I planned and booked a trip to Borneo for June, 2020 ... so that didn’t happen. I had booked the trip with Natural Habitat, and they were prompt and professional in refunding the trip payments. I had booked travel through Expedia, and they refunded all expenses in due time. Expedia needed some time to, but the world of travel (and the world in general) was in a state of upheaval at the time, and I know some travelers had much more difficulty getting their money back from canceled flights.
In any case, the next trip I scheduled my next trip to Greenland, as I assumed Greenland would be a safer destination than Borneo as COVID continued around the world. (As it turns out, Greenland is where I picked up my first—and only—SARS-CoV-2 infection.)
The at long last in 2024, I rebooked that trip to Borneo. Same trip with Natural Habitat, just four years delayed.
Travel to Borneo is non-trivial. My flights included a 16-hr flight from San Francisco to Singapore. So the hour hand on your watch needs to make a complete lap, and then only four hours remain. The flight begins after dark at SFO and chases the night, landing at SIN at daybreak. And you lose a day during the flight. I booked an extended nap at Singapore’s Changi airport (a cell-block room for a premium fee.) The airport is legendary, and includes a butterfly garden.
The tour is confined to Malaysian Borneo (a northern slice of the world’s third largest island). It begins in a western city and moves on to destinations in the east. Most of Borneo belongs to Indonesia, and a sliver of the island is the nation of Brunei (famous for wealth and its sultan.)
The starting point is the city of Kuching in the state of Sarawak. We visited the Semenggoh Orangutan Center, wherein I was reacquainted with the oppressive effects of heat and humidity. It was a lot (for me). But we got some nice shots of Annuar and some of his protected colleagues. We also visited Bako National Park to see a variety of residents. The silver leaf monkeys were certainly a highlight. Some nice limestone vs. ocean (South China Sea) geology, too.
From Kuching, we flew to Sandakan in the state of Sabah, where we proceeded to our lodging at the Sepilok Nature Resort. We had an evening tour of the Rainforest Discovery Centre in the Kabili-Sepilok Nature Reserve, where we saw a few jumps of the elusive red giant flying squirrel. I managed to catch slow-mo video of a flight on my phone.
We visited the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and the Sun Bear Conservation Center. And then we were off to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, carved out amid and protected from the surrounding palm oil plantation. Recent rains and road construction necessitated a muddy walk and a fortuitous cargo van lift to the center. Our time there was abbreviated, but we all got some keepers of those exotic monkeys.
After a visit to the bustling Sandakan market, we hopped a boat to the Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort, in the expansive Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. This might have been my favorite destination among the many on the tour.
We enjoyed daily power boat outings into the sanctuary. Birds, alligators, monkeys, and orangutans in the wild. One day after sunset, we sidled alongside a tree that was host to a firefly colony. Groups of flies within the colony flashed in sync with each other. It was magical. I inquired as to how long the extension cord was to power these holiday lights. And nearly impossible to capture via camera or phone (in 2024).
We saw orangutans building their nest for the night. One male was keen to let us know he was the alpha by breaking a big branch in front of us. Thunderous crack! We were just there for the photos, we promised.
Next we traveled by boat and 4x4 deep into the heart of the Danum Valley, a protected 130-million year old rainforest. The Danum Valley Rainforest Lodge was deluxe and the surrounding wildlife was a menagerie. Rain did fall during our time there.
I found myself in a bit of distress when we embarked on a relatively long hike into the rainforest in search of the elusive rhinoceros hornbill. I had loaded my shooting vest up with, well, everything, not knowing when we might see. So the heat, humidity, slippery wet roots, thriving leeches ... eventually forced me to take an unscheduled break. My fellow travelers (from more humid climes) didn’t seem to have a problem. So I was that guy!
My NathHab guides took great care of me, though, and I was back at it after a brief rest. Fellow travelers provided additional water and treats, and carried my laden vest out of the forest. So I’m grateful to all. And embarrassed to have been that guy. Mistakes were made: by me!
We got some nice shots of the wild residents of the valley (daytime and nighttime), as well as a classic sunrise scene of mist hanging in the folds of the valley.
Eventually, we made our way to Lahad Datu for a flight to Kota Kinabalu, where we tested before flying to our homes.
Quite. The. Trip. Natural Habitat Adventures - Wilds of Borneo: Orangutans and Beyond
Here are my media memories (photo albums and preso):
