Malaysia: Borneo

Day 1: Kota Kinabalu to Klias Wetland and on to Ba’kelalan

A pre-dawn start from Kota Kinabalu (you will need to arrive a day in advance if you are not linking this tour with Malaysia – Borneo: Rainforest Endemics of Sabah) will take us to the Klias Wetland Reserve, close to the Sabah-Sarawak border. Arriving at first light, we will spend most of the morning exploring the protected lowland peat-swamp forests. Here, we will be looking for several localised specialities, including Hook-billed Bulbul, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Red-crowned Barbet, Grey-breasted Babbler and Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker. By late morning, we will leave on the drive into Sarawak to Lawas, where we will transfer into 4WD jeeps for the long drive along a well maintained logging track to Orang Ulu village, where we'll spend the night, arriving in time for some initial exploration of our immediate surroundings.

Days 2-3: Ba’kelalan

Today we continue on to Ba’kelalan for a two-night stay and two full days exploring the Maligan Highlands, close to the border with Kalimantan. Ba’kelalan, at the moderate elevation of 975m, will be our base as we spend time birding through a range of elevations around and above the village, using a network of quiet roads that allow easy access to the superb sub-montane forests. This area is home to various Bornean endemics, with several easier to see here in Sarawak than elsewhere. In particular, we will be looking for the elusive Hose’s Broadbill and unique-looking Blue-banded Pitta. For those linking this tour with Malaysia – Borneo: Rainforest Endemics of Sabah, there will be a second opportunity to find other Bornean specialities, perhaps Whitehead’s Broadbill,  Bornean Banded Pitta, Chestnut-hooded and Bare-headed Laughingthrushes, White-necked Babbler, Black-throated Wren babbler, Whitehead’s Spiderhunter, Pygmy White-eye, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean and Mountain Barbets, Crested Jayshrike, Orange-breasted Trogon, Red-breasted Partridge, Black-thighed Falconet and Mountain Serpent Eagle. We will also have the opportunity to look for a selection of nightbirds, including Sunda Scops-Owl, Barred Eagle-Owl, Brown Boobook, Malaysian Eared Nightjar, Bornean Frogmouth, and in particular the highly localised Dulit Frogmouth.

Day 4: Ba’kelalan to Long Tuyo

After some final birding at Ba’kelalan this morning we will drive to Long Tuyo for the night.

Day 5: Long Tuyo to Paya Maga

We will start early this morning, setting out in 4WD jeeps on the drive towards Paya Maga, where we will spend the next two nights. We will slowly hike the final 4km (with porters to carry our bags) along a gently undulated disused logging track to our camp at an elevation of 1,050m, birding along the way. Birdlife here is similar to that of Ba’kelalan, and in the ecologically significant mixed dipterocarp forests of these lower elevations we will have a further chance to see key species such as Hose’s Broadbill, Blue-banded and Bornean Banded Pittas, and Bornean Frogmouth among a colourful selection of other Bornean birds. In particular, we hope to see the recently rediscovered and highly localised Bornean endemic Black Oriole, which is found almost exclusively in the Paya Maga highlands and frequently seen around our campsite.

Day 6: Paya Maga

Full day exploring the camp and trails into the forests surrounding Paya Maga. We can expect a good diversity of species here, perhaps including White-necked, Grey-headed and Temminck’s Babblers, Bornean Black-capped Babbler, Bold-striped Tit-babbler, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, the recently split Bornean Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-eared Spiderhunter, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, a large selection of bulbuls including Scaly-breasted, Yellow-bellied and Streaked, Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot, Brown Barbet, Raffles’s and Black-bellied Malkohas, Diard’s Trogon, and Helmeted, Rhinoceros, Wreathed and White-crowned Hornbills. Among these, we will also be on the lookout for some notoriously difficult skulkers including the reclusive yet unmistakeable monotypic Malaysian Rail-babbler, delightful Crested Partridge and the elusive Bulwer’s Pheasant.

Day 7: Depart Kota Kinabalu

We will spend a final few hours around Paya Maga early this morning. Depending on the species we have seen so far we may want to use this time to look for any remaining specialities, or simply to enjoy the forest before we leave. By mid-morning, we will set out on the trek back to our 4WD jeeps and drive back to Lawas, from where we will continue on to Kota Kinabalu. Departures from Kota Kinabalu international airport this evening.

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Linked tour (Sabah):

This tour can be combined with our tour of Malaysia - Borneo: Rainforest Endemics of Sabah 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, we will spend a night in Kota Kinabalu between tours. ​

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