Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, is also one of its most biodiverse wildlife havens. With over 50 island avian endemics found across pristine dipterocarp forests, montane cloudforests, riverine habitats, and mangrove swamps we’ll enjoy an amazing time on this small-group birding tour. We’ll see a stunning array of birds from mouthwatering families like pittas, trogons, kingfishers, hornbills, and broadbills, as well as a wide range of mammalian treasures. Our Borneo birding tour will take us to the important birdwatching sites of the Malaysian province of Sabah, which covers the northernmost part of this vast and amazing island, including time spent birding in five of its IBAs (Important Bird Areas identified by BirdLife International): the Crocker Range, Mount Kinabalu, Kabili-Sepilok, the Kinabatangan river floodplain, and the Danum Valley (where we will stay at the magnificent Borneo Rainforest Lodge).
Some of our targets include the famous “Whitehead’s trio” of Whitehead’s Trogon, Whitehead’s Broadbill, and Whitehead’s Spiderhunter, along with the monotypic Bornean Bristlehead, one of Borneo’s most sought endemics. We’ll also look for other mega-endemic birds such as Bornean Ground Cuckoo, Fruithunter, and Bornean Green Magpie, and for three glittering endemic pittas, the sublime trio of Blue-headed Pitta, Black-crowned Pitta, and Bornean Banded Pitta. And, finally, we’ll also keep an eye out for the near-mythical Giant Pitta.
In addition to the incredible birds, we’ll also be focused on finding some spectacular mammals, such as the “old man of the forest,” the Bornean Orangutan, along with the unique-looking Proboscis Monkey, plus other delights including Malay Civet, Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Northern Grey Gibbon, and Asian Elephant. The reptiles feature the Saltwater Crocodile, the largest member of the crocodilia order.
We first offered this tour in 2024. It was a big success. For a complete list of the birds we saw, view the trip report.
To see a complete trip report of an earlier version of the tour that includes a record of all of the mammals seen, see that trip report here.
Cost: MYR 50,885 per person sharing – based on 5–8 participants, 15 % surcharge if only 4. (Approximately 12,450 USD)
Single Supplement: MYR 10,055
