5D4N Trek, Pedal, & Paddle the Sarawak Rainforest
Join us for an action-packed, multi-activity adventure through Borneo!
This tour includes cycling, trekking, and kayaking through some of Borneo’s most stunning scenery. You’ll hike through remote villages, breathtaking national parks, and lush rainforest. You’ll kayak on the Sarawak River and explore centuries-old caves and hidden waterfalls. You’ll cycle across majestic mountain ranges and exotic coastal paths. And you’ll absorb Borneo’s rich culture with authentic homestays, meetings with locals, and samplings of the local cuisine.
5-Day 4 Night – Trek, Pedal, & Paddle the Sarawak Rainforest
Day 1: Arrive in Kuching and check into your hotel.
Day 2: Cycle to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre to see orangutans and other wildlife. In the afternoon, visit the Sarawak Museum to learn about the region’s history and culture.
Day 3: Trek to the top of Mount Santubong for stunning views of the surrounding area.
Day 4: Kayak on the Sarawak River and explore the Bau Caves.
Day 5: Depart from Kuching.
Tour Highlights
- Kick-start from the majestic interior mountain range, then pedal and paddle down to spectacular coastal national parks.
- Meet mankind’s closest relative, the orangutan.
- Trek through the highlands to visit remote villages and amazing waterfalls.
- Venture into an array of national parks for wildlife spotting.
- Mix active holiday with a dash of cultural experience with a stay in a native longhouse.
- Indulge in a wide variety of cuisines with fresh ingredients from jungle produce and fresh seafood.
This tour is perfect for Rotary Convention 2024 participants who are looking for an adventurous and culturally immersive experience.
5-DAY ITINERARY
We start off early with a transfer to visit Semenggoh Nature Reserve, a large enclosed area of rainforest which is home to endangered orangutans who have been rescued from captivity and kept for rehabilitation. We watch orangutans emerge from the rainforest during their feeding time and then, it’s time to start riding.
Using winding rural back roads, we pedal through a series of kampongs, surrounded by small-scale pepper farms, rice fields, and plantations. Join one of the host families in the longhouse to enjoy freshly cooked bamboo chicken and wild jungle vegetables on the tanju (patio) of the longhouse. After lunch, explore this harmonious Bidayuh longhouse and learn about the culture of the Land Dayaks who were once headhunters.
Cycling distance: 34 km
Accommodation: Annah Rais Homestay
Meals: Lunch and dinner
After a quick vehicle transfer, we reach Bengoh Dam jetty, the starting point of today’s hiking adventure. Enjoy a 20-minute boat ride across the tranquil lake surrounded by a circular, scenic mountain range. We then hike uphill for 30 minutes to a homestay with a stunning view of the lake below.
After checking into the homestay, we continue with a one-hour, steep ascent that brings us to a series of spectacular waterfalls with crystal clear water, surrounded by jungle. Sunbathe on giant rocks and soak in the negative ions for a rejuvenating experience of Borneo wilderness. Here, the art of Dayak culinary skills is revealed as guests learn, first-hand, how to cook with bamboo harvested from the jungle.
After a cool dip and delicious food, we return to the village, passing through pepper farms where the host will demonstrate how pepper is harvested and processed. Return to the village house for a home-cooked dinner on the tanju (patio) overlooking the lake. Batteries may be charged up at this stop, as it is powered by the village micro-hydro and solar panel.
Hiking distance: 5 km; elevation gain: 500m; estimated hiking time: 2-3 hours
Accommodation: Highland Homestay
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
After breakfast, take a 20-minute boat ride across the lake. After a short drive, we get ready for our kayak, cave, and cycle adventure. We start the day by floating down an untouched stretch of the Sarawak River in a kayak to discover a hidden waterfall and explore unique limestone formations. After a quick transfer, it’s then back on the bikes to cycle through some spectacular limestone karst landscape and visit bat caves. We end the day in the historical town of Siniawan.
Distance: Kayak 7 km and cycle 37 km
Accommodation: Siniawan Heritage Hostel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
After an early morning traditional noodle breakfast at an old town coffee-shop (kopitiam), we get ready for a full day of cycling. Today we will ride across a suspension bridge, take a traditional boat ferry, and push the bikes across the jungle stream. You will also have the option of climbing Mount Singai, which is the birthplace of Christianity among the Bidayuh community, thanks largely to Roman Catholic missionaries from Holland in the 1800s.
We hike up the wooden staircase to the pilgrimage center to learn about its history and legacy. After a quick, picnic lunch, we ride under the mountain, using shaded back roads to reach our endpoint at Kubah National Park. Enjoy a BBQ dinner in the National Park. For the more adventurous, you can venture out into the night with our park guide to experience the darkness of the rainforest and explore its unique frogs and other nocturnal creatures. Stay overnight in a secluded jungle cabin to enjoy the unique sounds of Mother Nature.
Hiking distance: 3 km; elevation gain: 400 m; cycling distance: 43 km
Accommodation: Kubah National Park
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Today’s trek passes through some of the most impressive rainforest scenery in Sarawak. This trail starts at the 900 ft mark on the Gunung Serapi Road and leads to the nearby Matang Wildlife Centre, some 3 hours and 30 mins away. Along the way, we pass crystal-clear waterfalls and see dozens of fascinating plant species including rare ferns, orchids, and also numerous palms. Kubah has so many varieties that it is known as “the world of palms.”
Also prominent in the park is the carnivorous pitcher plant. Rest assured, the pitcher plant is harmless to us but remains a menace to small invertebrates, such as insects. Animals such as bearded pigs, mouse deer, squirrels, and black hornbills call this park home. Though sightings of wildlife are not guaranteed, the sight and scent of the tropical rainforest—which remains largely undisturbed—is a treat in itself! The impressive jungle trek ends at a clear jungle stream adjacent to the Matang Wildlife Centre.
Matang Wildlife Center is Sarawak’s main center for wildlife rehabilitation. The rescued animals being rehabilitated here include orangutans, sun bears, bearcats, civet cats, sambar deer, barking deer, porcupines, and crocodiles, all of which can be seen in spacious, natural enclosures. A large aviary houses a variety of hornbills, as well as Brahminy kites and sea eagles.
From here, you will either be dropped back in Kuching or left to explore the park, depending on your itinerary. The tour ends by dropping you back to your city hotel.
Hiking distance: 6.5 km; elevation gain: 280 m
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Price
- Adult (12+): MYR 5654.00
- Single supplement (for solo travelers who prefer their own room): MYR 240.00
If you have a group of more than 6 pax, ASK for our group pricing!
Departure Time
8:00 AM
Meeting Point
Your hotel lobby
Availability
2023
- February 6th – February 10th
- March 6th – March 10th
- June 5th – June 10th
- November 13th – November 17th
- December 11th – December 15th
CONTACT US if the scheduled dates don’t fit your schedule and you would like to customize your tour to an alternative date.
Duration
5 days, 4 nights.
Number of Cycling/Trekking Days
- Cycling: 2 full days and 1 half day
- Trekking: 2 full days and 1 half day
Distance
- Cycling: 126 km
- Hiking: 14.5 km
- Kayaking: 7 km
Group Size
Minimum 2 adults, for groups of more than 6, PLEASE INQUIRE for a special price
Difficulty Level
- Cycling: 2/5 moderate: Paved roads and gravel tracks with some undulations
- Trekking: 2/5 moderate to active: Hilly terrain on single track jungle trail
Included
- Local, English-speaking guide
- Bikes, helmets, and backup support
- Accommodations
- Meals
- Support vehicle and all luggage transfers
- Rain ponchos
- Drinks & snacks during the rides
- Other non-riding activities as per the itinerary
- Entrance fees
Not Included
Travel insurance
What to Bring
Essential Items
- Multiple sets of cycling or sporting clothing
- Multiple sets of spare casual clothing, including long trousers and shorts, hat/cap, swimming costumes, sandals, and extra walking shoes
- Cycling gear: gloves and sunglasses
- Personal care: small towel, toiletries, personal medication, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent
- Camera and chargers, dry bag, and torchlight
- Extra cash/credit card
- Passport with 6 months validity and spare pages (additional immigration check at Sarawak’s entry points) and travel insurance details
For More Comfort
- Padded bike shorts with something to put on over the top when not on the bikes
- Cycling shoes or comfortable sports shoes
- Your own personal helmet, water bottle, and raincoat
About Your Guide
From start to finish, your trip will be led by 1 or 2 English-speaking cycling tour leaders, depending on the size of the group. Along with further support from an assistant and support vehicle driver, the team’s aim is to deliver a comfortable, safe, fun, and enriching travel experience by ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Our local, English-speaking tour leaders take great pride in their heritage (as well as their own personal stories) and are well informed on Borneo’s history, culture, and natural wonders.
Good to Know
- Our tour leaders carry spare parts and tools for basic repair
- Age restriction: all participants must be aged 12 and over
- For correct bike sizing, please provide personal height measurements during the booking process
- Tell us your food preference, accommodation preference, and any other personal request, etc
- Come into our shop a day before the tour to meet your tour leader and test out your bike, and for fixing your personal saddle, clips, bike bag or phone rack, etc, if any
- Check out Our Responsible Tourism Commitment RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL | PARADESA BORNEO
- Reservations are recommended to avoid disappointment
- No helmet, no ride
- Rain or shine we always ride
- We include a pre-tour safety briefing and mandatory equipment checks
- A selection of good quality kids’ bikes of various sizes, baby seats (rear-mounted for above 9 months old), and child bike trailers are available
- We recommend guests bring your own refillable water bottles and avoid using one-off plastic water bottles.
- During our tours, we recycle wherever possible, and try to keep our waste as low as possible. We discourage the use of plastic bags, and suggest that you bring your own dry bag or small waterproof backpack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our bike tours are fully supported by air-conditioned vehicles, so should you want to put your feet up, there will be a seat for you and a place to put your bike. The support vehicle also carries your luggage, as well as keeping you topped up with water, tropical fruit, and snacks.
Wearing a helmet is strongly recommended on all our biking adventures. Your tour leader will conduct a group cycling safety meeting on day one, as well as a briefing at the beginning of each day on what to expect during the day’s ride. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue but, to a certain degree, you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. For non-biking activities such as kayaking, safety measures such as life-jackets are compulsory and a separate safety briefing will be given before the start of each activity.
Meals and snacks are included as per the itinerary. We take care in our planning to include the best of Sarawak cuisine, including delicacies from a mixture of Dayak, Malay, and Chinese cuisine that all use local, fresh ingredients from the tropics. Some can be hot and spicy. We eat dinner together, Malaysian style, by sharing all of our delicious dishes. Alcoholic drinks are available at your own expense, but they might not be served in some Muslim halal restaurants.
We have carefully chosen the best available accommodation in different locations with friendly, local hosts. To ensure your comfort after a hard day in the saddle, we strive to offer a range of accommodation that is clean, comfortable, and represents the local culture. The type of lodging can vary depending on the location and what is available: a local tribal homestay, a jungle lodge, a national park cabin, a historical shophouse, and seaside resorts. Rooms are based on a sharing basis with double beds and if you are a single traveler, you might be paired with another traveler of the same sex unless you pay the single supplement.
The details of the number of cycling days, cycling distances, and difficulty levels for each tour are listed in the fact sheet. All our trips require basic fitness, preferably acquired through cycling. The fitter you are, the more you’ll enjoy the riding. However, we try to make our Sarawak bike tours as accessible as possible with the average cycling distance of 30-40 km per day and the longest distance no more than 70 km. Most cycling terrains are on paved roads (and limited gravel tracks) with some undulations.
Being on the equator, Borneo is generally hot (average daily temperatures are around 30 degrees Celsius) and humid, especially around noon. Therefore, we like to start our day early and rest at points of interest during the hottest part of the day. Short rain showers are fairly common during the mid to late afternoon but we provide waterproof ponchos for continuous riding, which can actually be very entertaining.
Once you have booked your tour, we will send you a pre-tour information pack that will have all the information you need to prepare for the tour, such as the packing list and joining instruction, etc.
Solo travelers are always welcome and those who would like their own room have the option of paying a single supplement. Otherwise, we will arrange for a shared room with another solo traveler (of the same sex) at no extra cost. If there is no roommate available, we will cover the additional cost of a single room.
We include very limited corporate insurance coverage with minimum coverage. Therefore, we recommend that you secure your own travel insurance that includes coverage of medical expenses, emergency evacuation, personal liability, and accident insurance. You should email us a copy of your insurance coverage for our reference in case of an emergency.
The official currency is the Malaysian ringgit (RM). Foreign currencies are not generally accepted and currency exchange is only available in major banks, as well as larger hotels in Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Brunei, and Kota Kinabalu. Credit cards can be used only in larger hotels and shops. ATMs are widely available in cities and towns, but you’ll need cash in villages to pay for some extra meals, drinks, activities, and, of course, shopping. There will be limited opportunities to spend money whilst cycling through rural areas outside of personal items, extra snacks, drinks, and the odd souvenir. Most of your shopping will likely be done in Kuching, Miri, and Kinabalu. You will also be visiting Brunei for a day, the currency there is the Brunei Dollar (BND). Although your accommodation costs and evening meal are included in the trip cost, you may wish to withdraw a small amount of cash for this part of the trip. The banks and money changers at the border towns, as well as the hotel, offer BND currency exchange. Tipping at restaurants and for local guides and support staff is uncommon. Should however you feel the staff/guides have provided excellent service you may wish to give them some form of gratuity. We recommend that you bring an equivalent of US$ 400 (in Malaysian ringgit) for incidentals.
Comments are closed