Arrive in Kota Kinabalu and spend the majority of the first couple of days acclimatising and receiving briefings and introductions as to how the expedition is run, including:

We make the short flight (approximately 40 minutes) to Tawau, and from there just over an hour’s transfer by road to Semporna. In Semporna you will be staying in well-equipped accommodation, sharing a room in a floating hotel on the edge of the small town.

is a charming fishing town on the east coast of Sabah where you will have a chance to relax on the beaches of the surrounding tiny tropical islands and soak up the views of this exquisite Bornean coastline. Coral reefs just off the coast of Indonesia and the Philippines, including the island of Borneo, possess the world’s most diverse coral and marine species. For a small extra cost, the coral reef waters offer an ideal opportunity for snorkeling or diving. Almost everyone who visits this area come solely to dive or snorkel as the islands off the south east coast are regarded as some of the best diving spots in the world, particularly that of Sipadan island, which is in the list of the world’s top ten dive and snorkeling sites. If you've never been snorkeling or diving in the tropics the likelihood is you'll always remember this day as the first day you opened your eyes to a whole new weird and wonderful world!

In the morning we have an early start to make our way to the newly refurbished Danau Girang Field Centre. The Field Centre is about a 40-minute boat ride into the heart of the rainforest from the drop off point at the edge of the river. Danau Girang is where you will take part in a 3-day tropical ecology field course; exciting and varied with lectures, seminars (when visiting scientists are available) interpretive walks & boat rides through the dense Malaysian jungle and night time observation walks. This university facility works closely with other core organisations in Borneo on research and conservation of orang-utans within the sanctuary, it is also very focussed on research into the conservation of the Bornean elephant which again populate this biodiversity hotspot.

The course will take you through an ecological and biogeographical comparison of the tropical ‘wet’ forest regions of the world to give you a more holistic understanding of the earth’s rainforests. With interpretive boat rides, walks and animals observations to complement the teaching inside, the course gradually focuses on the ecology, conservation measures and issues of the rainforests of Borneo. By the third day the teaching is more specifically on the knowledge base and conservation issues surrounding the Kinabatangan floodplain, a widely recognised biodiversity hotspot. The Field Centre, being in the middle of the rainforest, is often visited by a huge range of wildlife from elephants, orang-utans and long tail macaques through to wild boar and monitor lizards, birds of prey and bats, so on occasions teaching has to come to an abrupt halt!

After our last hearty breakfast at the Field Centre we make our way back to Kota Kinabalu, a 6-hour bus ride. Although a long trip it is a very good way of crossing the state of Sabah, seeing the characteristic ‘kampungs’ or villages on stilts, and passing through Mount Kinabalu National Park with incredible views of the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. For the rest of the day you will have free to either relax or have a wonder through the green and multiethnic city, with its varied cuisine and famous night markets.

We make our last stock up on food provisions for our trekking phase and then make the 3 ½ hour journey over the interstate border into Sarawak. We stay the night in Lawas for the morning 35-minute flight to Bakelalan into the central highlands of Borneo, with some of the most stunning views of Borneo you could ever imagine. We will be met by our homestay hosts at Bakelalan airport and taken into their lovely home, most likely for some of the villages delicious pineapples to begin with.

Bakelalan is on the edge of one of the largest remaining blocks of contiguous primary rainforest in Southeast Asia – adjacent to both Pulong Tau National Park in Sarawak and the huge Kayan-Mentarang National Park of Kalimantan, Indonesia. This is one of the last remaining great areas of wilderness in the world which historically has been difficult to enter until recently. English speaking guides in this area is also a problem which is another reason why few foreigners venture deep inside – however your British Expedition Leader can speak both Malay and Indonesian.
The final day before setting off on our jungle trek you will have your camp craft and jungle survival skills session with your experienced Expedition Leader.

Over 4-days you will deploy your newly acquired jungle survival and camp craft skills on a trek into the heart of Borneo’s mountainous, pristine rainforest, sleeping in your hammocks at three jungle camps along the way. You and your team will have a choice of different trekking routes, varying in difficulty. However, whatever route you choose the vastness and natural beauty of the area is inescapable. You will be invited to take up various roles of responsibility within the group, with experienced jungle guides and your Expedition Leader always close by to back you up. As well as for personal development, this phase is also a chance for you to relate the real life experience of ‘living’ in the jungle to what you have learnt about the ecology of the rainforest through the tropical ecology course - a chance sometimes lacking with University field courses.

We say goodbye to our hosts in Bakelalan and make our way by plane and bus back to Kota Kinabalu. In morning of our last day you will visit Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, where native animals, including orang-utans and elephants, who have suffered from the effect of habitat loss and poaching, are cared for and if possible enter a breeding programme. It is an excellent way to view Borneo’s native wildlife whilst at the same time contributing to the running of the Wildlife Park, desperately needed in view of the continued environmental problems.

Journey homewards or continue with your travels, full of a newfound sense of adventure and proud of your jungle achievements.