Borneo: Sarawak – Pre-tour to the Borneo (Sabah) Tour August 2019/2020/2021

The Malaysian province of Sarawak in Borneo is rougher than Sabah, so we start with the more difficult part (as a pre-tour) and end with the part with comfortable accommodation (Sabah). We do recommend not missing Sarawak, though, as it provides superior chances of seeing Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Hose’s Broadbill, Bulwer’s Pheasant, Rail-babbler, and other absolute jewels that will burn your eyes. And we also will be looking for species we have no chance of seeing on our Sabah tour – e.g. Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, and Black Oriole.

This trip starts in Miri, Sarawak, and ends in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

This pre-tour to our Birding Tour Borneo: Borneo Premium – Bristlehead, Pittas, Eight Hornbills, Endemics, Orangutans and More 2019  can also be booked as a stand-alone tour. If combined with our main tour it could also be combined, after the main tour, with our Birding Tour Malaysia: Peninsular Malaysia 2019. 

Itinerary (7 days/6 nights) 

Day 1. Arrival at Miri airport and transfer to your hotel

After a meet and greet at the Miri airport you will be transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Overnight: transit hotel, Miri

Day 2. Miri to Ba’kelalan

We transfer to the Miri airport after breakfast and take a domestic flight to Ba’kelalan. Upon arrival we will check into Homestay Ba’kelalan. After lunch we proceed to a nearby forest for some of Borneo’s classic and famous endemics. These include the likes of Whitehead’s Spiderhunter, Whitehead’s Broadbill, Fruithunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Black-throated Wren-Babbler, Bornean Stubtail, Bornean Spiderhunter, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Golden-naped Barbet, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Bornean Whistler, and many others. We also hope to encounter Rufous-tailed Jungle Flycatcher, Ferruginous Partridge, Orange-breasted Trogon, Dark Hawk Cuckoo, Common Green Magpie, etc. After dinner, we will head to a nearby forest for Dulit Frogmouth.

Overnight: Homestay Ba’kelalan

Day 3. Ba’kelalan

A full day of birding this magnificent area.

Overnight: Homestay Ba’kelalan

Day 4. Ba’kelalan to Paya Maga

After breakfast we drive overland for three hours to the Paya Maga Highlands. These highlands are covered in secondary forest with an abundance of Macaranga. We’ll bird the logging road from where the road begins, then go beyond Gunung Doa (at 850 meters/2500 feet) to the base of the Paya Maga Camp Site (1050 meters/3100 feet). The habitat along the road consists of mixed dipterocarp and lower montane forest. Occasional patches of undisturbed forest (montane heath forest) remain, particularly on the steepest slopes. Targets are Bulwer’s Pheasant, Black Oriole, Bornean Banded Pitta, Blue-banded Pitta, Hose’s Broadbill, and others. After dinner tonight we can try for Bornean Frogmouth.

Overnight: wooden house, Paya Maga Camp Site

Day 5. Paya Maga

After breakfast we continue birding this area, hoping to add species to our list that might include more endemics. Hopefully we’ll find Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul, Pygmy White-eye, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Bornean Treepie, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, and any of the goodies we missed the previous day. While not endemic, Rail Babbler is likely at the top of many people’s wish-lists if they haven’t seen it in southern Thailand or Peninsular Malaysia. We’ll also be sure to search for Collared Owlet, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Jambu Fruit Dove, White-necked Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler, Temminck’s Babbler, the attractive Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Finsch’s Bulbul, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Diard’s Trogon, Red-bearded Bee-eater, etc.

Overnight: wooden house, Paya Maga Camp Site

Day 6. Paya Maga to Beaufort

After breakfast we continue birding until noon before trekking back to our vehicle and overlanding three to four hours by 4×4 to Beaufort.

Overnight: Beaufort

Day 7. Beaufort to Klias to Kota Kinabalu 

In the morning we proceed to Klias Wetland for Hook-billed Bulbul, Grey-breasted Babbler, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-crowned Barbet, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, etc. After eating lunch en route we drive to Kota Kinabalu, from where you can fly home or join our Sabah tour.

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides, and other factors.

This is a sample trip report. Please email us (info@birdingecotours.com) for more trip reports from this destination.