North Borneo Express & Sunset Dinner Cruise - 7 Days


TOUR INFORMATION

TOUR CODE: ABK-DS05
DESCRIPTION: NORTH BORNEO EXPRESS & SUNSET DINNER CRUISE - 7 DAYS
REGION: Kota Kinabalu / Sandakan
DURATION: 7 Days 6 Nights
MINIMUM: 2 Pax
AVAILABILITY: Everyday (Pre-Book Needed)
PICK UP POINT: Kota Kinabalu International Airport
PICK UP TIME: Depends on Your Flight Arrival Time
DROP OFF POINT: Kota Kinabalu International Airport
DROP OFF TIME: Depends on Your Flight Departure Time
* All timings are estimated and for reference purposes only. Actual timing will be provided prior to your departure.

Tour highlights

 

  • North Borneo Cruises - Sunset Dinner Cruise
  • Tamparuli Town
  • Nabalu Handicraft Market
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site - Kinabalu National Park
  • Witness the Majestic Sight of Mount Kinabalu
  • Poring Hot Spring & Canopy Treetop Walk 
  • Sabah Tea Garden
  • Kinabatangan River Cruise + Oxbow Lake 
  • Gomantong Cave 
  • Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre
  • Mari Mari Cultural Village
  • Airport & Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off Services

 

Added Benefits:

  • Escorted Tour
  • Overnight experience in nature, 700m above sea level at Sabah Tea Garden
  • Overnight experience in unique jungle lodge - Sukau Bilit

Special Inclusions:

  • 1-Way Overland Transfer (Kota Kinabalu - Sandakan)
  • 1-Way Domestic Flight (Sandakan - Kota Kinabalu)

 

Sample itinerary

Day 1 - Kota Kinabalu / North Borneo Cruises - Sunset Dinner Cruise

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. North Borneo Cruises will glide across the Waterfront as you indulge in the food and the views.

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.

Meals : Dinner Accommodation : 4-Star Kota Kinabalu City Hotel

Day 2 - Tamparuli Town / Nabalu / Kinabalu National Park / Poring Hot Spring / Sabah Tea Garden

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.

Meals : Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner Accommodation : Sabah Tea Garden Cottage

Day 3 - Sabah Tea Factory & Plantation Tour / Sandakan

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.

Meals : Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner Accommodation : Bilit Rainforest Lodge

Day 4 - Morning River Cruise or Jungle Trek

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.

Meals : Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner Accommodation : Bilit Rainforest Lodge

Day 5 - Gomantong Cave / Sepilok Orang Utan Rehab / Sandakan / Kota Kinabalu

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

Meals : Breakfast / Lunch Accommodation : 4-Star Kota Kinabalu City Hotel

Day 6 - Mari Mari Cultural Village

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.  

Meals : Breakfast / Lunch Accommodation : 4-Star Kota Kinabalu City Hotel

Day 7 - Departs from Kota Kinabalu (or Extend 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.

Meals : Breakfast

Meals 06 Breakfast, 05 Lunch, 04 Dinner
Inclusion

1-Way Domestic Air Ticket (Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu), Airport & Hotel Pickup & Drop off, Land Transportation (Seat-In-Coach), Meals as Stated, English Speaking Guide, Entrance Fees to Places of Interest, Return Boat Transfer, 06 Nights Accommodation

Note: Domestic Air Ticket: Malaysia Airlines MH3094 (ETD 1810HRS / ETA 1900HRS) OR Airasia AK6499 (ETD 1820HRS / ETA 1910HRS - Subject to change) 

Accomodation

02 Nights Bilit Rainforest Lodge or Similar, 01 Night Sabah Tea Garden Cottage, 03 Nights 4 Star Kota Kinabalu Hotel inside KK City (or similar).

Exclusion Camera and Video Fees, Alcoholic Drinks, Personal Expenses, Any Items Not Mentioned
  • Good walking shoes
  • Light raincoat
  • Personal Toiletries
  • Insect repellent
  • Sun block
  • Sun hat
  • Binoculars
  • Torchlight
  • Camera
  • Leech socks (If you plan to do the Jungle Walk - optional chargeable)

Dear Travellers, in light of the RMCO (Recovery Movement Control Order) imposed by Malaysia Government and effective until 31 August 2020, some of the tour attraction locations have been affected.  Please expect some adjustments to the published itinerary.  Amazing Borneo Tours will do our best to work around the limitations and continue to deliver a memorable experience for our valuable guests.

Poring Hot Spring: 

  • The opening hours of Poring Hot Spring attraction are now 0800 hrs - 1400 hrs daily.  
  • Entry is limited to 100 people at a time - waiting time may be required if the attraction is full.  
  • Only Canopy Walk Attraction is open; Hot Spring pools and all other attractions remain closed until further notice.

Kinabalu National Park:

  • The opening hours of Kinabalu Park and Botanical Garden for visitors are now 0800 hrs - 1500 hrs daily.  
  • No personal or company vehicles are allowed to drive around Kinabalu Park until further notice.  It is compulsory to use the Sabah Parks' official transport (KOKTAS) for any transfers within Kinabalu Park.  Please expect some waiting time due to limited KOKTAS vehicles available.
  • Baby Car Seats (for infant aged 0-2) and Child Booster Seats (for children aged 3-11) are available for rental. Please check with your tour consultant for availability.
  • Recommended Arrival Flight on Day 1 is before 1530 Hrs
  • Overland transfer from Kinabalu Park to Sandakan takes about 5 hours drive in our comfortable coach. There will be stops where you can refresh yourself and photo-taking opportunities.
  • Recommended flights details Click Here.
  • Standard check-in and check-out times for most hotels & resorts are 1400Hrs & 1200Hrs. However, check-in & check-out times may vary depending on each accommodation. So kindly check with us to get accurate check-in & check-out times of your accommodation.
  • Effective as of 1st September 2017, the Tourism and Culture Ministry of Malaysia will be implementing a Malaysian Tourism Tax (TTX). Foreign tourists will be required to pay a flat rate of MYR 10 per room per night regardless of accommodation star level.The TTx is to be paid upon check-in. Malaysians or permanent residents residing in Malaysia are exempted from TTx and is required to present a valid identification upon check-in for the exemption.
  • For Day 2 Kinabalu Park & Poring Hot Spring Tour,
    • Kinabalu Park is at high altitude approximately 1500 meter above sea level, it can get cold.
    • The Canopy Walkway is approximately 60 meter above the ground, not for the faint Heart.
    • Poring Hot Spring Outdoor Bathtubs are for complimentary use and are free of charge. Guests can rent Indoor bathtubs but at own expense.
    • There are only ten (10) standard and five (05) deluxe Indoor bathubs at Poring Hot Spring. Rates are at MYR 15 per hour per standard indoor bathtub and MYR 20 per hour per deluxe indoor bathtub payable on the spot but are subject to availability.
    • The Slide Pool located in Poring Hot Springs is closed on every Mondays for maintenance. Guests are able to purchase the entrance fee (at own expense) to Slide Pool for MYR 3 per person. Free for 6 years old and below.
    • Kindly take note that camera fees apply before entering Canopy Walk. Cameras will be charged MYR 5 each and Video Cameras / Camcoders will be charged MYR 30 each.
    • You can choose to wait at the resting area if you do not wish to proceed for any of the nature walks.
    • Depending on the season, you may get the rare chance to spot the Rafflesia flowers in bloom, which only lasts for 3 to 5 days. They are located at the private gardens beside Poring Hot Springs. Entrance fees are at MYR 30 per person though this will be at your own expenses.
  • Prices quoted are not inclusive of peak season surcharge.
  • Amazing Borneo Tours does not guarantee wildlife sightings.
  • Amazing Borneo Tours reserves the right to alter routes, timetables, itineraries and accommodation reserved should conditions beyond our control render it necessary.
  • Departure time is approximate and varies from different hotels due to traffic conditions, please reconfirm with our staffs. Should the transport be delayed, please call the relevant telephone number as stated on the voucher before making alternative arrangements.
  • Tipping is like giving a hug. Although it’s never expected, it’s always very much appreciated.
  • You may bring a sweater along with you as it can get a wee bit chilly up in Kinabalu Park.