travel to SRL by speedboat. For an upgrade to our new Villa rooms, please see the Rates tab.

Day 1 : Kota Kinabalu - Kinabalu Park

Drive 88 km to Kinabalu Park, Malaysia's first World Heritage Site. Bird watching in Kinabalu Park, home to over 300 species of birds. Stay overnight in Kundasang. (Lunch & Dinner)

Kinabalu Park is home to:White Throated Fantail, Yellow Breasted Warbler, Kinabalu Friendly Warbler, Mountain Leaf-Warblers, Grey-throated Babbler, Borneo Whistling Thrush, Chestnut-capped Laughing Thrush, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Temminck's Sunbird, Sunda Whistling Thrush, Black Laughing-thrush, Black-breasted Triller, Indigo Flycatcher, Golden Napped Barbet, Whitehead's Trogon, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Blackeye, Bornean Stubtail (Endemic), Crimson-head Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Ochraceous Bulbul, White-browed Shortwing, Mountain Blackbird, Ashy Drongo, Short-tailed Magpies, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Bar-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Whitehead's Broadbill, Blue-winged Leafbird, Bornean Barbets, various other woodpeckers, warblers, trogons, bulbuls, besra and flycatchers.

Day 2 - 4 : Kinabalu Park - Poring

Full day bird watching in Kinabalu Park. Birdwatching in Poring on one of these days.(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Poring is home to: Banded Broadbill, Diard's Trogon, Gold-Whiskered Barbet, Pygmy White-eye, Blue-banded Pitta, Bold-strip Tit-Babbler, White-bellied Woodpecker, Brown Barbet, Thick-Billed Spiderhunter, White-browed Shama, Dusky Munia, Siberian Blue Robin, Crested Jay, Wreathed Hornbill, Scally Breasted Bulbul, Banded Kingfisher, White Fronted Falconet, various other bulbuls, broadbills, babblers and flowerpeckers.

Day 5 : Poring - Sepilok

Morning Bird watching before departing to Sepilok in approximately 4-hour overland journey to the east coast. Night walk in the evening. Overnight at Sepilok. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Note on Camera Use at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre:

For any camera with zoom lens from 100 to 400mm, video camera or other video recording equipment for personal use are chargeable at RM10.00 per unit. For any camera (fixed-lens - 400mm and above ) or any film-making equipment are chargeable at RM1,000.00 per unit. Mode of payment is cash only.

Day 6 : Rainforest Discovery Centre

Full day birdwatching in Rainforest Discovery Centre. Overnight at Sepilok. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Sepilok (Rainforest Discovery Centre) is home to: Bornean Bristlehead, Diard's Trogon, Banded Kingfisher, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Hooded Pitta, Black-and-Crimson Pitta, Scarlet Minivet, Red-bearded Bee-Eater, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, White-bellied Munia, Indian Cuckoo, White Fronted Falconet , Oriental dwarf Kingfishers, Scarlet Rumped Trogon, Red-Naped Trogon, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Great Slaty-woodpecker, White bellied-woodpecker, Velvet Fronted-Nuthatch, various bee-eaters, bulbuls, flowerpeckers, sunbird, drongos, hornbills, among others.

Day 7 : Sepilok - Sukau Rainforest Lodge   unique-lodge

Birdwatching in the morning. At noon, depart to Sukau by boat on Sabah's longest river, the Kinabatangan. Lower Kinabatangan is home to 210 species of birds. Check into the award winning Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Join an afternoon cruise for bird watching. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Sukau is home to: Bornean Ground-Cuckoo, White Bellied Fish Eagle, Lesser Fish Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Wallaces Hawk Eagle, White Chested Babbler, Brown Barbet, Blue Eared Kingfishers, Stork Billed Kingfisher, Black-eared Kingfisher, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Pied Fantail, Asian Paradise Flycatchers, Oriental Darter, Jerdon's Baza, Buffy Fish Owl, Brahminy Kite, White-fronted Falconet, Great Egret, Bornean Bristlehead, Black-and-Yellow Broadbills, Bat Hawk, Oriental Bay Owl, Brown Wood Owl, Great Billed Heron , Blue Headed Pitta, Blue Winged Pitta, Hooded Pitta, Black Headed Pittas, Crested Fireback, Storm's Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Scarlet Rumped Trogon, Red-Naped Trogon, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill, Wrinkled Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, White Crowned Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Bushy Crested Hornbill, Black Hornbill, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Great Slaty-woodpecker, White Bellied-woodpecker, and many others.
Please make sure that you travel light to Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

Experience profound relaxation and comfort at Halia Spa, Sukau Rainforest Lodge, as we provide an 'escape from the ordinary' by offering you a blend of both traditional and modern Spa treatments. Enjoy special deals when you book online!

optional-tours

Day 8 - 9 : Sukau

Morning and afternoon cruise for bird watching. Visit Gomantong Caves on one of these evenings to watch the exodus of bats and bathawks. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Day 10 : Sukau - Tabin

Proceed to Lahad Datu and then onwards to Tabin Wildlife Reserve, another haven for bird watching enthusiasts which boasts approximately 220 species of birds. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Tabin is home to: Blue Eared Kingfisher, Stork billed Kingfisher, Pied Fantail, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Storm's Stork, Bornean Bristlehead, Blue-headed Pitta, Blue-banded Pitta, Dusky Munia, Black-throated Wren-babbler, Bornean Wren-babbler, Bulwer's Pheasant, Thick-billed Spiderhunter, Long-billed Spiderhunter, Grey-breasted Spiderhunter, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Purple-throated Sunbird, Plain Sunbird, Black-naped Monarch, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped Trogon, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Ashy Tailorbird, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Black-backed Kingfisher, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill, Wrinkled Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, White Crowned Hornbill, White-Fronted Falconet, Crested Fireback, raptors and various others.

Day 11 : Tabin

Full day bird watching in Tabin. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Day 12 : Tabin - Borneo Rainforest Lodge

Transfer to Lahad Datu and Danum Valley. Check into Borneo Rainforest Lodge before continuing bird watching. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded in Danum Valley. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Danum Valley is home to: Hornbills, Bornean babbler, Black-throated Babblers, bulbuls, Giant Pitta, Blue-headed Pitta, Black-and-crimsom Pitta, Banded Pitta, Bornean Bristlehead, Great Argus Pheasant, Crested Fireback Pheasant, Chestnut-necklaced Partridge, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Red-napped Trogon, Diard's Trogon, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Blue-rumped Parrot, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots, Fiery Minivet, Large-billed Flycatchers, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher, Buffy Fish Owl, Brown Wood-owl, White Fronted Falconet, Crested Wood Partridge, Bornean Ground-cuckoo, and many others.

Day 13 - 14 : Borneo Rainforest Lodge

Full day bird watching. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Day 15 : Borneo Rainforest Lodge - Kota Kinabalu

Bird watching in the morning. Depart from Lahad Datu to airport for flight to Kota Kinabalu. Overnight in hotel. (Breakfast & Lunch)

Day 16 : Departure

Departure transfer to airport. (Breakfast)

THINGS TO BRING: Please bring along sun block lotion, personal toiletries, swim wear, torch light, drinking water bottle, insect repellent, walking shoes, leech sock, binoculars, camera, hat & raincoat.

Borneo Eco Tours is moving towards a plastic-free environment, so, please join our movement by bringing your own refillable water bottle during your time with us.

INCLUDES

Tours and transfers, accommodation and meals as specified, private river cruise in Sukau, entrance fees and English speaking guide.

EXCLUDES

Domestic airfare (Kota Kinabalu(BKI) - Sandakan(SDK)) & (Lahad Datu(LDU) - Kota Kinabalu(BKI)), camera fee and items not mentioned, Tourism Tax (TTx) flat rate of RM10 per room per night.

For more Birding Packages, please visit www.borneobirding.com

Note on Travel Insurance

Customers are encouraged to purchase their own travel insurance before travelling to Borneo. We recommend you to select a travel insurance policy that covers not only your medical expenses (including emergency repatriation) but also personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage. Doing so can prevent major disruptions and additional costs.

  RATES PER PERSON SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
Superior RM 21808 RM 4088
Villa new RM 22364 RM 4538

High season surcharge:

  1. MYR 159 nett per person at Borneo Rainforest Lodge (Mar, Apr, 15 July -15 Oct, March 2016)
  2. MYR 240 nett per person at Sukau Rainforest Lodge (July -August)
  3. MYR 40 per room per night at KK City Hotel

Upgrade to villa: All our 20 new villas are now up and ready for guests. If you have booked a superior room in advance but want to upgrade to a villa, you can! Just pay the price difference and you’re all set!

The following discounts apply to tours that include Sukau Rainforest Lodge ONLY:

  • Children age 3 and below - Free
  • Children ages 4 to 12 may share a room with ONE adult - 25% discount
  • Children ages 4 to 12 may share a room with TWO adult - 50% discount

Giving Back: Every international adult guest who stays at SRL contributes MYR20 for Conservation Contribution (CC).Read More

Rates are valid from 01 April 2018 till 31 March 2019.

Effective 1st September 2017, foreign guests will be charged a flat rate of RM10 per room per night for all Tourism Tax (TTx) registered hotel classifications in Malaysia.

Thanks so much for everything.  We had an absolutely fantastic trip with Borneo Ecotours.  Your logistics were excellent as were the drivers, guides, lodges, etc.  I wrote a review on Trip Advisor.

Mark Pretti , American Samoa, 25 Mar - 09 Apr 2017

I have compiled a trip report from our lovely Sabah trip earlier this year and you can post it on your website if you like. Please send our warmest regards to Maldin and Ron as well as I do not have their e-mails.

Hazwan - many thanks again for excellent guidning and company and for us the pictures aids in recalling many of the fine moments we shared in your fantastic nature.

Take care, Klas

Klas Radberg , Sweden, 29 Jan-16 Feb 2017

We asked Borneo Eco Tours to put together a birding itinerary for us for 16 days. Not only did all of our arrangements work seamlessly, but the accommodations and guides were fabulous!! The guides really were exceptional! We also asked for recommendations for a diving resort and a place to relax at the end of our trip and they set up the reservations for us and set up the transfers and all we had to do was focus on having a wonderful time rather than logistics.

Melinda W, United States, February 2016

Borneo Eco Tours is professional, knowledgeable, and they want their customers to have an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Everything from arranging the tour online to being dropped off at my hotel after the tour went smoothly. I went on their Kinabatangan Wildlife tour and saw wild orangutans, pygmy elephants, monkeys, various birds, and crocodiles. The Sukau Rainforest Lodge exceeded my expectations. It is clean and has, really, whatever you need right in the middle of the jungle. I also went on their Selingan Island tour to see the turtles. My guide, Fernando, was dedicated and knowledgeable. Both tours were memorable experiences and well worth the money and time. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to seek Borneo Eco Tours as your travel company while you are in Sabah, Borneo.

audrey metzger

Audrey Metzger, United States, 03 - 07 January 2016

Excellent birding

We recently arranged a 3D2N birdwatching trip to Mt Kinabalu through Borneo Eco-tours. All the arrangements they made were very good, as was the accommodation and everything ran on time. We had Adrian Chin as our guide and he was excellent, with a good knowledge of the flora and fauna, as well as pleasant companion. As we had been before, we had quite specific birding requests and Adrian had a good eye for the birds and worked hard to get us the birds we wanted to see. We also felt safe with Gavin, our driver, who took great care and was where he was needed! We would certainly recommend them.

Anthony S, United Kingdom, April 2018

We had Borneo Eco Tours orange a private 10-day birding tour for us and they did a wonderful job. Everything went off smoothly from start to finish. Our guides and driver's were very professional, helpful and knowledgable. Accommodations in Kinabalu, Sepilok, Sakau and Danum Valley were great. Borneo Rainforest Lodge is wonderful. Birding was great, 243 birds including most of the ones we wanted - Bristlehead, Pittas, Broadbills etc. Only regret is not staying one extra day in Sepilok to make more of the Rain Forest Discovery centre.

lagavulin46, Canada, March 2016

Thanks for organizing our trip to Kota Kinabalu NP.

All went well and Adrian was a great guide on our trip. Saw most of the target birds and tried hardly for the remaining few not seen species. Accomodation was excellent and the same for the food in the restaurant.

Now at home in sunny and rather cold weather, and cross-county skiing every day. That´s different to Kota Kinabalu.

Timo Reunala , Finland, 26 Feb-02 Mar 2018

sukau rainforest lodge
Announcement:

Sukau Rainforest Lodge has just recently completed its 20 units of exquisite Borneo Villas, which is an upgrade from its 20 existing Superior Rooms. The villas offer another level of luxury and comfort for guests who want to experience a finer side of Sukau. Other completed upgrades also include the lodge’s newly constructed Attenborough Boardwalk, Melapi Restaurant extension, and Gomantong Hall refurbishment.

NOTE: Wheelchair-friendly and adapted rooms are also available at the lodge.

Travel Life We’re also proud to announce that Sukau Rainforest Lodge is now certified with the Travelife Gold Certification! To know more about the certification and Travelife, go here.

Presently, Sukau Rainforest Lodge has 40 rooms; 20 Superior Rooms and 20 Borneo Villas. The lodge has also been branded as a National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World and has received numerous awards and recognition namely, the Best Nature Lodge in Sabah by Sabah Tourism in 2013/2014, Asia’s Leading Green Hotel for the 17th World Travel Awards 2010, and Best Independent Accommodation by PATA InSPIRE Awards 2015.

The ecolodge was built in 1995 in the style of traditional Malay architecture using several Borneo hardwood species. Erected on stilts on the banks of Kinabatangan River, Sukau Rainforest Lodge offers a nature and wildlife experience that goes hand in hand with luxury and comfort. The lodge also includes the Melapi Restaurant on the pier, Gecko Lounge and Bar, a plunge pool, Gomantong Hall meeting area, Hornbill Boardwalk and Attenborough Boardwalk for nature walks, Kadai gift shop and also Halia Spa amongst other conveniences.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge is doing its best to uphold its ecolodge ethos by using a Green & Sustainable policy as a guideline which both staff and guests are encouraged to follow. Some of the lodge’s sustainable practices includes rainwater harvesting for shower and solar heating to generate hot water supply. All rooms are also equipped with energy saving inverter air-conditioning and LED light bulbs. Besides that, river safari cruises are conducted by boats powered by electric motors and eco-friendly outboard engines.


TripAdvisor Hall of Fame

The Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary which covers an area of 26,800 hectares, forms part of the Kinabatangan region which is the largest floodplain the Malaysia covering a total of 23% of the land area of Sabah or 16,800 sq.km. Gazetted in 2005 as a gift to the Earth, it has a diverse ecosystem from coastal mangrove swamp, to riparian, freshwater and dipterocarp and oxbow vegetation teaming with wildlife supporting ten species of primates including more than 1,000 orang utans, proboscis monkeys, more than 300 Borneo pygmy elephants, 50 species of mammals, 20 species of reptiles and over 1,026 species of plants.

Birdlife is especially rich here (over 325 species have been sighted in the area) including eight species of hornbills, kingfishers, darters, owls, kites, eagles, broadbills, doves, storm storks, herons, hawks, ospreys, falcon, pheasants, parakeets, bee eaters, woodpeckers, pittas, bulbuls, forktails, babblers, warblers, flycatchers, orioles, flowerpeckers, spiderhunters, among others.

AWARDS

2015 PATA InSPIRE Awards - Winner Best Independent Accommodation

PATA InSPIRE Awards Wildasia Tourism Awards awards awards awards awards awards awards awards awards awards awards

We are incredibly excited to unveil our newly built Villas! The villas are exquisitely designed and furnished with a unique Borneo flavor that we hope will provide you with extra comfort and will further heighten your Borneo experience during your stay with us.

Highlights

  • Villas are 60% larger than our superior rooms
  • En-suite bathroom features Hans-Grohe hot water rain and hand showers and are 100% larger than our Superior room en-suite bathrooms
  • Private balcony with patio chairs
  • Option of double bed and queen-sized bed arrangements
  • Energy saving inverter air-conditioning supplemented by ceiling fan
  • Villa rooms are fully mosquito netted. All windows and balcony doors have insect screens
  • 100% LED lighting
  • Decorated and furnished with Borneo styled crafts and motifs
  • More privacy, away from main areas

Photos


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