Borneo Sarawak and Sabah Discovery

This was a brilliant holiday. Both our tour leaders were excellent, as were the local guides. The mix of culture, wildlife and food kept the tour interesting. The only issues were the poor state of the roads which meant that our journeys were longer and more uncomfortable than expected. One internal flight was delayed so we missed half a day at Mulu, but our guides made the effort to fit everything in and we had a very busy day. Neither of these were something Explore could change. The trip notes need updating regarding a view point that has been closed for three years and we were never going to see an extinct rhino (event though a guide talked about them in the present). Also you can buy leech socks in resort at 1/10th of the cost in the UK (not the same quality). Would recommend this tour to anyone interested in animals, birds and food

I have mixed feelings about the trip. The first half involved too much time in towns, which I personally found quite dull. In contrast, the second half—especially the time spent at the Kinabatangan River—was fantastic and deserved more attention. Overall, I think the itinerary needs a complete overhaul, as it didn’t reflect my experience. I wouldn’t readily recommend this holiday to others, mainly because it’s very expensive, and for me, it only felt worth the cost during the latter part of the tour.

Two excellent guides in the separate locations, enhanced the groups experience in Borneo. They made sure everything ran smoothly and we saw as much wildlife as possible.

There were changes to this tour quite close to time of travel but they were handled well by Explore & mostly I think we were upgraded. We saw most of the wildlife that we hoped to see, thanks to the hard work & enthusiasm of both tour leader & local guides.

The tour incorporating both cultural as well as wild life aspects lived up to and even exceeded our expectations. Viewing of Orangatans, Gibbons, Rhinoceros Hornbills and many other beautiful monkeys and so forth in their natural habitats were highly delightful experiences.

Was able to see the range of wildlife in Borneo, I had hoped to view, as well as enjoying the other aspects of the trip including seeing a raffleesia in flower. Would have loved extra nights in Bilit and Tabin wildlife resorts, as would have added extra opportunities to see wildlife and substitute for outings which were rained off.

This is a tricky tour to review. It's pretty much a game of two halves. I would rate the first few days in Sarawak with a '1' to be honest, while I'd rate the Sabah part of the tour with a '5'. I think the whole itinerary needs to be rethought. Lots of information in the trip notes is out of date or misleading (rhinos have been extinct since at least 2015, Signal Hill shut). The amount of wildlife seen in Sarawak was hugely disappointing, in particular the lack of birds. I get the impression (talking to a bird guide I arranged myself after the tour) that there are issues with illegal trapping. Maybe this is being resolved but certainly the bird numbers are very low compared to other similar areas (e.g. South and Central America). The guide in Sarawak did not communicate well, he needed constant prompting to tell us what was going on. The trip to Bako National Park was a bit of a waste of time and did not live up to expectations. There just isn't any point going somewhere like this in the middle of the day when the wildlife has (mostly) taken shelter from the heat. Mulu was good though difficult to see much wildlife due to the forest being so dense there. A good local guide, Ben. helped as much as possible. Sabah was so much better. The guide, Hazli, was excellent. Understanding, communicative and went out of his way to get us to see as much as possible. The tour could have done with another day in the mountains. Our visit was far too brief - arrived at the hotel in the evening, left first thing in the morning. I went into the mountains after the tour with a bird guide from Kota Kinabalu on a trip I arranged myself and this was excellent - shame something like that did not happen in the tour. Poring Hot Springs is not like it's sold in the trip notes. You get the impression that it is natural rock pools but basically a collection of tiled dipping pools. Very disappointing. Sepilok is 'worthy' but to be honest it's a bit like visiting a zoo and just as packed. The Sun Bear centre had lots of information which was good. The highlights of the trip were definitely the Kinabatangan River and Tabin. These places were outstanding. More time should have been spent there and less time in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.

Memorable Trip would recommend. Good balance between urban and rural. Plenty of wildlife. Enjoyed the river safaris although if you go on a night river safari you might want to consider something to cover your mouth/nose as the boats move slowly and the air is still so it is thick with exhaust fumes from the boat engines, though it was great to see crocodiles close up at night. Binoculars and a camera with a good lens are a bonus if that is important to you. Sometimes the itinerary changed e.g. due to the weather (this happened to us in Tabin although the local guide and Clay did a good job of arranging alternatives e.g. additional vehicle safaris) and the canopy walk in Sarawak was closed for renovation (I'm sure it will be reopened now) and Signal Hill is also closed for renovation and has been for the last year. The Rhinos are extinct; the last one died several years ago. The trip notes gave us the impression that we would be seeing Orangutans in the release centre near Tabin, however, although we couldn't visit because of the weather we were assured they are only there at the time of release (a fairly rare event). The tour leaders and local guides were very good. Leech Socks and Wellingtons are available at the lodges. Wriggly, blood sucking leeches are a thing!