Untamed Borneo

Borneo, Asia’s largest island, is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Within its ancient tropical rainforests thrives an astonishingly rich array of wildlife, featuring unique species not found anywhere else such as orangutans, long-nosed monkeys, and pygmy elephants. On this 11-day biking tour across Sabah, a Malaysian state in northeastern Borneo, we set forth in pursuit of these frontiers of untamed wilderness. Beyond these wilds, we also discover Sabah’s hinterlands, highlands, mountains, and coast!

Beginning in Sabah’s capital city of Kota Kinabalu we fly east and cycle into Tabin Wildlife Reserve, a vast protected area teeming with life. Here we spend two nights at a jungle lodge and explore the surrounding forests by bike, hike & safari! We then continue onwards to the Kinabatangan River where we cruise on the meandering waterway, on the lookout for scenes of monkeys swinging in the trees and elephants coming to bathe. We then turn our attention fully to Borneo’s iconic primates, visiting a world-renowned orangutan rehabilitation center and a sanctuary for proboscis monkeys on the northern tip of Borneo. Our initial forays into the jungles are followed by a deeper exploration of rural Borneo. We cycle through extensive palm-oil plantations and rattle over dirt trails in tea fields before we reach Poring, known for its thermal hot springs and treetop walkway. From here we climb into the highlands and are greeted by the sight of majestic Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia’s tallest mountain. We cap off the tour with a ride to the western coast, treating ourselves to a stay at a lovely beach resort overlooking the South China Sea. The tour ends with a transfer back to Kota Kinabalu.