Caving and trekking adventure expedition in Borneo

TRIP FACTS

Caving, Trekking and Culture

Sat 2nd July 2011 - Mon 11th July 2011

(not including Mt Kinabalu ascent)

From GB£ 1305 per person

Sat 2nd July 2011 - Weds 13th July 2011

(inlcuding Mt Kinabalu ascent)

From GB£ 1495 per person

Email us for up to 10% off group discounts

Includes:

All in-country transport, accomodation and food

Some essential camping equipment

is supplied

Excludes:

International flights, travel insurance,

personal medical kit, personal spending

money

OUR PACKAGES

	Orangutan, Ecology and Coral Reef Expedition
	Caving, Culture and Trekking Expedition
	Borneo Rainforest and Islands Holiday

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Caving, Trekking and Culture

This trip goes right across North Borneo, beginning in Sandakan, once a huge logging centre run by the British, and moving west visitng the Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary and the Kinabatangan River Wildlife Sanctuary before arriving at the main phase of the expedition, the World Heritage listed Gunung Mulu National Park. It is here where you will visit Mulu's vast network of caves and have the opportunity at adventure caving.
Ecology Expeditions has a close relationship with a number of conservation organisations, one of which is MESCOT, a highly successful pioneering community run eco-tourism venture, situated within the Kinabatangan River floodplain, a biodiversity hotspot with an unusually high number of different primate species within the same rainforest area (including the orangutan, proboscis monkey, macaques, the Bornean gibbon, the Western tarsier and slow loris). Our stay here includes early morning and late afternoon interpretive boat cruises along the mighty Kinabatangan River, jungle trekking through adjacent riverine rainforest and a visit to the site of MESCOT’s epic conservation successes. Throughout our time here alongside the Kinabatangan River our accommodation will be in Muslim homestays; a hugely successful eco-tourism initiative, which naturally brings together the western traveler with the quite wonderful locals of Borneo.
From the Kinabatangan River we make the long journey across land via Kota Kinabalu, the hub of northern Borneo, to Mulu National Park. Mulu’s vast network of caves each they have their own ecosystems with plants and animals living in the cave chambers. Deer Cave, the largest cave passage in the world, is home to millions of bats and swifts that live side by side on the roof of the cave. Mulu is one of the World’s biodiversity hotspots with over 1500 flowering plant species, 80 species of mammals, 270 species of birds and a combined 125 species of amphibians and reptiles.
Take a boat from Park HQ up the Melinau River we will stop at Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave along the way to Camp 5. Clearwater is the longest and most extensive cave system in South East Asia and has been recently mapped at 127km long. A clear underground river flows from the cave mouth into the Melinau River. The formations are huge and the small helictites (limestone branches) which are shaped by the wind are magnificent. After our boat ride, which usually involves some physical work in shallow parts, we have an 8.8km walk before reaching Camp 5 which will be our jungle camp for a couple of nights. Camp 5 is situated in the spectacular Melinau Gorge with 600m high limestone cliffs surrounding the camp. Often hornbills and red leaf monkeys can be spotted from across the bridge.
Whilst in the heart of Borneo’s wild jungle we will trek to beautiful swimming holes and for two hours to visit the nutrient deficient Kerangas forest, the habitat of rare specialist plants such as orchids and the carnivorous pitcher plants. On our way back to Park HQ there is an opportunity to experience an introduction to remote, more adventurous caving. This fun caving trip is dark, wet and muddy and requires a little wading and wriggling. In total there will be two free days at Mulu for everyone to satisfy their adventurous spirit, and a two hour walk along the longest tropical rainforest canopy walkway in the world is a must.
Upon returning to the coastal city of Kota Kinabalu, we will combine wonderful food and a spectacular TAR National Park island location with an insight into marine ecology and current conservation efforts being made to improve the population of giant clams, keystone species in the coral reef ecosystem. Like hard corals, giant clams use symbiotic zooanthallae algae to produce a shell that adds to the reef structure. In addition to this, they clean nutrients from the water that could otherwise go towards the growth of macroalgae, smothering and killing corals. A single giant clam can potentially filter hundreds of litres of water in a single day, and only where there are giant clams do we see high coral abundance and biodiversity. For those with the time and the energy it’s possible to add on a 2-day climb up Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia’s highest mountain at over 4000m and a truly once in a lifetime experience.

Itinerary

Day 1

You will meet in the morning in Sandakan, Sabah's attractive second largest city. Ideally you will make your way to Sandakan prior to the start of the expedition, with assistance for these arrangements given by the in-country team. After your welcome to Malaysia you will receive essential briefings and introductions as to how the expedition is run, including: basic first aid, health and safety in the developing world, dynamic risk assessments and the local culture, as well as working with your team to finalise the details of your adventure. Within hours your expedition will kick off with a short transfer to the world's largest orangutan sanctuary, where rescued and orphaned individuals are prepared for re-release into the wild. You may also get the opportunity to explore the walkways of the rainforest canopy, nearly 30m above ground, in search of local wildlife.

Day 2

After morning feeding at Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary, we make our way to MESCOT, the community conservation and homestay project, at the Kinabatangan River Wildlife Sanctuary. Upon arrival we will be introduced to the work of MESCOT by local full-time staff, and be shown to our respective host family who we will be staying with. During the late afternoon/early evening we will have our first river cruise observing the local wildlife, including (with a little luck) proboscis monkey, orang-utan, Bornean elephant, salt water crocodile, macaque and silver leaf monkeys.

Day 3
After an early morning cruise we will make our way to MESCOT's new ecocamp situated beside a recently restored lake deep within the Wildlife Sanctuary. This will be a comfortable overnight stay in the middle a totally wild jungle!

Day 4
In the morning we will commence our journey across land to Kota Kinabalu, arriving by mid-afternoon. Here we will relax and enjoy the night markets before our short flight to Mulu the following day.

Day 5
We take a short flight to World Heritage Site; Mulu National Park. Situated deep in the rainforest and protected from logging, Mulu is a beautiful place to spend time and enjoy the astounding natural environment. Gunung Mulu National Park is famous for its limestone karst formations. Features include enormous caves, vast cave networks, rock pinnacles, cliffs and gorges. Gunung Mulu National Park has the largest known natural chamber or room - Sarawak chamber, found in Gua Nasib Bagus. It is 700 m long, 396 m wide and at least 70 m high. It has been said that the chamber is so big that it could accommodate about 40 Boeing 747s, without overlapping their wings. The nearby Deer Cave was, for many years, considered the largest single cave passage in the world. Other notable caves in this area are Benarat Cavern, Wind Cave, and Clearwater Cave;which contains parts one of the worlds largest underground river systems and is believed to be the largest cave in the world by volume at 30,347,540 m³. Deer Cave, the largest cave passage in the world, is home to millions of bats and swifts that live side by side on the roof of the cave. The park has some incredible statistics; It has over 3,500 plant species, 8,000 different types of fungi and 170 species of orchid. 262 species of bird, almost 300 species of butterflies and many reptiles and mammals and primates including the Bornean Gibbon, Slow Loris and Western Tarsier. The park also contains Sarawak’s second highest peak, Gunung Mulu, at 2,376m. Members of the Penan tribe live within the park, who are a small population of semi-nomadic forest dwellers who live as hunter-gatherers.

Day 6
This morning we leave the park headquarters and take a boat up the Melinau River, stopping en route at Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. Continuing up-river, occasionally having to pull the boat over the shallow parts, we arrive at Kuala Litut. From here we commence a level 8.8km walk up to the Camp 5 which will be our base for two nights. Camp 5 is basic with minimal facilities.

Day 7
Camp 5 is situated in the spectacular Melinau Gorge cut by the Melinau River. 600 m high limestone cliffs surround the camp and often hornbills and red leaf monkeys can be spotted from across the bridge. We will trek for a couple of kilometres up the river to a stunning spot where there are deep clear pools to bathe in. You are now in the heart of one of the oldest rainforests on earth. From here we will do some shorter treks to nearby forest areas of ecological interest.

Day 8
This morning we return on foot to Long Litut and catch our boats down the Melinau River towards Mulu HQ. For those feeling adventurous, there is an opportunity to experience basic caving on the trip back from Camp 5. This fun trip is dark, wet and muddy and requires a little wading and wriggling. Late afternoon and evening there may be time for a number of optional activities including a visit to a local village or the information centre.

Day 9
A free day to explore all Mulu has to offer and to look further into the unique ecology of Mulu's caves and surrounding forest. The canopy walkway is well worth trying. This 480-metre skywalk is the longest tropical canopy walkway in the world and takes approx 2 hours to complete. Along the way, visitors may be able to see macaque monkeys, hornbills, squirrels and a variety of rainforest birds. In the evening we can try the local Mulu 'firewater', Tuak. There is also an optional night walk.

Day 10
This morning we fly back to Kota Kinabalu. Here the expedition ends for those that don't want to continue on and climb Mount Kinabalu.

Day 10 - Optional extra
For those that do want to ascent the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, in the afternoon we will make our way to Mount Kinabalu National Park, where we will stay in comfortable mountain hut accommodation.

Day 11
The first day of ascent.
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in South East Asia at 4,101m. It is an impressive mountain with huge granite walls its lower slopes are covered in thick vegetation. Due to its great height, Mount Kinabalu has a number of different climatic zones. It has an enormous variety of plants and animals and is a naturalist's paradise. There are half of the world's flowering plants on this mountain alone. There are rhododendrons, innumerable mosses, fungi and ferns, over 1,200 species of orchid and the largest flowering plant in the world, the Rafflesia. Particularly interesting are the carnivorous and insectivorous pitcher plants. There are many animals including badgers, monkeys, squirrels, flying lemurs, and deer. The chances of seeing many of these on the mountain climb are rare as the trail is well trodden and frequently visited. There are also many birds, snakes, and insects. The ascent of Mount Kinabalu is technically not difficult but most people find it hard so you need to be fit and prepared for a tough 2 days. We take the alternative Mesilau Trail on the first day, allowing us to enjoy this quieter and more interesting trail. Although the trail is 2 kms longer than the standard route, it does in fact offer better acclimatisation as there is a better variety of terrain including more flat and even some descent. The path is wide and clear so you can climb at your own walking pace. Obviously the altitude makes it tougher the higher you climb but it really only becomes harder on the summit day. The trek starts from the park accommodation at Mesilau and climbs up through a multitude of vegetation zones and cloud forest to reach Laban Rata Resthouse at 3,300m. The temperature is noticeably colder due to the altitude and really feels cold, especially when it clouds over. There is a very airy feel to the place with the huge summit cliffs looming up behind the mountain huts. We spend the night in the hut and make the summit climb very early the next morning.

Day 12
Awoken around 2am we slowly make our way towards the summit (a good way to warm up!). You will need to carry a torch and the going is slow as the thin air at altitude causes you to work harder to breathe. There are a few hand-over-hand rope climbs on the steepest sections, though they are not difficult or vertical. As the dawn breaks we will be close to the summit, Low’s Peak. The momentous summit feeling is easily matched by the tremendous view stretching across this part of Borneo as the early morning unfolds. On clear days you can see as far as the Philippines. With a long way to descend and aching legs we return to the base to collect any belongings and have breakfast. We continue down via the main Timpohon route and transfer to our accommodation in Kota Kinabalu by bus, approximately 2 hours drive.

Day 13
End Kota Kinabalu