North Borneo Express & Sunset Dinner Cruise - 7 Days

Kopivosian! Welcome to Kota Kinabalu! Upon arrival at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel by our airport shuttle. The timing will be based on your flight arrival time. 

We will pick you up from your hotel to start your tropical evening on the North Borneo Cruise at Sutera Marina Jetty. Get ready to become acquainted with the charms of Kota Kinabalu on a whole new level.

All aboard! Your evening unfolds along the sultry sun-tinged South China Sea, cruising pass the islands and water villages that dot Sabah’s west coast.

You are free to wander around the vessel. Panoramic ocean views, warmth of the setting sun and gentle sea breeze grace the upper-deck while a live band serenades the ethnic themed air-conditioned restaurant below with acoustic favorites.

Dinner will be served buffet style. Time to sink your teeth into Sabah’s most sought after culinary experience.

As the sun sets and the stars come out, Kota Kinabalu’s coastline now comes alive with dazzling city night lights. The North Borneo Cruise will glide across the Waterfront as you indulge in dessert or your next glass of wine.

Around evening 19:00 Hrs, your rendezvous at sea comes to an end. You will disembark from the cruise at the Sutera Marina Jetty and transfer back to your hotel.

After breakfast, check-out from the hotel and take a leisurely drive through scenic countryside and across mountainous Crocker Range to Tamparuli Town. Visit wooden shop houses of olden days and walk across the “Jambatan Tamparuli”, a suspension bridge which is the famous landmark in town to get an overview of the kampong lifestyle. Thereafter, continue journey to Kinabalu National Park, Malaysia's first World Heritage Site that offers an abudance of flora and fauna biodiversity. Truly a paradise for nature enthusiasts. Along the way, we will take a brief pit-stop at Nabalu, a place where the local natives gather to sell local produce, fruits, home grown vegetables and handicraft souvenirs. When arriving in Kinabalu Park, you will notice a drop in temperature. Enjoy the refreshing and cooling air as you proceed for a walk along the nature trails in the Botanical Garden. We will then proceed to the view point for a panoramic view of the surrounding lush landscape and Mount Kinabalu, rising majestically to a height of 4,095m, which often shrouded in mists and clouds.

After lunch, rejuvenate with a soak in Poring Hot Springs, a natural health spa where you can relax in open-air Japanese-style hot sulphuric water tubs set amidst a tropical rainforest. There are few private huts for rental, where you can enjoy your private bath. For a close look at nature, take to the 41m high Canopy Walkway which offers spectacular views of the lush Bornean rainforest. After a relaxing time at Poring, transfer to Sabah Tea Garden and check into your accommodation.

You will spend the night in a charming cottage set amidst the tea estate, 700m above sea level at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu. Bask in splendid isolation as sunset hour begins to roll out right at your doorstep, with the majestic mountain as the backdrop. You are free to explore the park leisurely. Stay overnight in the Sabah Tea Garden Cottage.

Wake up to a misty morning ushering in views of sun-draped Mount Kinabalu. Birds chirp away while low-hanging clouds blanket the valleys. Take a walk around the tea estate or simply chill in your private balcony.

After breakfast, you will be taken on a guided tour of the plantation and factory which will shed light on the process of organic pesticide-free tea cultivation, harvesting, processing, packaging, and brewing. 

After the tea garden tour, we will depart for an overland transfer to Sandakan. Journey to Sukau will pass by oil palm plantations and rustic countryside studded with villages. We will arrive at Kampung Bilit, Sukau jetty and take a short boat transfer to Sukau Bilit Rainforest Lodge. There will be an orientation briefing and a welcome drink served during check in. Lunch will be provided in the lodge restaurant.

Late afternoon, take a river cruise in search of endemic wildlife such as proboscis monkeys, different species of birds & other wildlife along the river bank. One may also catch a glimpse of wild orangutans, leaf monkeys, gibbons, macaques or chance upon Borneon Pgymy Elephants. Return to the lodge after the cruise and enjoy a buffet dinner. After dinner, you can go for a complimentary night safari cruise where you can spot nocturnal animals, crocodiles and birds.

Rise and shine! Opt to either go for an early morning river cruise along the Kinabatangan River in search of more Bornean-endemic wildlife or to go for a jungle trek at the Oxbow Lake to encounter an array of bird species.

After a morning of encountering wildlife, it’s time to refuel and recharge with at breakfast. Have so free and easy leisure time to yourself until it’s time for lunch in the afternoon. You can opt to add on a jungle walk (guided tour) at a reasonable fee.

It’s time to head out on another river cruise along the Kinabatangan River in search of a variety of wildlife.

After your river cruise, dinner is served in the dining hall. Have some leisure time to yourself and spend the night at Bilit Rainforest Lodge.

In the morning, check-out and depart for Gomantong cave located within the Gomantong forest reserve. Upon arrival, take a short walk on the plank walkway to the cave. Explore the largest bird's nest cave in Sabah, home to millions of bats and swiflets. The nests of the swiflets are collected for the famous Chinese edible bird nest soup.
After the cave visit, we will proceed to lunch in Sandakan city and headover to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre situated in the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. Visit the Nature Education Centre and watch a documentary to learn about the rehabilitation of orphaned orangutans before taking a 10 minute walk to the feeding platform. The feeding time is at 2pm. After the tour, transfer to Sandakan Airport for your flight back to Kota Kinabalu. Check into the hotel in Kota Kinabalu city.
*Flight Inclusive - Malaysia Airlines MH3094 (ETD 18:10 Hrs / ETA 19:00 Hrs) OR Airasia AK6499 (ETD 18:20 Hrs / ETA 19:10 Hrs) - Subject to change

Meet our representative and fellow passengers for a short briefing about the tour expectations. The journey will take you to long roads surrounded by a rich spectrum of greenery and overarched by wild blue skies. Teleport back to the ancient time of Borneo through the magical display of unique ingenious architecture, simulated lives and ritualistic ceremonies. You will be ushered in to the warmth of different homes of the ethnicities of Sabah to get acquainted with each village tribe and experience their rich culture as if they were alive! Sample Sabahan traditional delicacies from each ethnic group such as the Montoku (rice wine) and witness bamboo cooking. Have fun and enjoy the cultural show performance by the tribes before proceeding for a delectable traditional lunch. 

Transfer back to your Hotel.

Free and Easy to discover charms of KK city on your own after Mari Mari Cultural Village tour.  

Sadly your tour comes to an end after breakfast. Bid farewell to Kota Kinabalu as you will be transfer to Kota Kinabalu International Airport for your flight back to your next destination. The timing will be based on your flight departure time.