Distance Riding Day 6 - 203 kilometers | 126 miles
Hours Riding - 1 1/2 hours
Max Elevation - 42 meters | 137 feet
Elevation Rise - 34 meters | 112 feet
Meals Included - Breakfast
Activities - Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Reserve, Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary
Start & End Location - Sepilok Forest
Hours Riding - 1 1/2 hours
Max Elevation - 42 meters | 137 feet
Elevation Rise - 34 meters | 112 feet
Meals Included - Breakfast
Activities - Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Reserve, Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary
Start & End Location - Sepilok Forest
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.
Ride to Labuk Bay
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...
Proboscis Monkey Reserve
Welcome to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, where you can see these incredible monkeys that are known for their extremely large noses, and are only found here on Borneo! Proboscis monkeys are undeniably some of the coolest wildlife we've ever seen, and a part of that is because they are so human-like. And sometimes, in a not-so-flattering way.
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 for them to live on. 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.
And it's not just proboscis monkeys that live in this reserve. We will definitely be encountering some macaques, and if we're lucky, we might see some giant Hornbills!
Lunch
After watching monkeys munch on leaves all morning, we'll have worked up an appetite for sure. So we'll have lunch at the Labuk Bay Reserve itself. The restaurant there serves rice and noodle dishes that Tim and I really enjoyed. The food is simple, but fresh and lovingly cooked.
Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary
And now, for what we've all been waiting for - the orangutans.
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 free 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. |
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 is 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 incredible 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. This will be our final night staying at our wonderful rainforest resort, so take this time to soak in the sights, sounds, and smells of the rainforest.
Dinner
This evening, we'll head out to a nearby restaurant. It's situated overlooking a gorgeous little lake, all nestled within the Sepilok forest itself (so orangutans do occasionally show up for a photo op here).
As we relive all the unforgettable experiences of the day, we can order both Western and Malaysian dishes, including burgers that people say are fantastic.
I would highly recommend the Char Kweh Tiao, which are thick rice noodles stir-fried in a richly flavored sauce. It's a specialty of Penang Island in West Malaysia, and it can be made spicy or not spicy, however you like.
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But what really steals the show here are the specialty cocktails, mocktails, milk shakes, and smoothies that they make. This restaurant is only a few minutes drive from our rainforest resort, and so anyone who wants to be driven over and brought back in the support vehicle instead of ride over on the motorcycle is more than welcome to.
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Distance Riding Day 7 - None, we're heading out to sea!
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Activities - Rainforest Discovery Centre & Skywalk, Lankayan Island
Start Location - Sepilok Forest
End Location - Lankayan Island
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Activities - Rainforest Discovery Centre & Skywalk, Lankayan Island
Start Location - Sepilok Forest
End Location - Lankayan Island
Rainforest Centre Skywalk
Walking distance from our accommodations is the Rainforest Discovery Centre of Sandakan.
Along with an educational exhibition hall, and a Plant Discovery Garden (featuring carnivorous plants and over 250 kinds of orchids), the Rainforest Discovery Centre also boasts a 363 meter-long canopy skywalk (1,190 feet). These viewing platforms and walkways are as high as 28 meters (92 feet) above the ground, which is the same as a 25 story building! It offers a breathtaking view of the forest, as well as the perfect why to spy on wildlife as if you are merely a bird in the trees.
At 140 million years old, the rainforest that you are stepping through is as old as the dinosaurs. And you can almost envision them walking through this dense and teeming jungle full of vines, moss, ferns, and incredibly unusual animals.
Borneo is also home to the world's largest flower, the Refflesia, a parasitic enormous beast of a plant that eats flies and smells horrifically of rotting carcasses. It's pretty rare to catch one of these blooming (it only blooms for about 5-7 days), but if there is one in the area, you better believe that everyone in the nearby vicinity will know about it.
Boat Ride to Lankayan Island
Today we say goodbye to our motorcycles, switching up the road for the water. But first, we'll be brought from our rainforest lodge over to the nearby port city of Sandakan.
Once there, we'll catch a ride from the Sandakan Yacht Club and sail to our destination - an island way out in the Sulu Sea that's known for its pristine waterscapes.
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Welcome to our Island Retreat!
After all that hard riding and trekking through the rainforest, we deserve a treat. And when you come this far out on Borneo, you're next to some of the most beautiful and thriving marine life on the planet. It would be a shame to leave without experiencing this area to the fullest, and so I have arranged for something truly special - a two night retreat at Lankayan Island! (You can thank me later...)
Your Accommodations
That's right! You're going to be staying for two nights on a tiny island out to sea with views of the crystal clear water all around. They have both luxurious floating chalets and beachside cabins here. It looks and feels like a dream come true, so much so that you're going to be pinching yourself the whole time.
Lankayan Island only has one resort, the Lankayan Island Dive Resort. It's fully equipped with large air-conditioned cabanas, hot showers, a seaside terrace with chairs, and of course, a wonderful restaurant. And because it's located in the protected Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA), the resort has to meet certain ecological standards. Therefore, all trash and refuse is taken off the island, and there is no fishing allowed in the area. That means that the marine life here thrive like nowhere else you've ever seen.
LunchWhile we look out over the turquoise waters, we'll have a lunch here served buffet-style in the main dining hall. This "floating restaurant" is built on stilts over the water itself. Although its specialty is seafood (of course), they serve all types of food, and can also accommodate vegetarian and vegan clients.
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Once lunch is over, the afternoon is free for you to do what you like. Take a nap by the beach, go swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, walk the island, or simply relax. But one thing you should definitely do is...
Tour the Turtle Hatchery
You didn't think it could get any better, right? Well, not only is this island gorgeous in every way, but it's also a key nesting spot for Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles. So the island hosts a protected egg hatchery and nursery area where turtle populations are recorded to document their productivity, and hatchlings are helped to be released back into the ocean. And if we're lucky, we'll be able to see some of this magic ourselves!
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There is also a small educational museum that you should check out to learn more about the local marine life, and the efforts being made to conserve their habitat.
Dinner
As the sun sets over the mirror of the calm Sulu Sea, we'll meet back at the resort restaurant to eat another lavish meal from the buffet. And as we stare out at the blooming kaleidoscope of purples, reds, and blues soaking the ocean in twilight, we'll try to find the words to express how incredible this all is. I'm predicting that Tim's version of the moment will go something like, "Amaze-balls!"
Distance Riding Day 8 - None, it's a free day!
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Activities - Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Kayaking, Turtle Hatchery
Start & End Location - Lankayan Island
Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Activities - Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Kayaking, Turtle Hatchery
Start & End Location - Lankayan Island
This morning you will wake to a level of surreal beauty and pure peace that few people ever get to experience.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Because we'll be spending all day at the resort, our three meals today (and any other food you'd like to eat) will be served for us at the resort restaurant. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner served here is included and complementary of your stay. Extra snacks and alcoholic or specialty drinks are not included (see our What's Included page for more).
The meals will all be served buffet-style, so you'll have plenty to choose from, but I highly suggest trying some of the Malaysian curries on offer. Although some curries here are made Indian-style, Malaysian specific curries have quite different flavor profiles, and can be made with coconut milk-based sauces. They are more similar to Thai curries, though not quite as spicy (and sometimes they aren't spicy at all).
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The Day is Yours, and the World is Yours
Today is a free day, meaning that you will choose how you want to spend it. Of course, we have some epic suggestions...
Scuba Dive
This is the Lankayan Island Dive Resort, after all, and this is what it's famous for - scuba diving. And the diving here is world-class! The waters are super clear, the coral is vibrant and alive, the fish are abundant, and the currents are placid, so this is an ideal place for beginners as well.
The resort offers its own guided diving tours (any dives you take are an additional cost). If you're not already certified in scuba diving and this looks like something you want to do, I suggest you get certified at your local pool at home before coming out here. That way, you can get right into the water here without going through all the training. Because if there's any place in the world that you should go scuba diving, it's here.
Scuba diving trips are an extra cost, and must be arranged ahead of time. So let us know if that's something you'd like to do! And see our What's Included page for more details on... what's included.
Swim with Whale Sharks
Oh yeah, and there are sometimes whale sharks here! I know!
These peaceful giants are filter-feeder fish as opposed to whales, and so they are completely harmless to humans (Tim and I once had a very friendly experience with one in Mexico). And best of all, Lankayan Island is known as a place where they frequent during certain times of the year. Though sightings are still rare, who knows... maybe we'll be lucky!
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Dive to a Shipwreck
There are actually two shipwrecks here at Lankayan Island, as well as over 30 other dive sites. You certainly won't be bored from a lack of diving options here.
See Sea Turtles
Since the island is a key breeding spot for the Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles, it is quite common to see them swimming around here. And because they are critically endangered animals, this is an extremely special opportunity.
Growing to be as much as 1 meter long, or 3 feet, these sea turtles can be huge, and also quite old. And due to the Hawksbill turtle's diet, it's actually the first reptile recorded to have its own biofluorescence! |
Snorkel Or Kayak
Scuba diving certainly isn't the only way to see the underwater world. Tim and I actually don't go scuba diving, but we love snorkeling! One of the things that makes this place great for snorkeling, besides all the coral and fish, is that the current here isn't strong. That means the water remains clear, and you can simply float around easily. In fact, all of this can be done right outside your front doorstep.
Snorkel gear and kayak rentals from Lankayan Island are an extra cost, but you can always bring your own snorkel mask if you want. That's what Tim and I are planning on doing. See our Packing List.
Relax at the Beach
And for those of us who simply like to sit somewhere with a book and a beverage to sip on, there's plenty of that to be had on this island as well!
Wow, what a day.
At dinner time, we'll all reconvene, tell stories, and watch the sunset as we eat another fresh and tasty meal, letting the stars of the incredible Borneo night sky twinkle above us.
At dinner time, we'll all reconvene, tell stories, and watch the sunset as we eat another fresh and tasty meal, letting the stars of the incredible Borneo night sky twinkle above us.
Distance Riding Day 9 - None, we fly back to Kota Kinabalu
Meals Included - Breakfast, Dinner
Activities - Bongawan River Boat Cruise & Firefly Sunset Dinner
Start Location - Lankayan Island
End Location - Kota Kinabalu
Meals Included - Breakfast, Dinner
Activities - Bongawan River Boat Cruise & Firefly Sunset Dinner
Start Location - Lankayan Island
End Location - Kota Kinabalu
Breakfast and Boat Ride
Today we are waking up with the peaceful dawn, and saying our farewells to Lankayan Island. We'll pack up, and eat breakfast quickly, because we have a lot of ground to cover today. And the boat taking us back to the mainland leaves first thing in the morning.
Flight from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu
We're going full-circle today, back to where we began in the city of Kota Kinabalu. The flight (included) is pretty short, only 50 minutes from takeoff to landing. So before we know it, we'll be back in the city of KK (as the locals call it).
Kota Kinabalu is a fairly small city, and the airport is very near to the boardwalk downtown area. So it shouldn't take long for us to get back to the wonderful hotel where we stayed at for our first night in East Malaysia.
Your Accommodations
Remember this lovely place with the refreshing pool? Well this is where we are going to stay again for the last night of our tour together.
Lunch
Lucky for us, this hotel serves up an excellent lunch. They have both a restaurant and a bar, and we don't even need to leave the poolside if we don't want to. The restaurant specializes in a fusion of Asian and Western flavors, including a dish that is Tim's personal favorite in Malaysia - Beef Rendang. It's shredded beef cooked in a sauce that's got so many good flavors to it, I don't even know how to describe it. It's just fantastic!
And don't forget the dessert menu that features cinnamon chocolate and lemon merengue éclairs, and a sugar-free Malaysian pandan layer cake! Oh my!
Mangrove Forest Boat Cruise
And now I have something great planned for us this afternoon! Since this is our last day together, I figured we should end our trip with a bang. And so I have booked us a private river boat cruise of a mangrove forest along the coast!
We'll be heading up the Bongawan River, which zigs and zags through dense tropical wetlands where many incredible birds, lizards, monkeys, and even crocodiles can be spotted.
Soon the river will narrow and we'll be in the thick of the mangrove forest. Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that play a vital role in climate health by storing carbon and reducing coastal erosion. And it's incredible to see their aerial roots!
The Stork-Billed Kingfisher is one of Borneo's most iconic birds. Look at that huge heavy head!
Monkey Spotting
As the afternoon fades into evening, monkeys love to come by the river banks to hang out, especially proboscis monkeys! We'll have to keep our eyes on the treetops...
Mirror Sunset Beach
And now as the sun sets and our cruise comes to where the mangrove forest meets the sea, there is a very special natural phenomenon here that we can take part in. Since the coast is so shallow here, there is an area where the water is only a few inches deep for what seems forever. And with the sun setting directly behind this "mirror," it can create some stunning photo opportunities (these photos are courtesy of Bongawan River Cruises).
Dinner
After that spectacular sunset, we'll get back on the boat where we'll have our dinner. It will be a simple affair of Malaysian-style rice, chicken, and vegetables, but it's the setting around us that will be spectacular.
Firefly Fireworks Finale
It's pretty impossible to capture on film, and even harder to explain, but I'll do my best. When Tim and I were first told about the fireflies of Borneo, I thought, that's nice. But I've seen fireflies before, and they're always nice, but nothing new. Right?
The difference between these lightning bugs and any others I've ever seen (including the giant ones in Costa Rica, and the mountaintop ones in Zambia) is that these lightning bugs are tiny, and there's zillions of them, and they're all clustered together. In fact, they'll pick out a certain tree, and then they'll twinkle like the stars above us... I don't want to give it all away. You'll just have to see it for yourself.
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This is an experience to be had. Not one that can be captured and contained on a phone or in an Instagram photo. It's simply a moment to be felt.
I feel similarly about this webpage that I've made on our trip. I've tried my best to express what I've seen and experienced out here, but I can only do so much. |
The rest must be experienced first-hand to be understood. It's as simple as that.
Distance Riding Day 10 - None, it's Departure Day.
Meals Included - Breakfast
Start Location - Kota Kinabalu
End Location - Wherever the rest of your journey may lead you...
Meals Included - Breakfast
Start Location - Kota Kinabalu
End Location - Wherever the rest of your journey may lead you...
This is it, we've come to the end of our incredible journey.
Breakfast
As we have our final breakfast together back at the hotel, we'll reminisce about all the fantastic moments we've had in the past ten days. From ancient rainforests, to staring orangutans in the face, to the Tip of Borneo, and reaching that hill overlooking Mount Kinabalu... From the coral reefs of our tropical island paradise, to riding a motorcycle on that gorgeous beach... This has been the stuff of dreams.
But what has made it all the more special, is that we got to share these experiences with each other, new lifelong friends that we've made. So whether your plans from here are to head home, or to continue your adventures around Southeast Asia, you will always be able to look back at these moments we've had and simply smile. If you're interested in this tour,
then we'd love to hear from you! |