Time to Move - Borneo Bound!

24/01/2012 3:45 PM

Time for a change! Flight booked, I'm off to Borneo tomorrow. Flying in the afternoon and should arrive by evening. I was thinking about stopping in Kuala Lumpur, but didn’t really see much point as it does not interest me all that much. Maybe on the way back if I feel differently. So I'm flying into Kuching which is the fourth largest city in Malaysia at 615 000 people. However, while this is a decently sized city there are numerous National Parks within 20 km of the city with endless miles of jungle walks. 

If all goes to plan I will spend between a month and six weeks here. I plan to do the Island’s “top five Treks” and leave myself enough free time to enjoy the place.  So a week in Kuching should do, then I will either fly or take a boat to Miri, which is a port city in northern Sarawak province serving as a base camp for exploring caves and trekking in Gunung Mulu National Park. It is unfortunately the rainy season, January being the wettest month, with an annual rainfall of 4 200 mm, but this has its ups and downs, given that it means travel by boat will be easier and temperatures somewhat cooler.  While here I plan to hike the Pinnacles and the sweat-inducing Headhunter’s Trail. If there is sufficient time and funds I would also like to take a number of multi-day (ranging from 4-7 nights) treks in the heart of the rainforest, but I may be limited as I don’t have my trekking or camping gear and may not have the budget to afford a guided tour. A few nights in the rainforest would be fantastic, but I fear I may not get to do it. 

From Miri, I may or may not head to Bario, which is a smaller farming community tucked away in the vine-draped Kelabit Highlands. This is optional as it would mean coming back to Miri to make my way overland to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei’s micro-capital close to Ulu Temburong National Park which is yet another jungle park with sprawling rainforests and canopy walks. 

Then, I will cross back into Malaysia and stop in Kota Kinabalu to sample some of the local cuisine before I head on to Mt Kinabalu. At 4 200 M, I believe this to be the highest peak on the Borneo island. This will take three days to climb and is a must for anyone with ample time and energy. Day on is a long and steamy climb through the jungle and out of the rainforest. On the morning of the second day I will wake up at 3 AM and try for an early summit to watch the sunrise. Day three is the decent. Numerous tours offer this, but I may do it alone to save myself some cash as it is possible to solo. 

Following Kinabalu I will head west to the Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre to see some cool apes. Monkeys? I think there Apes. From there I will stopover in Sandakan for a brief lesson in colonial history. I will then head to Sungai Kinabatangan for some spectacular views and photo opportunities.

Then, the real reason I'm going, I will head deep into Sabah’s rainforest interior to trek though the Danun Valley Conservation Area. I’d ideally like to spend two weeks here, but trekking is expensive as it requires guides and permits so money will be a very limiting factor. After as much time as possible here, I will head to the Semporna Archipelago to go diving.

All together, I am planning this to take six weeks, longer if I can afford it. Like I said, money will be a serious determining factor, but it is something I really want to do. Besides, trekking in the rainforest? How cool does that sound?