Borneo – Kuching, Orangutans & Island Escape

On arrival, after your overnight flight from London via Kuala Lumpur, you will be met and transferred to the gorgeous Ranee Boutique Suites, your home for the next few nights. Kuching is a small laid-back city and is very easy to navigate on foot. Spend some time meandering around the streets and get to know the city. A lovely suggestion for your first night is a street food walking tour with one of our local guides – let them show you around and introduce you to some of the delicious local dishes from their favourite eateries and coffee shops – you must try Sarawak Laksa at Lau Ya Keng, or head over the river to the northern part of the city which is inhabited by mostly Malay kampongs and unique to their identity, the famous Sarawak Layer Cake or Kek Lapis can be easily found here, fresh out of the oven. Plenty of other delicacies are included, ending back in the city to try Guala Apong Ice Cream, enjoyed with cold ice cream and palm sugar.

Kuching is also easy to navigate by bike, we can arrange a foodie tour by bike – a wonderful way of seeing the sites and sounds of the city.

Spend the morning exploring this historical capital including Kuching’s Chinatown, the Cat Statue (Kuching means “Cat” in Malay), the colourful Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, the Civic Centre Viewing Platform and the world-famous Sarawak Museum – Natural History Museum & Sarawak Art Museum. Our guide will take you through Old Kuching, crammed with spice dealers and textile shops, pass by the heritage buildings of the White Rajah era, view the Astana, the former residence of the White Rajahs from across the river at the Kuching Waterfront. End your tour with a cruise, the best way to enjoy historic Kuching.

Spend the day exploring the jungle, beaches and mangrove forests of Bako National park. This small jagged peninsular, one and half hours from Kuching by car and longboat, is home to unique geological features and seven distinct rainforest ecosystems, giving it a remarkable diversity of animal and plant life. Bako’s most famous residents are the bizarre proboscis monkeys, and it is also home to silvered langurs (leaf monkeys), long-tailed macaque monkeys, wild boar, flying squirrels and monitor lizards as well as hundreds of different bird species. Discover the rugged jungle covered hilltops by foot and enjoy a sumptuous picnic lunch on one of the secluded beaches.

This is what you’ve come for – the Orangutans. Semenggoh is just 30 minutes’ drive from Kuching and can easily be visited in a morning. The orangutans here are semi-wild, rescued from captivity and trained to survive in the surrounding forest reserve. Thanks to the successful breeding programme at the Semenggoh there is a good possibility of experiencing one of the most heart-warming sights in Borneo – an orang utan mother with a young baby.

After returning to your hotel, the rest of the day is at leisure. We can arrange a visit to a traditional longhouse, or an afternoon at Sarawak Cultural Village, a living museum showcasing seven authentic traditional buildings where many ethnic groups display their every day activities.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Kota Kinabalu, where on arrival you will cruise across to Gaya island for six nights of pure relaxation. This beautiful luxury resort is tucked away in the jungle of Pulau Gaya and is the perfect end to a Borneo Jungle experience. Hike jungle trails with a naturalist guide, snorkel on the house reef, indulge in the Spa or simply relax around the pool.