Day 1: Kota Kinabalu
Arrivals into Kota Kinabalu airport this morning for an overnight stay in the city. Depending on arrival times, we may find time for some introductory birding in wetlands and tidal mudflats in the outskirts of the city. Here, we will encounter a good selection of waders and waterbirds, possibly including Malaysian Plover, Oriental Pratincole, White-browed Crake, Javan Pond Heron and Black-backed Swamphen, and will become acquainted with some of Sabah’s more widespread species such as Olive-backed Sunbird, Pied Triller, Sunda Woodpecker, Zebra Dove and an established feral colony of Blue-naped Parrot.
Day 2: Kota Kinabalu to Tambunan and the Crocker Mountains, and on Kinabalu National Park
The first of many early starts will take us southeast to Tambunan in the Crocker Mountains. We will spend most of the day birding in the low- to mid-elevation rainforests of the Rafflesia Reserve in the Crocker range, where we will target those endemics less likely once we ascend into the higher elevation slopes of Mount Kinabalu, in particular Bornean and Mountain Barbets, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker and Pygmy White-eye. Later this afternoon, we will continue on to Kinabalu National Park for a three-night stay at Kundasang on the edge of the park.
Days 3-4: Kinabalu National Park
Two full days exploring Kinabalu National Park and the superb forests that cloak the slopes beneath the granite massif of Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia’s highest peak. The isolation of this ‘island’ of montane forest amidst lowland plains has led to a high degree of endemism of both flora and fauna. Two-thirds of Borneo’s endemic birds are found here in the succession of habitats from temperate broadleaf forests to moss-draped stunted trees in the cloud forest zone and beyond into alpine meadows dotted with dwarf shrubs above the treeline. From our base in the lower montane zone we will bird from the road and explore the extensive network of trails at varying elevations, ascending to the higher slopes in clear weather to make use of the good visibility. The list of potential species here is impressive, with many birds associating in noisy mixed flocks at first light that typically contain Bornean Treepie, Chestnut-hooded and Sunda Laughingthrushes, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Indigo Flycatcher and Black-capped White-eye. We will make a particular effort to find the more elusive upland endemics, including the magnificent Whitehead’s Broadbill, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Whitehead’s Trogon, Whitehead’s Spiderhunter, Fruithunter, and both Crimson-headed and Red-breasted Partridges. Others among the large list of endemics and near-endemics we hope to find during our time here include Mountain Wren-babbler, the diminutive Bornean Stubtail, Pale-faced and Scaly-breasted Bulbuls, Black-sided Flowerpecker, Mountain Blackeye, Bornean Green Magpie, Golden-naped Barbet, Bornean Forktail, Bornean Whistler, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Bornean Whistling-Thrush, the shy and difficult Everett’s Thrush, Bornean Swiftlet and Mountain Serpent-Eagle, all accompanied by a wide selection of birds such as White-browed Shortwing, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Warbler, Checker-throated, Crimson-winged and Maroon Woodpeckers, Black-and-crimson Oriole, Little and Ruddy Cuckoo-Doves, Sunda Cuckoo and Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle.
Day 5: Telupid and on to Sepilok
We will start early on the journey to Telupid. From here we will hike to a birding hide, where we'll spend the morning. Our key target here will be the smart Bornean Peacock Pheasant, a difficult endemic that is often seen here. As we wait, we will no doubt encounter a good variety of other species in the surrounding lowland forest, including Bornean Banded Pitta with a slim chance of the elusive Blue-banded Pitta, Banded Broadbill, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, Pink-necked Green-Pigeon, Crested Jayshrike, Ventriloquial Oriole, Fulvous-chested and Grey-chested Jungle Flycatchers, Dusky Munia, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Ornate and Brown-throated Sunbirds, Short-tailed and Grey-hooded Babblers, Bornean Black-capped Babbler, White-fronted Falconet, with the chance of other pheasants including Bornean Crested Fireback and the impressive Great Argus. Moving on, we drive southeast to Sepilok for a two-night stay where we will look for Oriental Bay-Owl, Sunda Scops Owl and a selection of mammals including Bornean Tarsier and Bornean Slow Loris during a night walk from our lodge.
Day 6: Sepilok and the Rainforest Discovery Centre
A full day to explore the Rainforest Discovery Centre at Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. The impressive canopy walkway here will offer us the chance of close views of some canopy dwellers that we hope will include small flocks of the unmistakeable monotypic Bornean Bristlehead. Back on the ground, we will encounter many lowland species along the extensive network of trails, such as Red-naped and Diard’s Trogons, White-bellied Woodpecker, Rufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher, Rufous-collared and Banded Kingfishers, the secretive Sabah Partridge and recently-split endemic Black-crowned Pitta.
Day 7: Gomantong Caves and the Kinabatangan River
After a final morning Sepilok we depart for the Lower Kinabatangan Conservation Area for a two-night stay. We will break the journey at Gomantong Caves, where the incredible limestone caverns host breeding colonies of Black-nest, White-nest, and Mossy-nest Swiflets, all distinguishable only by their nests, and more distinctive Plume-toed Swiftlets, together with thousands of Wrinkle-lipped Bats that emerge in plumes at dusk together with opportunistic Bat Hawks. Outside, we’ll explore a rich fragment of rainforest for Black-throated and Chestnut-winged Babblers, White-crowned and Bushy-crested Hornbills, Rufous Piculet, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, Whiskered Treeswift and the endemic White-fronted Falconet, with our first chance of Bornean Orangutan. We will arrive at our base along the Kinabatangan River in time for a night cruise along the river looking for Buffy Fish Owl and Large Frogmouth.
Day 8: Kinabatangan River
Spend the full day in the Kinabatangan area exploring the river, the longest in Sabah, and its quieter tributaries by boat. Lined by alluvial plains and swamp forest, dotted with limestone outcrops, this region hosts some elusive species. Among these, we will look for the mysterious endemic Bornean Ground-Cuckoo, a selection of hornbills including Rhinoceros, Black, Helmeted, Wreathed and Wrinkled, Raffles’s Malkoha, Black-and-red and Black-and-yellow Broadbills, the distinctive almost black form of Oriental Magpie-Robin, Bold-striped and Fluffy-backed Tit-babblers, Blue-winged and Hooded Pittas, rare Storm’s Stork, Ruddy Kingfisher, the endemic White-fronted Falconet, Jerdon’s Baza, Lesser Fish-Eagle, Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle and Buffy Fish-Owl, alongside the bizarre Proboscis Monkey, Silvery Lutung and Long-tailed Macaque with the chance of Bornean Orangutan and Bornean Pygmy Elephant.
Day 9: Kinabatangan to Lahad Datu and Danum Valley Conservation Area
Spend the morning along the Kinabatangan River or surrounding trails, focusing on any species we may have missed so far. Later, we will leave for the port city of Lahad Datu along Sabah's southeast coast where we will pause for lunch before driving in to the spectacular Danum Valley Conservation Area where we’ll spend the final three nights of the tour at the superb Borneo Rainforest Lodge. In almost 450 square kilometres of pristine lowland rainforest, the richest habitat on earth, we will concentrate on our remaining lowland specialities among numerous Bornean endemics and more widely distributed Southeast Asian birds. Arriving by evening, we will have time for some exploratory birding including a night excursion looking for Large, elusive Gould’s, and Sunda Frogmouths, Reddish Scops-Owl, Brown Wood-Owl, Barred Eagle-Owl, and spotlighting for shier mammals including Horsfield's Tarisier, Sunda Colugo, Red Giant Flying Squirrel and Malay Civet.
Days 10-11: Danum Valley Conservation Area
Spend two full days exploring this magnificent area of forest from canopy walkways and the network of trails through wooded valleys, forest clearings and along the Danum and Segama Rivers that give unrivalled access to Borneo’s elusive forest dwellers. Birding here can be slow at times as we look for difficult species, but among a long list of highlights here are sought-after birds such as the the world’s largest pheasant, the shy but spectacular Great Argus, Bornean Crested Fireback, six species of pitta including the endemic Blue-headed and highly elusive Giant, Bornean Bristlehead, Bornean Black Magpie, the recently-split endemic White-crowned Shama, Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo, Raffles’s, Chestnut-breasted and Red-billed Malkohas, Diard’s, Red-naped and Scarlet-rumped Trogons, Dusky, Banded and Green Broadbills, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Maroon-breasted and Rufous-winged Philentomas, Bornean Blue Flycatcher, Bornean and Black-throated Wren-Babblers, Crested Jayshrike, Banded Kingfisher, Silver-rumped Spinetail, Bornean Wren-Babbler, Bornean Spiderhunter, and a variety of bulbuls, sunbirds and flowerpeckers. The diversity of mammals here is equally impressive, with highlights that include the Bornean subspecies of Clouded Leopard, Leopard Cat, Binturong, family troops of vocal Müller’s Bornean Gibbon, Maroon Langur, Black Giant Flying Squirrel and a further chance of Bornean Orangutan and Bornean Pygmy Elephant, accompanied by an impressive selection of spectacular butterflies including Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing and the delicate Malayan Tree Nymph.
Day 12: Depart Lahad Datu
After a final morning at Danum Valley we drive to Lahad Datu on the island’s southeast coast. Departures from Lahad Datu international airport this afternoon.
Post-tour extension / Linked tour (Sarawak):
This tour can be combined with our tour of Malaysian Borneo - Specialities of Sarawak to create a comprehensive 18 night/19 day birding tour that covers both states that make up the Malaysian part of Borneo, together with their associated speciality species. If combining tours, on day 12 we will spend the night in Kota Kinabalu.
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