The sounds of slogging through shin deep mud in gum boots echoed through the jungle. Slurrrrrrp. Slosh. Slurrrrrrp. Slosh. Slurrrrrrp. Slosh. Any nearby animals wouldn’t be nearby for long. Apart from the Borneo tractor millipedes and mosquitos furiously working to suck my blood through my rain jacket of course.
I spotted an elephant foot print to my left. Trees rustled in the distance to my right. My laser focus on not getting sucked into a mud pit rendered me blind to whatever life existed around me. How do survivalists do it?!
A carnal shriek ripped through the air behind me. It sounded like an animal in pain. A band of proboscis monkeys? Macaques? Another predator on the prowl?
More shrieks joined in. My pace quickened, but the Slurrrrrrp Slosh was blowing my cover.
I had no choice but to turn around, and I saw the most dangerous animal I could have possible seen in the Bornean jungle:
fellow mankind.
Jeremy and I just finished an 8 day Borneo East Sabah Adventure tour with G Adventures.
And the trip was totally spontaneous. We were sitting in a cafe in Kathmandu, and I scrolled past a G Adventures ad on Instagram. “40% off a Borneo East Sabah Adventure!” I skimmed the tour description. Jungle cruises, islands, orangutan encounters….. nice hotels…. nearly all meals included…. $1,050 USD per person marked down from $1700!?! And it starts next week?!?!!??!!?!
I showed it to Jeremy. We looked at each other, silently assessing what the other was thinking. The plan was to fly from Kathmandu to Bangkok, then head down to Koh Lanta for some diving, beach time, and island hopping. Should and could we swing the switch?
We went back and forth on the cost and benefits. Nearly all our reservations for Thailand were refundable, but we’d need to pay for the tour and flights to Malaysia. We’ve spent many a day enjoying the beaches of Thailand. But would we ever actually go to Borneo if we didn’t spring for it now?
Two hours later and we were all set to head out on a Borneo East Sabah Adventure.
And that, folks, is spontaneity at it’s finest.
The tour was chocked full of epic experiences and pretty special animal encounters. I admittedly find day-by-day travel logs to be tedious to write and fairly uncreative. But for this particular experience, it’s the best way to give you the full picture of what this tour entailed.
(Get the official description HERE.)
Let’s dive into a day by day breakdown of the Borneo East Sabah Adventure with G Adventures!
Day 1: Meet the Group
We met our “chief experience officer” (CEO), Gobot, and the group of 12 other travelers at 6pm to go over the Borneo East Sabah adventure ahead. The average age of the group was mid-late 30s, bookended with an 18 year old and three people in their 50s. A handful of people were from Europe, there were a couple Aussies, a few Americans, and a handful of people from across the world who have settled in the US.
Gobot went over the day-by-day breakdown. When it came to talking about animals we might see, he said “no guarantees” for everything. There’s a balance between setting reasonable expectations while keeping people excited. And let’s just say Gobot had quite the knack for being an excitement sucker.
We all went to a local Malaysian restaurant for some grub before calling it a night. The Borneo East Sabah Adventure was about to begin!
As a novice group tour taker, I’ve quickly discovered that an “8 day tour” is actually only 6 because the first and last days are total write offs!
Day 2: Kota Kinabalu to the Tambatuon Village
We piled into the van to make tracks towards the Tambatuon Village for a homestay.
The Accommodation: D’Danau Homestay
The D’Danau Homestay is a family operation run by “Uncle Jimmy” and his 9 daughters with 12 (or so) grandkids running around. It’s built on top of a sustainable fish farm and is surrounded with lush gardens teeming with all types of fruits and vegetables. The homestay itself has hostel-style rooms with shared bathroom facilities, and an open air common spare with stellar views of Mount Kinabalu (picture above.)
Activities for the Day:
Hunting for Corpse Flowers:
On the way to the homestay, we got word that the rare rafflesia plant was in bloom. This isn’t just any blooming plant, you see. This is a mega rare parasitic plant that blooms once a year into the largest flower in the world. It has 5 leathery petals that can reach a diameter of a whopping 3.3 feet. Of course we had to check it out.
The rafflesia is often called the “corpse flower” because it produces the aroma of dead flesh to attract bugs and beetles that’ll sip on the pungent sap and pollinate accordingly. We walked a little less that a mile into the jungle to bear witness to said bloom. And it was pretty cool!
Cooking Class:
According to the schedule, we were meant to go on a guided tour through the village followed by a visit to the garden to gather dinner. But the weather had other plans. Buckets of rains came down mid-village walk and we ran back to the homestay. Everyone just twiddled their thumbs for a few hours waiting for the next activity: a cooking class led by two of Uncle Jimmy’s daughters, Asnah and Priscilla.
If G Adventures is going to offer the Borneo East Sabah Adventure tour at the back end of the rainy season, they should have rain alternatives.
There were two dishes on the menu: pineapple curry and a traditional celebration dish of sautéed tapioca leaves with hibiscus flowers. We dawned skirts, straw hats, and got chopping, squeezing, slicing, and sautéing. It wasn’t like a traditional cooking class where we all had our own ingredients and cooking stations. Rather, Asnah and Priscilla explained each step, and someone would execute it accordingly.
Everything was done in under two hours, and it was time to dig in. The tapioca hibiscus dish was quite bitter, but the pineapple curry was incredible. The balance of sweet, spicy, and acidity was a dream. And the addition of cinnamon and star anise flowers added a beautiful warmness that I would have never thought to pair with pineapple.
What We Ate:
We had a breakfast buffet at the hotel in Kota Kinabalu, and lunch and dinner buffets at the homestay. The food at the homestay was exceptional. Highlights were fresh tilapia, a pumpkin curry, and the pineapple curry we made.
Observations and Takeaways:
The land around the homestay is flush with tropical fruits and all types of vegetables. Uncle Jimmy, his daughters, and granddaughters have grown up learning what’s safe to eat and how to make it all taste incredible. But as we said goodbye, they told us, “Your visit helps support our village. Please tell friends and family how much you love Borneo, and to come stay with us!”
It’s easy to romanticize living off the land. But just because you can live off the land, doesn’t mean you’d prefer not to.
Day 3 and 4: Kinabatangan River
We woke up, noshed on a breakfast buffet while enjoying views of Mount Kinabalu, and began the drive to the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, where we stayed for two nights. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary stretches across a whopping 26,103 hectares and is teeming with wildlife. It’s home to ten types of primates (including orangutans and proboscis monkeys), over 325 species of bird (including hornbills), crocodiles, and Borneo pygmy elephants, among hundreds of other mammals, reptiles, and insects.
The Accommodation:
It took a little less than 6 hours to drive to the Borneo Natural Sakau Bilit Resort— our accommodation for two nights. I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t a beautiful wooden bungalow with a balcony overlooking a lagoon. I failed to snap good photos, so see the above video.
Activities:
The land around the Borneo Natural Sakau Bilit Resort was totally flooded under a foot of water. Casual exploration wasn’t possible, but river cruises were. Over the two days we went on three river cruises for wildlife spotting.
We saw proboscis monkeys, pig tailed macaques, long tailed macaques, silver leaf monkeys, oriental pied hornbills, asian black hornbills, a purple heron, and various other birds.
Please note that all the animal photos in this section were taken by fellow group members!
The big excitement was spotting two borneo pygmy elephants. I’ve never seen elephants in the wild. The moment was epic, and a highlight of the Borneo East Sabah adventure.
Other exciting spottings were orangutans, a crocodile, and a dog toothed cat snake.
The only other activity we did apart from the river cruises was a failed jungle walk. The ground was incredibly muddy, we’re talking up to your mid shins muddy. The intro to this blog post was from the experience.
What We Ate:
The Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort had breakfast, lunch, and diner buffets along with a 3:30pm snack and tea time. For breakfast, I had beans, noodles, eggs, and whatever little pastry they had on offer. All the other meals had rice, some sort of meat dish, some sort of sautéed vegetables, and some sort of vegetable curry. All the dishes were fine, but not overly exciting.
Observations and Take Aways:
If “wild”life sightings are handed to you on a silver platter, chances are they aren’t actually wild. The unfortunate truth is that many animal tourism experiences around the world are far from ethical. Locals will feed and bait the animals to ensure that you, the tourist, can snap stellar photos while getting up close and personal with an animal that really shouldn’t be close to humans. (Get my thoughts on elephant tourism in Thailand HERE!)
Seeing wildlife in the wild takes time, patience, a sharp eye, and an understanding that you won’t be 10 feet away from said animal. These river cruises delivered exactly that, and were a perfect example of ethical eco tourism.
Tourists are able to spot the animals in their natural environment while the local people are still able to make an income via hotels and tours. It’s a win win!
Day Five: Sepilok
We piled into a van and headed to Sepilok.
The Accommodation:
We stayed at the Borneo Sepilok Rainforest Resort, which was exceptional. Once again, we had a wooden bungalow that was clean and modern, yet cozy and rustic.
Activity 1: Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
We drove straight from the the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The centre was established in 1964 for the purpose of rehabilitating orphaned orangutans. Orangutans spend the first 7 years of their life with their mothers as they learn the ropes of how to survive, and orphans have little to no chance of survival. The centre is devoted to teaching the babies all the skills they need to hopefully one day be released back into the wild.
There are feeding times at 10am and 3pm for people to view, as well as a nursery area where you can sit in hopes of spotting the majestic giants grazing about.
But wait Katie… should wild animals really be fed for viewing that like?! In a perfect world, no. But our world is far from perfect. For starters, baby orangutans don’t yet know how to find their own food, meaning they need an adult (human or orangutan) to help. Also, the center does have a disclaimer that seeing orangutans isn’t guaranteed. During fruiting season, they may be able to forage enough food on their own, and won’t come to the platform.
But at the end of the day, rescuing and caring for orangutans comes with a high price tag, and entry fees are an efficient way to cover said price tag. Giving people a higher chance of getting to see the creatures via feeding times is what creates an emotional investment in the animals.
Seeing a grown female show one of the orphans what and how to eat was incredible. It’s clear that orangutans are highly emotional, intelligent creatures, and the experience has made me invested in the future of the species. In fact, we even adopted an orphaned orangutan, Agop, for Jeremy’s nieces and nephew. You can adopt one too HERE!
Activity 2: Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center
Sun bears are the smallest type of bear in the world, and they are only found in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the population is declining due to deforestation, and they are also popular targets for the illegal pet market. The conversation center is across the street from the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, and it is dedicated to helping once-captive bears rehabilitate to living in their natural environment.
Like the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, there are feeding times so that tourists can have a chance at spotting the bears.
Activity 3: Night Jungle Walk at the Rainforest Discovery Center
The third group activity of the day was a night walk through the nearby Rainforest Discovery Center, and it was a highlight of the Borneo East Sabah Adventure. We set off at dusk with two guides who had an uncanny ability to spot cool animals.
We spotted giant flying squirrels, a scorpion, a Bornean slow loris, a banded civet, a Bornean pit viper, a tarantula, and a western tarsier. The western tarsier, pictured below, was the highlight.
Observations and Takeaways:
During the feeding time, a troupe of pig tailed macaques launched a total onslaught. They simultaneous climbed up the poles, and sneakily grabbed pieces of fruit.
The orangutans didn’t seem too perturbed. But based on the sneakiness of the pig tailed macaques, I’d guess they know who’s boss. Once the good fruit was gone and the orangutans vacated. Drama broke out among the macaques themselves over who got the leftovers as they ran every which way.
The ogling tourists were shuttled down the boardwalk to the nursery area. Two orangutans appeared 20 feet ahead, and the crowd stopped dead in their tracks. We were instructed to keep a distance as we silently inched along behind the orangutans. Tourists in the back shoved forward in a frenzy, cameras in hand.
People whispered, “We are suppose to keep back!” “Excuse me… but you elbowed me…” “Slow down, everyone wants to see!”
The frenzied tourists replied, “I really don’t care… I want the shot…”
I silently watched the shoving and bickering. It looked eerily similar to the macaques vying for the fruit just 10 minutes ago….
What We Ate:
We had lunch and dinner at the Borneo Sepilok Rainforest Resort. Lunch was an admittedly subpar buffet. Dinner was ala car, and Jeremy and I shared a noodle dish and vegetables curry, both were delicious.
Day 6: Libaran Island
We said goodbye to Sepilok, and took a bus followed by speed boat to Libaran Island for the last leg of our Borneo East Sabah Adventure. What makes Liberan and the surrounding islands special is that they are popular spots for sea turtles to lay eggs.
However, the eggs haven’t always been safe due to the illegal turtle egg trade. Turtle eggs are a delicacy in parts of Asia and Central America, and are revered as prized aphrodisiacs. Smugglers will wait for turtles to lay eggs, then scoop them up and kill the female to sell the meat and eggs accordingly.
Conservations efforts, like the hatchery on Libaran Island, are designed to help protect the eggs against poachers as well as other predators like dogs and monitor lizards.
The Accommodation: Walai Penyu Conservation Park for Glamping
The accommodation for the night were glamping tents on the beach. Each tent had electricity with a fan and lightbulb along with reasonably comfortable beds. There were shared shower and bathroom facilities, and there an open air common space with a long table and kitchen.
Activities:
After getting settled in, we had free time to hang out on the beach, rent kayaks, or head to another island for snorkeling. Nearly everyone opted for the latter. We jetted to a nearby island that had a decent reef for snorkeling.
The big excitement began when a local ranger brought over a bucket of baby turtles. He released them onto the sand and we watched them furiously run towards the ocean.
Usually, turtles hatch at night, dawn, or dusk to minimize the risk of being snatched up by a predator. It was clear that these turtles hatched the night before and were collected to be released for us tourists accordingly. I try to be a responsible tourist, so I’ll go on the record saying I didn’t know this would happen and I certainly didn’t pay to see it. Red flags and ethics aside, it was admittedly extremely cool to watch.
Once we got back to Libaran Island, we had a tea time followed by a village walk. The village on the island is 450 people strong, and a local guide showed us around with a few stops along the way. We learned how to make woven mats, how to play a local game, and about local recycling efforts via turning plastic bottles into art.
The final activity of the day was a night time visit to the local turtle hatchery. There were two sets of eggs in the hatchery at the time, and one of the rangers gave the rundown on how and why they collect the eggs. He patrols the beach every night to watch out for turtles coming ashore, and promised a wake up call if he spotted one. Alas… no wake up call…
What We Ate:
Continuing on with the theme of the Borneo East Sabah Adventure tour…. buffets!
Observations and Takeaways:
Plastic is a big issue in Borneo. Not only are Malaysia and the surrounding countries huge consumers of single use plastics, but they also lack the waste management infrastructure required to handle said plastic. Tourism has exacerbated the problem. (Check out my deep dive on the impacts of tourism in Tulum HERE. The story is quite similar.)
The Malaysian government has implemented various clean-up program incentives. And in 2020, they even sent back 150 containers of plastic waste to rich nations trying to offload their waste. (Hey billionaire USA techies… I don’t really need AI to find a roasted chicken recipe. Figure out how to manage plastic instead of dumping it on other countries instead!!!) However, they recognize more must be done, including initiatives for water purification systems to make tap water drinkable.
Seeing so much plastic waste was a reminder to myself to limit my consumption of single use plastics.
Day 7: Back to Kota Kinabalu
We packed up and took a boat, bus, and plane to get back to Kota Kinabalu. After getting settled into the Hotel Shangri-La (the knock off… not the real one….), the group headed to the Marriott for roof top drinks while watching the sunset.
Day 8: Goodbye!
Day 8, like day 1, was a write off. No activities to be had.
The Borneo East Sabah Adventure with G Adventures was fascinating.
The main mission of the tour, seeing animals, was achieved, and I was very impressed with the quality of the eco-tourism. From the jungle cruises to the orangutan rehabilitation centre, it’s clear that Sabah is investing in conservation efforts while providing educational tools to locals on how to preserve the environment and why it matters.
I didn’t see a single sign or ad for experiences like “ride elephants!” or “pet tigers!” And there are massive fines in place to prevent locals and tourists alike from keeping and mistreating wild animals.
Sabah is geographically huge, and I only got a small peek of it— I don’t doubt that unethical “eco” tourism exists. But from what I saw, Sabah seems to be a good model for how to help locals profit off of nature in away that helps, rather than hurts, the environment.
What the total upheaval of plans worth it?!
Yes!
While chillaxing in Thailand would have been a nice vacation, spending time in Borneo has been a meaningful travel experience.
However, I don’t think the Borneo East Sabah Adventure with G Adventures is a good value. Full price is $1749USD a person, which is outrageously high considering the fact that 3 of the 8 days are write offs. We paid just under $1100pp, which is more reasonable. But if I were to do it again, I would plan it all myself. (I DID think our tour in Nepal was worth it. You can get my review HERE!)
With that being said, the tour is what got us to Borneo, and I would do it all again in a heart beat.
