Itinerary · 10 days · 38 places
10 Days in Borneo
Ten days across Sabah: from Kota Kinabalu up to the foot of Mount Kinabalu, then on to the orangutans of Sepilok and the Kinabatangan River, where proboscis monkeys and pygmy elephants stand on the banks. The drives are timed so that each day stays in one area and the feeding and boat times work out.
Open in the appThere you can adjust the plan to your dates, your pace and your interests.
Photo: arwin waworuntu · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arrival in Kota Kinabalu
Arrival in Kota Kinabalu
Hotel check-in
Your base is on the waterfront between Jesselton Point and Gaya Street, from where you can walk to the fish grills in the evening.
Filipino Market
Covered market lanes right on the water, where pearl necklaces, dried fish and satay skewers over open embers are sold in the evening.
Day 2Kota Kinabalu & the culture of the coastal peoples
Atkinson Clock Tower
The wooden clock tower of 1905 is one of the few buildings to survive the bombing of the city in the Second World War.
Signal Hill Observatory Platform
From the viewing deck above the old town you see the grid of the city centre, the harbour and, when the air is clear, the islands of the marine park.
Mari Mari Cultural Village
Reconstructed longhouses of the Dusun, Rungus, Lundayeh, Bajau and Murut in the forest near Kionsom, with fire-making, blowpipes and rice wine to taste.
Evening: Todak night market on the waterfront
At the fish market you pick your catch from the ice box and have it grilled on the spot, at long tables under neon light.
Day 3Up to Kinabalu National Park
Onward to Kinabalu Park
Hotel check-in
Botanical garden at the park headquarters
On the fenced hectare behind the headquarters, pitcher plants, tree ferns and a dozen orchid species of the montane forest grow side by side.
Silau-Silau Trail
This easy trail follows the stream through moss-draped montane cloud forest, where crested jays and Bornean whistling thrushes perch close to the path.
Poring Hot Springs Canopy Walkway
Suspension bridges forty metres above the lowland forest, followed by the hot sulphur pools on the valley floor.
Evening: starry sky at the Liwagu viewpoint
When the afternoon mist lifts, the summit wall stands black against the stars — at 1500 metres it gets cool, so bring a jacket.
Day 4Kundasang — highlands below the summit
Kundasang War Memorial
Four walled gardens commemorate the Australian and British prisoners of war of the death marches from Sandakan to Ranau.
Desa Dairy Farm
Friesian cows on green hills in front of the Kinabalu wall, plus milk and ice cream fresh from the dairy.
Mesilau Nature Trail
Starting at the old Mesilau gate at 2000 metres, the path leads through chestnut and rhododendron forest to a view of Kinabalu's east face.
Pekan Nabalu market
A roadside mountain market with ginger, hill rice, rattan baskets and a panoramic view back to the summit.
Evening: terrace above the Kundasang valley
After sunset the vegetable fields lie like a string of lights in the valley, while the summit behind stays visible for a long time.
Day 5Sepilok — with the orangutans
Onward to Sepilok
Hotel check-in
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
From the observation platforms you watch sun bears, the world's smallest bear species, digging for termites in their forest enclosure.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
For the 15:00 feeding, semi-wild orangutans swing along the ropes to the platform, often with a baby in their arms.
Rainforest Discovery Centre
A 350-metre canopy walkway with towers above the dipterocarp forest, with a good chance of hornbills in the late afternoon.
Evening: night walk at the Sepilok forest edge
Along the ponds by torchlight: tarsiers, fruit bats and the chorus of tree frogs after dark.
Day 6Sandakan — port town with a wartime past
Sandakan Memorial Park
On the site of the former prisoner-of-war camp stand rusting boiler remains and panels on the death marches of 1945.
Agnes Keith House
The American author's white wooden house above the bay is furnished as a colonial household of the 1930s.
St Michael's and All Angels Church
One of Sabah's few stone churches, built of granite blocks in 1893, with stained-glass windows in memory of the war victims.
Sim Sim Water Village
A village on stilts above the water, linked by plank walkways with small fish-noodle kitchens at the end.
Puu Jih Shih Temple
A Buddhist temple on Tanah Merah hill with red-and-gold pillars and the widest view over Sandakan Bay.
Evening: Sandakan Harbour Square
In the evening the harbour square fills with food stalls and coffee shops, with the boats to Sim Sim and Berhala moored in front.
Day 7To the Kinabatangan
Onward to Sukau
Hotel check-in
Sukau village and jetty
A riverside village strung along the road, with stilt houses, a mosque and the jetty from which all the safari boats depart.
Kelenanap oxbow lake
This cut-off river bend lies still amid swamp forest; along its edges, troops of proboscis monkeys rest in the trees.
Boat safari on the Menanggul
A slow ride up this narrow tributary: proboscis monkeys, macaques, hornbills and, with luck, a pygmy elephant on the bank.
Evening: night safari along the riverbank
In the boat's spotlight, sleeping kingfishers, civets and the red eyes of crocodiles appear.
Day 8A whole day on the river
Boat safari on the Tenegang Kecil
This side channel is so narrow that the branches close over the boat — territory of gibbons and pig-tailed macaques.
Rainforest trail behind Sukau
Walking instead of riding: a muddy trail through swamp forest to fig trees with orangutan nests in their crowns.
Afternoon trip to the river bend at Bilit
Upstream on the broad main river, where proboscis monkeys settle into the open riverside trees to sleep in the evening.
Evening: frog and insect walk
By headtorch behind the lodge: tree frogs on the leaves, stick insects, other phasmids and sleeping lizards.
Day 9Back to the South China Sea
Onward to Kota Kinabalu
Hotel check-in
Sabah State Museum
The longhouse-style main building shows Kadazan coffin paintings, war history and the island's natural history.
Kota Kinabalu City Mosque
The blue-and-white mosque stands in an artificial lagoon and, when the water is still, seems to float on its own reflection.
Tanjung Aru Beach
The city beach with casuarina trees and food stalls is considered the best spot for sunset behind the islands.
Evening: Gaya Street and around
The old shopping street with coffee shops, bookshops and bars is lively in the evening and five minutes' walk from the water.
Day 10Last morning and departure
Gaya Street Sunday Market
On Sunday mornings the whole street is closed to traffic: orchids, pearls, batik, cakes and puppies in baskets, with coffee stalls in between.
Sabah Tourism Board Building
The colonial post office of 1916, built of wood and stone, survived the bombing and displays old photos of the town of Jesselton.
Departure from Kota Kinabalu
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