Borneo: Sarawak & Sabah — Expert-Led

Gateway to Sarawak: Arrival in Kuching

Touch down in Kuching, the historic capital of Sarawak situated along the Sarawak River. The day is reserved for acclimatization and initial exploration. Walk the waterfront promenade, where colonial-era architecture stands alongside modern Sarawakian landmarks, before settling in for the evening.

The Longhouses of Muara Mongkos

Travel southeast from Kuching toward the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, stopping first at the bustling market town of Serian. The stalls here are a masterclass in ethnobotany, laden with wild jungle ferns, bamboo shoots, and seasonal tropical fruits. Continue to Muara Mongkos, a traditional settlement of the Bidayuh people, also known historically as the Land Dayaks. Here, a 24-door timber-and-bamboo longhouse built in the 1950s serves as a living architectural record of communal life. Walk through the village's surrounding agricultural plots—where wet paddy, black pepper vines, and rubber trees are cultivated—to understand the local agrarian economy. The afternoon includes a demonstration of traditional Bidayuh culinary techniques, utilizing bamboo tubes and local leaves over an open fire to prepare a communal lunch.

Estuarine Ecosystems and Nocturnal Amphibians

Head north to the Santubong Peninsula, where the sandstone peak of Mount Santubong dominates the coastline. Board a river vessel to navigate the mangrove estuaries of the Kuching Wetlands National Park. This complex intertidal zone is a critical habitat for the bizarre, leaf-eating proboscis monkey and the rare, euryhaline Irrawaddy dolphin, recognizable by its blunt, rounded snout. After an afternoon at leisure back in Kuching, travel to the sandstone ridges of Kubah National Park as dusk falls. Accompanied by a resident herpetologist, navigate the park’s damp trails to observe its extraordinary amphibian diversity. The evening chorus is dominated by species like the Matang narrow-mouthed frog, one of the smallest known vertebrates in the world, which breeds inside pitcher plants.