Trip Highlights
- Getting to know, and contributing to the welfare of, the Penan people
- Encountering Orang Utans
- Mulu National Park and the largest cave system in the world
- Longboat rides
- Longhouse stay
- The Pinnacles of Mt Api (optional climb)
- The infamous Headhunter trail
- Colonial Kuching city
- Spectacular primary rainforest
Your "Taste of Volunteering" Project
You go into the "heart of Borneo" and encounter the once nomadic Penan, a wonderful and gentle people who are at one with the forest. In the recent past they have been nomadic, living off the fruits of the jungle; as they are not rice eaters, their staple diet is the sago palm. They are traditionally known for their elongated earlobes and for their ability to walk silently through the jungle and to hunt with blowpipes.
While it is difficult to predict in advance what will be required we will endeavour to do so in advance of your tour. This may involve helping establish the gardens, teaching English at the local school or direct to the community, helping with cleanups, building toilet facilities etc.
It is said that "cutting down the Borneo Rainforest is like burning a library without reading the books"; the Penan are the librarians.
Trip Summary
On arrival at Kuching airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel before embarking on a city tour.The narrow, bustling streets near the river are crammed with ornate temples, markets, historic buildings and traditional Chinese shop houses selling local handicrafts. No other city in Malaysia displays its charm with such an easy grace as Kuching, the capital of Sarawak.
A tour of Kuching will take you from the era of the White Rajahs to the present day. Visit the world renowned Sarawak Museum and the Brooke Legacy (White Rajahs) - Square Tower, Astana and the Court House. Enjoy a seafood dinner at a local restaurant before transferring back to your hotel.
In the morning, visit the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, a sanctuary for Orang Utans and other smaller but no less precious wildlife. The main attraction is undeniably the Rehabilitation Centre, a temporary home for displaced Orang Utans that have been rescued from captivity and young orphaned primates.
On Day 3 depart for Bako National Park - home to seven distinct ecosystems. Wildlife include the rather intrusive long tailed macaques which roam all over and their shyer cousins, the silver leaf monkeys and the rare, long-nosed,
Borneo is a nature paradise and to this day it is still rife with weird and undiscovered creatures. A three year research project dubbed “The Heart of Borneo” has catalogued over 120 strange and wonderful species.
Among the more curious critters is the “smooth operator” of the slug world. It woos potential suitors by firing fertility-enhancing ammunitions.
Other intriguing finds include the world’s largest stick insect at 20in in length and of course what would a stretch of ‘irreplaceable’ rainforest be without a flying frog that changes colour at night?
So if fantastic scenery, lovely people and thrilling activities aren’t enough to keep you entertained, keep an eye on the jungle and you might just make your own new discovery!
pot bellied proboscis monkey. Transfer back to Kuching for an overnight stay.
On Day 4 transfer to the airport for your flight to Mulu. After lunch your guide will take you on an easy walk for approximately one hour along the Rainfall Discovery Walkway, which winds through the lush forest to the entrance of the world’s largest cave passage. After visiting the caves, you can wait at the Bat Observatory to view the evening exodus of bats from the Deer Cave.
The following morning glide down the Melinau River in a longboat to the Cave of the Winds. In the Kings Chamber you'll find spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. Continue to the nearby Clearwater Cave and river. After leaving the boat you'll begin the three-hour flat trek through primary rainforest to your accommodation at Camp 5. Camp 5 is National Park jungle accommodation with solar power, flush toilets, cold showers, full kitchen, open air dining room and semi-enclosed bunk rooms.
Choose to spend the following day at Camp 5 taking local walks or enjoying the many swimming holes. Alternatively, the Pinnacles climb is challenging, filled with fun and excitement and fully guided. The trail is 2.4 km in length but rises some 1,200 metres.
The viewpoint area is made up of a number of pinnacles, rocks and vegetation and has excellent views of the silver-grey forest of stone that rises up from the surrounding vegetation.
The next morning you leave Camp 5 for the five-hour walk to Kuala Terikan, where you board a longboat to take you downstream to a local longhouse for an overnight stay.
Say goodbye to your longhouse hosts and reboard your boat for the 1-2 hour ride which takes you to Medamit village boat point then transfer to Limbang (1-hour) where you should arrive around lunch. An opportunity to catch up on some laundry, a hot shower, explore the markets and a comfortable bed in a hotel.
On Day 9 board a 4WD vehicle for a 3-4 hour drive on somewhat rough and muddy logging tracks (depending on weather) until you come to Long Napir. Long Napir is home to two longhouse communities, the Kelabit, and a 40-minute walk further into the jungle, the Penan. This longhouse community is made up of the once nomadic people. Overnight in government guesthouse.
For the next 3 days, you commence your volunteering project. At lunch time today take a walk to a nearby river where you picnic with our hosts, hear stories of local Penan, their traditions, myths and legends, have a practice with their blowpipes.
On Day 13 we say goodbye to our hosts, which is always an emotional experience, and head back to Limbang town, a 4 wheel drive trip of about 4 hours.
The following day we transfer to the airport for your flight back to Kuching and your onward connection home. If you need an extra night in Kuching, this can be arranged.
* Comfort Level: Accommodation is in a 4* hotel in Kuching (3 nights), National Park ensuite chalets (1 night), a simple jungle bunk camp (2 nights) a longhouse with foam mats on the floor (1 night), a simple hotel in Limbang (2 nights), and a government guesthouse during volunteering (4 nights).
If you like this trip, you may also be interested in:
China - Eastern Explorer
India - Sunderbans Smiles
Thailand - Elephant Encounter
