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Start Location - Kudat
End Location - Longkan Distance Riding - 101 kilometers | 63 miles Hours Riding - 2.5 hours Longest Continuous Ride - 1 hour 20 min |
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Main Activities - Kelambu Beach Ride, Tip of Borneo Max Elevation - 106 meters | 349 feet Elevation Rise - Sea Level to 106 meters | 349 feet Total Elevation Gain - 1,399 meters | 4,591 feet |
Sunrise on the Beach
After your night of sleeping to the sound of the waves crashing, you'll wake to the pink sun rising over the Sulu Sea.
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Breakfast
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, the family that runs this amazing guesthouse on the beach are not just great cooks, but their neighbors are bakers! And every morning they make an assortment of freshly baked goods such as traditional Malaysian coconut treats, as well as doughnuts!
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Snorkel Voyage
This morning, we're going to take a boat ride over to a very unique snorkel spot - it's an old WWII bomb crater from the time of the Japanese invasion of Borneo. But the depression in the ocean has created the perfect habitat for sea creatures to thrive. And we're going to go check them out!
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Even the elusive Nemo lives here (they say he's hard to find, but we didn't think so...). The ocean in this part of the world is renowned for its biodiversity, and it's impossible not to see some of the incredible marine animals that thrive in the warm waters of the Sulu Sea.
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Lunch
Back at the guesthouse, we'll have another seafood meal that's to die for, made with local produce, sautéed together in the spices of the region, and served with steamed rice and fried tempeh.
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Beach Ride of Bliss
Next, we'll be packing up and heading to a place where you can have the beach ride of your dreams.
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It's called Kelambu Beach, and it is truly an undiscovered haven of white sand, turquoise waters, and sea breezes. Because of its remote location, almost no one ever comes here. And so we will have a once in a lifetime chance to take our motorcycles for a spin on the firm sand of the beach, all while staring out at our own private island.
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For those who don't want to ride on the beach, this is also a great moment to just park the bikes and simply enjoy this beach for what it is - a perfect slice of paradise.
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Secret Place Rest Stop
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Just five minutes away from the beach, and up a jungle-lined road, is a little beachside café and rest stop known as Secret Place Café. Here we'll sit and have a fresh coconut drink or a mid-afternoon snack, pet a few cats (they have tons of cats), maybe play some instruments, and recharge before our next fantastic destination.
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Riding to the Tip of Borneo
This rocky promontory jutting out into the ocean is known as the Tip of Borneo, and it's not just a gorgeous place geologically, where the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea meet, it's also a bucket list item for many people. Being situated on the most northern point on the island of Borneo, it's quite the accomplishment to make it all the way out here.
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In order to commemorate the achievement of reaching this spot, a monument has been built here, detailing where we are in relation to how far we have come.
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You can also walk right down to where the South China Sea meets the Sulu Sea.
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Evening Oceanside Ride
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As the sun gilds the world in its golden light, we'll ride our motorcycles to the town where we'll be staying tonight. The journey will take us along the ocean for the first part, and then through palm oil orchards and forests to get to the small village where we will hang up our helmets for the evening.
Your Accommodations
Life at the beach has been wonderful, but now it'll be nice to have a hot shower and a fully air-conditioned room. The views from your windows may also overlook rice fields, or forests from the surrounding hills.
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Dinner
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This little town has an assortment of great places to eat right down the street from where we'll be staying. The smorgasbord of options include Malaysian cuisine, Chinese, Indian, and Western food (there's even a KFC across from the hotel). I know I'll be looking for laksa, one of Malaysia's most flavorful meals featuring a coconut-milk broth with rice noodles, bean sprouts, and sometimes chicken, fried egg, and shrimp. Malaysian-style grilled and fried chicken served with aromatic rice is also a local favorite.
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Start Location - Longkan
End Location - Kundasang Distance Riding - 224 kilometers | 139 miles Hours Riding - 5.5 hours Longest Continuous Ride - 1 hour 50 min |
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Main Activity - Mahua Falls Max Elevation - 1,500 meters | 4,926 feet Elevation Rise - Sea Level to 1,500 meters | 4,926 feet Total Elevation Gain - 6,688 meters | 21,945 feet |
BreakfastToday's breakfast options at the hotel include a local breakfast or a Western-style breakfast with eggs, beef sausage, and toast. But I would like to recommend trying a Malaysian breakfast.
It features either flavorful rice or stir-fried noodles, usually served with chicken. I know what you're thinking, "That sounds like lunch for breakfast!" Well, it kind of is. But don't knock it until you try it! I actually find it's just the right amount of delicious and filling for our day's adventures. |
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Ride into the Interior
Today, as we get back on our motorcycles, we'll leave the coast and head into the interior of Borneo, where the peaks and jungle-covered crests of land start folding up around us.
As we rise higher and higher in elevation, you can feel the breezes get cooler and crisper while we make our way up into the mountains.
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Jungle Trek to Mahua Falls
Mahua Falls is located in the heart of Borneo's cool cloud forest, and seeing the falls themselves is impressive, but the walk to the falls is also an experience to be had. It's a well-paved path that only takes about 20 minutes to walk, but it's like being transported into another world. As we head into the jungle, the sounds of the forest will envelope us, filling the humid air with the buzzing vibrancy of all the life of the forest.
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Mahua Falls
At 17 meters high (56 feet tall), this stunning waterfall is a hidden jungle treasure that rarely sees other visitors. Forget the lines of people trying to get their photo-ops on Bali, this is the real deal.
Breathe deeply, because you're in heaven now.
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Cool off from the heat of the day by taking a dip in this refreshing pool. Watch the butterflies flutter around us, and marvel at the sunlight glistening from over the top of the waterfall.
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Lunch
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After our unforgettable jungle waterfall experience, we'll head back to the Mahua Falls Lodge to have a delicious meal while listening to the trickling of the nearby river and the humming of the rainforest around us.
This is Soto Ayam, a traditional chicken soup with rice noodles. Up here in the cool mountains, it's the perfect hearty, filling lunch.
Unbelievable Mountain Ride
This next ride might just be the most memorable and stunning ride of your life. It certainly was up there for us - the pinnacle of motorcycle riding some might say (pun intended). And that's because this twisty paved road glides effortlessly around one of the most visually prominent mountains on earth - Mount Kinabalu.
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The views of the mountain will just keep growing and growing as we get closer and closer to its immensity.
Mount Kinabalu is massive. At 4,095 meters (13,435 feet), Kinabalu is the highest mountain on the island of Borneo. And this road winds around its pointed peak as if crafted into the foothills for the pure enjoyment of motorcyclists. 
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Your Accommodations
We ride into the town of Kundasang where we'll be staying the night at a fabulous place that Tim and I found on our first time here. What makes this place extra special is the out-of-this-world view of Mount Kinabalu from right outside your own balcony.
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No need for air-conditioning up here. It's nice and cool, and they give you plenty of warm wool blankets for the night. But if you get cold easily like me, I suggest you bring a jacket! See our Packing List for more recommendations.
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And this will be the view right outside your window...
Dinner
Tonight, as we watch the sun set behind the mountain, you might want to try a beloved Malaysian dining tradition called Steamboat. It's a hot pot with a broth bowl section in which you can cook up an assortment of meats, seafood, tofu, tempeh, and vegetables. The meats have all been pre-marinated in the most delicious, sweet, tangy, and spicy sauces, ready for us to grill them up. It's usually an all-you-can-eat affair, so I hope you're hungry! If this is not your thing, no worries, there are plenty of other dinner options available.
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This is also a great opportunity to try Malaysia's famous satay - grilled skewers of either chicken or beef, marinated and cooked to perfection over an open fire. Satay is normally served with a peanut-based dipping sauce that I cannot get enough of. I love it!
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Start Location - Kundasang
End Location - Sepilok Forest Distance Riding - 217 kilometers | 135 miles Hours Riding - 5 hours Longest Continuous Ride - 1.5 hours |
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Main Activities - Fish Spa, Jungle Rope Bridge Max Elevation - 1,269 meters | 4,165 feet Elevation Drop - 1,237 meters | 4,059 feet Total Elevation Drop - 4,278 meters | 14,036 feet |
Sunrise over the Mountain
Today if you wake up early, you can watch the sun rise over the valley of Kundasang as it slowly bathes Mount Kinabalu in its soft glow.
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Yyou can sit out on the porch as we did to watch the sunrise, letting your coffee or tea warm you up. We also got some local treats to nibble on before breakfast when we were there. These little sugar balls were Biscoff flavor! We can get some for you if you'd like.
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Breakfast
The hotel will provide us will a simple local breakfast, and although it differs from day to day, I'm hoping you'll get a chance to try a popular Malaysian breakfast food called Bubur. It's a simple dish of rice porridge, but it can be dressed up with sweet soy and chili sauces, spices, shredded chicken, boiled egg, tofu, fried breaded crispy bits, scallions, lime, peanuts, and bean sprouts.
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Ride through the Morning Mist
This morning, we'll get on our trusty motorcycles and as the shrouding mists rise around us, we'll twist along another fabulous road to get spectacular views of Kinabalu peaking out from behind its veils.
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Whenever we want, we can stop to take pictures and take in the sights.
Now we're traveling through the highlands of Sabah, East Malaysia, and this is also tea growing country. Maybe you'll be able to spot some of the lush green hedges of tea bushes.
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Natural Fish Pedicure Experience
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This might just be the craziest spa experience you'll ever encounter. The Cyprinidae fish of this river will "nibble" away at the dead skin cells of your feet and ankles to exfoliate your skin. But beware, because these fish are HUGE!
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Not everyone can get their feet all the way in without freaking out, but you can try your hand (or foot) at this unique experience. At the Moroli Natural Fish Spa, these "ikan pelian," or Malaysian Mahseer, have been trained for generations by the local KadazanDusun people to "massage" the feet. And don't worry, if getting your feet wet, so to speak, is not to your liking, you can always just feed the fish instead (and watch everyone else squirm)!
Tim and I have have done this quite a few times now, and each time for me is like an exercise in zen. It's tickley, it's nibbley, and it's almost unbearable. And yet, I see other people just stand in there for 10 minutes loving it! |
Which type of fish spa person will you be?
Jungle Rope Bridge
You know you've always wanted to... And now you can live out your Indiana Jones dreams by crossing this incredible jungle rope bridge that we came across!
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It's long, it's narrow, and it's super wobbly! But even though it might be a little nerve-wracking to walk across this bridge, I think it's pretty safe (fingers crossed). People here take these bridges every day just to get home! Can you imagine carrying groceries along this?
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Lunch
Now that we've survived the flesh-eating piranhas (just kidding), and rickety jungle bridge, it's time to eat! We'll be stopping at a place that has all my favorites, including mee goreng (fried noodles), nasi goreng (fried rice), and all sorts of other concoctions of roasted chicken, sautéed vegetables, and Malaysia's favorite category of food - fish and seafood.
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This family-run place has a very delicious specialty that I always get when I'm here - breaded boneless fish! They've filleted it so that it's de-boned and fry it up in the most scrumptious way, highly recommended!
Ride to the Kinabatangan River Lowlands
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After lunch, we'll get back on the motorcycles, and ride into a region known for its biodiversity. It's the Kinabatangan River delta, and it's home to some of the world's most unique and elusive wildlife, including pygmy elephants, and the highly endangered Sunda Clouded Leopards. As we ride, we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for anything moving in the foliage.
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Your Accommodations
This evening, we will arrive at our destination for the next two nights - a gorgeous luxury resort tucked into the rainforest! Yes, we will be staying in the heart of the dense jungle of Borneo, with rooms that all have air-conditioning, hot showers, and balconies overlooking the forest.
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The resort's property is actually within the bounds of the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve where orangutans, pygmy elephants, and macaques call home. Who knows what you'll see in the trees as you're lounging by the pool or simply looking out your hotel room window...
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Before dinner, we'll all meet up at the "Flying Squirrel Platform" to watch the squirrels jumping from tree to tree at dusk. They are HUGE and amazing! You won't believe it!
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Dinner
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To the sounds of the rainforest, we'll eat dinner at the resort's buffet-style restaurant, which serves an assortment of fresh, local dishes with tons of vegetables.
You might be wondering after seeing all these mouth-watering pictures of Malaysian food full of chili peppers, is the food here very spicy? And the answer is YES! But thankfully, many Malaysian dishes have their sambal (spicy chili sauce) on the side. And most of the places we will be going to (such as this hotel) are used to tourists and know how to make food not spicy. Also, there are usually Western options available. In other words, if spice is a problem, we can help you out. For more on special dietary requests, please see our FAQ section. 
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Night Walk Through the Jungle
Tonight, we will have a special opportunity to take a guided hike through the jungle in the dark. When Tim and I first did this through Borneo's rainforest at night, I have to say I was a little nervous. But no need to fear, because the guides know how to keep us safe. And it's incredible to feel and experience how different the rainforest is after the sun sets.
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Borneo is known for its amazing wildlife, but many of these animals do not come out until nightfall. So as we make our way through the dark jungle, our guide will be able to show us special animals that we wouldn't be able to see otherwise, such as flying foxes (large bats), tarantulas, owls, and more.
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We should definitely keep our eyes open for glowing mushrooms (we saw them), and moths that are the size of your hand!
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Start & End Location - Sepilok Forest
Distance Riding - 203 kilometers | 126 miles Hours Riding - 1.5 hours Longest Continuous Ride - 35 min |
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Main Activities - Monkey & Orangutan Sanctuaries Max Elevation - 42 meters | 137 feet Total Elevation Gain - 811 meters | 2,661 feet |
Breakfast
After a peaceful night of listening to the sounds of the jungle, we'll wake up with the sun and get going bright and early. Because we have a lot of monkeys to see today!
But of course, we must have breakfast first! The rainforest resort that we're staying at offers a buffet of breakfast options, and even has an egg-frying chef ready to make your eggs how you like them. Other breakfast items include toast, fruit, cereals, and yogurt, along with Malaysian-style options such as rice or noodles.
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Ride to Labuk Bay
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In order to get to the monkey reserve that will be our morning's destination, we will first ride through an active palm oil orchard and the surrounding wetlands.
This is a dirt and gravel road, but it's pretty straightforward (literally), with some easily avoidable mud sections. You can always take the support vehicle today, or ride your bike and splash through the mud if you prefer... |
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Once we get to the reserve, we have to be careful to securely attach all of our belongings to the bikes. This is not because people will steal it, it's because the monkeys will steal it! There are monkeys everywhere out here!
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Proboscis Monkey Reserve
Welcome to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary where you can see these incredible monkeys up close! They are known for their extremely large noses and are only found here on Borneo!
Proboscis monkeys are undeniably some of the coolest animals we've ever seen, and part of that is because they are so human-like... and sometimes, in a not-so-flattering way.
Males have larger noses.
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And females have slightly smaller or upturned noses.
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But mostly it's a combination of how they sit, how they grunt, and their other mannerisms that make me think of humans. In fact, during the time of colonialization, the locals of Indonesia called their Dutch colonizers after the proboscis monkey.
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Though the reserve is small (400 acres), all the wildlife here is free-range. In the mid 1990's, this land was allocated to be cleared for palm oil development. But the owner noticed some proboscis monkeys living here, and decided to set aside this area to protect them. Today, there are about 150 proboscis monkeys living here, and they are all pretty used to being around people. So even though we have our designated areas, sometimes the monkeys come right up to you! They are very passive and slow-moving, just going from one place to the next. So we just stand there and let them pass.
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And it's not just proboscis monkeys that live in this reserve. We might see some macaques, and if we're lucky, we might also come across a giant hornbill or two!
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Lunch
After watching monkeys munch on leaves all morning, we'll have worked up an appetite for sure. So we'll have lunch back at the resort.
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Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary
And now, for what we've all been waiting for - the orangutans.
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Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary was established in 1964 as a place to rehabilitate orphaned, injured, or displaced orangutans back into the wild. What started out as a single feeding platform has expanded to also include an outdoor nursery viewing area, making it one of the biggest and well-known orangutan sanctuaries in the world.
Not including the orphans that are kept in the nursery, around 75 wild orangutans roam freely in this area. We'll be there for the afternoon feeding time, during which some of these wild-roaming orangutans should show up, and we'll have a front-row seat to observe them. |
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These "People of the Forest" are amazing to watch, and I could do so all day. Once they start coming around, you really get a sense for how huge they are, yet at the same time, soft and graceful. A truly inexplicable experience.
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Found only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, orangutans are Asia's only great ape. The name orangutan comes from the Malay words "orang" and "utan," meaning "People of the Forest." It's a pretty accurate name, especially since orangutans share more than 97% of their DNA with humans! Also, the females usually only have one baby at a time and will raise their offspring until it's around 8 years old. That's a long time in the animal world, which shows just how nurturing these apes can be.
My favorite is watching the little ones play. As Tim says, "They are both bald and completely fuzzy at the same time." I guarantee your heart will be alight with joy after spending the afternoon watching these delightful creatures.
Your Accommodations
Once we're done with all this monkeying around, we'll head back to the our jungle chalets to have a rest before dinner.
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Dinner
This evening, we'll eat at the rainforest resort. As we relive all the unforgettable experiences of the day, we'll have a fabulous buffet of both Western and Malaysian dishes.
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My favorite part of the buffet is their interpretations of dessert. Don't get me wrong, it is sooo good and I look forward to it every time I'm there, but they always have something they call a fruit pudding, but really it's a... not sure what to call it in English. And then they also have cakes, every time with different flavors. One time they called it cheesecake but it was actually vanilla cake with cheese grated over the frosting!!!
And if you thought orangutans were amazing, wait until you see what jungle wildlife we'll encounter tomorrow...
