Kuala Lumpur & Western Borneo

Today you will take the first step on your journey to adventure in Kuala Lumpur and Borneo. You will depart from your chosen airport, and the flight includes connecting flight(s) along the way.

Welcome to Malaysia’s bustling capital, Kuala Lumpur, where modern marvels meet a rich cultural history in a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds, and scents within the city.

After arriving at the international airport just outside Kuala Lumpur, you will proceed through immigration and collect your luggage. Your driver, holding a TourCompass sign, awaits in the arrivals hall to transport you to your central Kuala Lumpur hotel.

After checking in, the hotel pool beckons for a relaxing start to your tour, offering thea perfect way to acclimatise after a long flight. In the evening, you can explore the surrounding area of your hotel, with easy access to an impressive array of dining options.

A restful night’s sleep awaits you, ready for Kuala Lumpur’s attractions to unfold tomorrow.

Based in the heart of the city, you can easily plan your days at your own pace. Just around the corner lie numerous luxury shopping centres and bustling night markets, and within walking distance, you will find Kuala Lumpur’s landmark, the iconic Petronas Towers, standing as two brilliant beacons of steel and glass. By day, they reflect in the sunlight, and by night, they sparkle like diamonds, best viewed from one of the city’s many sky bars.

Wandering through Kuala Lumpur on foot allows you to experience each neighbourhood’s unique character. Here, stories unfold of a city with remarkable cultural diversity and harmony, where Malaysian, Chinese, and Indian cultures coexist side by side. This helps to create a vibrant tapestry of colourful traditions and modern innovations, evident in locations such as the historic Sultan Abdul Samad Building, now serving contemporary political purposes. This unique mix of old traditions and modern lifestyles makes Kuala Lumpur one of Asia’s most exciting cities.

You might also choose to pause and immerse yourself in Kuala Lumpur’s green oasis, Perdana Botanical Gardens. Enjoy a tranquil moment amidst fragrant flowers and an impressive birdlife. Another great natural experience awaits at Batu Caves, located just outside the city centre. This vast limestone cave, adorned with brightly coloured Hindu temples and guarded by the colossal Lord Murugan statue, is a memorable visit. As you ascend the many rainbow-hued steps to the top, the sense of history and the coolness of the cave envelop you, creating an experience to treasure.

In the evening, the air is filled with enticing aromas from numerous street food stalls near your hotel, where succulent satay skewers are grilled over open flames. The distinctive scent of freshly squeezed lime might tempt you to try some of the local cuisine’s spicy soups, lightened by a sour twist.

After spending a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur, it’s time to pack up your first impressions and fly onwards to the world’s third-largest island, Borneo. While the island is predominantly Indonesian in the south, the tiny nation of Brunei nestles between the two Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak in the north, offering a rich tapestry of spectacular natural and wildlife experiences.

You will arrive in the north-western state of Sarawak, where your chauffeur will greet you and whisk you off to your hotel in Kuching, Sarawak’s capital. Here, you can check in and then enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. Whether you choose to explore the city or relax with a refreshing dip in the hotel pool, the choice is yours.

Kuching serves as your base for a plethora of experiences waiting in the upcoming days. The city’s name, meaning ‘cat’ in Malay, reflects its unique relationship with cats, showcased by numerous feline statues dotted around the city. The city is a charming melting pot of cultures, evident in its architecture ranging from colonial buildings adorned with colourful murals to traditional Malaysian houses.

Nestled along the scenic Sarawak River, Kuching boasts a nearly mile-long promenade that invites you to immerse yourself in local life, with a myriad of shops and restaurants. In the evening, settle yourself in at one of the many eateries in the old town, offering everything from international favourites to local specialties like the flavourful laksa soup and the noodle dish kolo mee. Afterwards, take a stroll along the promenade and be enchanted by Kuching’s water and light show, which plays out every night around 8 pm in front of the Sarawak Government Building.

While enjoying your breakfast, prepare for an exciting day ahead. The day kicks off with a cultural tour of Kuching, culminating at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, where an unforgettable encounter with orangutans awaits.

Your guide will first lead you through the lively streets of Chinatown, where you can be tempted by the inviting aromas from a wide array of charming eateries and visit the colourful Tua Pek Kong temple. One of the city’s highlights awaits at the golden-domed city mosque, a symbol of Kuching’s religious diversity. Next, head to Little India, which offers a sensory experience with its colourful houses brimming with textile shops and spice dealers.

The tour concludes at the river promenade, where Kuching’s history is brought to life through its majestic buildings. You can, for instance, see the Pavilion and the Old Post Office from the era of the White Rajahs, who ruled the state of Sarawak from 1841-1946.

Kuching also serves as the gateway to the renowned orangutan sanctuary at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, which you will visit after a break. Orangutans are perhaps what Borneo is most famous for and might be one of the main reasons you chose this tour? And rightly so. These great apes, known as orangutans, are fascinating because they resemble a primitive version of ourselves in many ways.

After a short drive, a brief walk through lush surroundings brings you to the centre. Here, you can learn about the commendable work done to rescue, rehabilitate, retrain, and reintroduce orangutans to their natural habitat. You will have the chance to witness orangutans returning to the rainforest reserve at feeding time, gaining a unique insight into the complex social hierarchy of our close relatives in the wild. If you’re lucky, you might experience the heartwarming sight of an orangutan mother navigating the canopy with her young.

You’ll then be driven back to your hotel in Kuching, where you can reflect on today’s unforgettable encounter, while enjoying an evening meal at one of the city’s cosy restaurants.

Today offers yet another encounter with Borneo’s captivating nature and wildlife. You’re off on a full-day excursion to Sarawak’s oldest national park, Bako National Park, which, despite being one of Sarawak’s smallest, is impressively characterised by seven distinct ecosystems, as well as rich wildlife, waterfalls, and pristine beaches.

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up and drive you to Bako Fishing Village, where you’ll board a traditional longboat for a river journey to the national park. Along the way, you may be lucky enough to spot estuarine crocodiles and eagles before you even reach the park itself.

Upon arrival, you’ll embark on an extensive network of trails through the rainforest. Here, you’ll explore the park’s diverse vegetation, ranging from mangroves to tropical swamp, cliff, and beach ecosystems. On your path, which winds up and down, keep your eyes peeled for the unique wildlife of the National Park, including silver leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques, bearded pigs, monitor lizards, snakes, and a vast array of bird species. In Bako’s rainforest, you might also be fortunate enough to encounter Borneo’s red-pelted proboscis monkeys, proudly displaying their noses – the larger the nose, the more attractive a proboscis monkey male is considered among the females.

The fascinating aspect of the wildlife is that there’s never a guarantee of what you’ll encounter. However, with the expert assistance of your skilled guide, who knows all about the rainforest and the animals’ movements, your chances of spotting the many creatures are significantly increased. And you’re in for a treat, as the sensation of spotting a creature in its natural habitat deep in the rainforest is nearly indescribable.

After a few eventful hours, you’ll sail back along the river and be driven to your hotel in Kuching, now carrying memories of Sarawak’s unparalleled nature and wildlife along with you.

There are no excursions planned for today, giving you plenty of time to reflect on what you need.

Let the impressions of the past few days settle by lounging at the hotel and treat yourself to exquisite meals at one of the nearby restaurants. If, on the other hand, you can’t get enough experiences, join our optional tours, which you can read more about below.

Today, your adventure continues as you head towards the ancestral home of the Iban tribe in Sarawak. Deep within Batang Ai National Park, the tribe lives a simple and traditional life, just as they have done since the 15th century. Today, they welcome you with unparalleled warmth and hospitality to their traditional daily life.

For your stay in the rainforest, you won’t need to pack too much. Opt for a lightweight backpack or a smaller bag and leave your suitcase behind at your hotel. From there, you’ll be picked up and driven roughly 5 hours towards Batang Ai National Park, with a stop on the way at Lachau Bazaar, where you can wander among small shops and a quaint local market. Enjoy an early lunch in one of the cosy local coffee shops before continuing on to Batang Ai Lake. Here, you’ll board a traditional longboat, which will carry you away from civilisation to the riverside home of the Iban tribe, where even phone signals yield to the unspoiled nature. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours.

The surroundings are enchanting, and few places in the world mirror the landscape you will sail through here. Along the winding routes of the Batang Ai River, untouched rainforest stretches as far as the eye can see. Sit back and enjoy the calm that has long since settled in, only interrupted by the chugging motor of the longboat, the river’s babbling water, and the rainforest’s whimsical sounds, including the songs of birds.

Upon arrival at your lodge, you’ll have time to acquaint yourself with the authentic setting. Before dusk falls, you might choose to cross the bridge to the neighbouring house, known as a longhouse, where the Iban tribe lives side by side. Here, you may catch them in the midst of their daily tasks, which surely differ from your own routine back home.

After dinner at your lodge, the chief of the Iban tribe invites you in for a fascinating tale about the tribe’s unique culture and the special life lived in the idyll of the rainforest. If you dare, you will most likely be offered a cup of home-grown rice wine.

You will awaken to the magical scene of the rainforest, inviting a moment of tranquillity before breakfast is served on the lodge’s wooden veranda, overlooking the picturesque surroundings.

Today, your guide will take you on a peaceful jungle trek along river trails. It can feel almost meditative walking to the sound of the rainforest awakening while you let your eyes wander among the treetops to spot the wildlife and birdlife. Batang Ai’s untouched rainforest is home to one of the largest populations of wild orangutans in central Borneo, so there is every reason to keep a keen eye out for the orangutan’s fiery red fur.

After the walk, you will reach the riverbank, where a longboat awaits to take you to the remote Enseluai Waterfall. Along the way, enjoy the sights of the rainforest’s flora and fauna that surround you from all sides. If river conditions allow, an Iban representative will also demonstrate their traditional fishing technique, passed down through many decades.

Upon reaching the magnificent Enseluai Waterfall, you can enjoy a refreshing dip and soak in the captivating surroundings, while the Iban representative prepares a memorable lunch cooked over an open flame. Once the meal is ready, allow your senses to run wild to the sound of the rushing water, with the beauty of the rainforest as your backdrop, while you savour the authentic flavours right on the Batang Ai River’s edge.

After a hearty meal and gathering unforgettable impressions from the day’s journey, you will return to the lodge. As the day draws to a close, look forward to enjoying dinner on the lodge’s spacious wooden veranda and soaking in the final impressions of life deep within Batang Ai National Park.

You will bid farewell to your newfound friends among the Iban tribe and sail back towards civilisation. The journey offers a perfect chance to enjoy the scenery one last time before leaving the enchanting rainforests of Batang Ai and ending the day in the capital city, Kuching.

Your last evening can, for example, be spent on a leisurely stroll along the river promenade, where you can reflect on the many experiences from your tour, which offered thrilling moments in both the bustling heart of Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak’s treasure trove of nature and wildlife experiences.

Today, sadly, it’s time to say goodbye to Malaysia and Borneo, but you take home the memories of your completed adventure as an everlasting souvenir.

Well ahead of your flight departure, you will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport from where you will fly towards Europe with connecting flights along the way.

You will land at your chosen airport after a memorable tour.