Beautiful Borneo

I spent the next two days trekking though the jungle, where I visited an ancient burial site in the cliff face, and saw an array of wildlife including deer, flying squirrels, monkeys, reptiles and birds. We found what I had been hoping for on the second day, when our wonderful guide spotted a thirty-seven year old male orang-utan. As we edged closer, he swung down from the trees and sat just a few metres in front of us on the ground. He was magnificent.

My next stop was the Kinabatangan River, home to the strange looking proboscis monkeys. I spent my time here travelling by long boat along the river and tributaries in search of wildlife. I was lucky enough to see Borneo Pigmy elephants, which are getting harder to find each year that goes by, as well as monkeys, snakes, and a huge monitor lizard that charged across my path and gave me the fright of my life.

After a brief stop at Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre, I flew to Mulu in Sarawak. The flight into Mulu was incredible. I flew over dense, dark green jungle with a river meandering through its heart. Following in the footsteps of David Attenborough, I visited four vast caves, the largest of which can fit St. Pauls Cathedral under its massive archway. The most spectacular sight was the exodus of five million bats as they left Deer Cave at dusk in search of food.

After a couple of nights in the riverside city of Kuching, I travelled to Batang Ai, where I stayed across the river from a traditional longhouse, home to the Iban people. The following day we hiked the jungle trails along the river, and ended at Enseluai Waterfall where we had a quick swim before a lovely picnic on the riverbank. Both evenings after dinner were spent in the longhouse, spending time with the Iban people, learning about their culture and trying their local rice wine!

Email or call our Asia Team on 020 7386 4646 for more information.

Costs for our 19-day 'Ultimate Borneo' tour start at £3,440 per person inclusive of flights from London.

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