Best of Borneo — Self-Launched

Fly into KK (BKI) and take the pre-paid airport taxi to Gaya Street or the waterfront (~RM20 / £3.50). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse, then wander the Gaya Street area and the night market for a cheap local dinner — grilled fish, laksa and fresh fruit. Book your Mt Kinabalu climb permit and guide online via the Sabah Parks portal well in advance, and pick up any last bits of gear (headtorch, warm layer, rain shell) at the Sunday market or a Suria Sabah outdoor shop.

🚌Airport taxi ~£3.50

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central KK (£10-15)

• →Gaya Street evening walk
• →KK night market dinner
• →Gear shopping / permit check

Take a shared taxi or local bus from KK's Inanam or Padang Merdeka bus station north to Kudat (~3 hrs, £5-7 shared van). Kudat is the northern tip of Borneo — quiet white-sand beaches, the Tip of Borneo viewpoint at Simpang Mengayau, and (in season, roughly Jul-Sep) turtle nesting sites where local conservation groups run night patrols you can join. Join a beach clean-up if one is running, or just swim and watch the sunset. Ask at your guesthouse about turtle patrol availability.

🚌Shared van/bus KK–Kudat ~£6

🛏Beach guesthouse or homestay in Kudat (£12-18)

• →Tip of Borneo viewpoint
• →Beach time at Simpang Mengayau
• →Turtle nesting observation (in season)
• →Beach clean-up (optional)

Morning on the beach, then travel back south — shared van to KK then a bus or shared taxi up to Kinabalu Park HQ in Kundasang (~2 hrs uphill, £8-10). Register your climbing permit at the park office, collect your packed lunch order and attend the mandatory evening briefing with your assigned mountain guide (guides must be hired per group, ~£35-45 split between climbers). Eat an early carb-heavy dinner and sleep at a park lodge or a Kundasang guesthouse.

🚌Shared van/bus ~£9

🛏Kinabalu Park lodge or Kundasang guesthouse (£20-28)

• →Kinabalu Park registration
• →Climb briefing
• →Kundasang vegetable market

Start early from Timpohon Gate and hike steadily to Laban Rata (3,272 m) — 6-8 hrs, ~1,400 m of ascent. Pace yourself: slow and steady, stand to rest rather than sitting, and keep layers on when you stop. Your climb permit includes accommodation at Laban Rata (multi-share dorm, book well ahead — it sells out in peak season) and buffet dinner. Packed lunch en route. Sleep by 8pm for the 2am start.

🚌On foot

🛏Laban Rata dorm, multi-share (included with permit package, ~£95-120 all-in for permit + dorm + meals)

• →Mt Kinabalu summit trail hike
• →Laban Rata overnight

Up at 2am for the 3-5 hr round trip to Low's Peak (4,095 m) in time for sunrise — bring a headtorch, gloves and a warm hat. Back at Laban Rata for breakfast, then descend to Timpohon Gate (~3-4 hrs), collect your main bag from park HQ storage, and take a shared taxi or local bus 40 mins to Poring (Ranau side, £4-6). Soak your legs in the Poring Hot Springs — entry is about RM20 (£3.50) for foreigners.

🚌Shared taxi/bus park HQ–Poring ~£5

🛏Guesthouse near Poring Hot Springs (£15-20)

• →Sunrise summit of Low's Peak
• →Descent to Timpohon Gate
• →Poring Hot Springs

A full free day. Options: the Poring canopy walkway (£3-4), a guided jungle trek into Lupa Masa primary forest (day trek with a local guide, £15-25 on arrival), the Sabah Tea plantation for a tour and lunch (£5-10 entry), or the Kipungit and Langanan waterfalls. Book any guided jungle walk the evening before via your guesthouse — independent travellers can join open day treks with local guides.

🚌Local walking / short taxi hops ~£3

🛏Guesthouse near Poring (£15-20)

• →Poring canopy walkway
• →Lupa Masa jungle trek (optional, guided)
• →Sabah Tea plantation visit
• →Waterfall trails

Bus or shared taxi from Ranau to Beaufort (~2 hrs, £5-7), then a local shared ride to the small town of Weston (30 mins, £2). Book a river cruise in the afternoon — small operators run boat trips up the Padas river to spot proboscis monkeys, macaques and hornbills in the mangroves (~£15-22 per person), then head back out after dark for the firefly display. Eat at a local riverside coffee shop — Weston is famous for its prawns and noodles.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Ranau–Beaufort–Weston ~£8

🛏Simple guesthouse or homestay in Weston (£12-18)

• →Weston river wildlife boat cruise
• →Firefly night boat ride

Travel back to KK by train from Beaufort (Sabah's colonial-era rail line, scenic and dirt cheap, ~£1) or by bus (~£5). Spend the afternoon in the city — the islands off the KK waterfront (Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik) are 20 mins away by shared speedboat (~£12 return incl. island fee) if you still have energy for snorkelling, or stick to the City Mosque, the Sabah Museum and sunset drinks at the waterfront. Repack light for Mulu — one overnight bag only.

🚌Beaufort–KK by train or bus ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central KK (£10-18)

• →Tunku Abdul Rahman island hop (optional)
• →City Mosque / Sabah Museum
• →Waterfront sunset

MASwings flies KK–Mulu direct (roughly 55 mins, £40-70 one way depending on when you book — book early). Park HQ entry is RM30 (£5) and accommodation inside the park (dorms/forest lodges) should be booked months ahead through the official Mulu park booking site; nearby Benarat or Royal Mulu Resort are fallbacks. In the late afternoon take the guided walk to Lang Cave and Deer Cave and watch the bat exodus at dusk — the guide is mandatory and costs about RM35-40 (£6-7).

🚌Flight KK–Mulu ~£50

🛏Mulu park dorm or forest lodge (£18-30)

• →Lang Cave & Deer Cave guided walk
• →Bat exodus at dusk

Book the Clearwater & Wind Cave longboat tour at park HQ (~RM120-150 / £22-27 per person) — a longtail boat up the Melinau river to a Penan settlement, then boardwalks through two river caves, with a swim stop at Clearwater pool. In the evening join the optional night jungle walk (~£12) looking for stick insects, frogs and sleeping birds, or walk the park trails on your own.

🚌Longboat (included in tour price)

🛏Mulu park dorm or forest lodge (£18-30)

• →Clearwater & Wind Cave longboat tour
• →Penan village visit
• →Night jungle walk (optional)

Do the canopy walk first thing if you can (480 m, the longest tree-based canopy walkway in the world, ~RM40-55 / £8-10 with a park guide). Fly Mulu to Kuching via Miri or direct if scheduled (MASwings, ~£45-70; check connections, it can eat most of a day). Land in Kuching, walk the waterfront and Chinatown for orientation, and eat seafood at Top Spot food court — chilli crab and midin fern.

🚌Flight Mulu–Kuching ~£55

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kuching waterfront (£10-16)

• →Mulu canopy walkway
• →Kuching waterfront & Chinatown orientation
• →Top Spot seafood dinner

Head into the hills for an Iban longhouse homestay. Independent travellers can book directly with longhouse community tourism groups or via a Kuching agency (about £40-60 per person including meals, transport from the roadhead and a local guide) — expect a shared van from Kuching (2-3 hrs) then a short boat or 4x4 leg. Spend the afternoon walking the surrounding forest with a villager: tropical pitcher plants, orchids, and if you're lucky a wild orangutan in the trees. Evening is rice wine, home-cooked food and stories on the longhouse veranda.

🚌Shared van + boat/4x4 from Kuching (included in homestay package)

🛏Iban longhouse, shared mats/dorm (£40-60 with meals & transfers)

• →Iban longhouse homestay
• →Jungle walk for pitcher plants & wildlife
• →Traditional dinner with host family

Return to Kuching in the morning and take local bus 6A or a Grab to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre (£1-4) for the feeding session (9-10am or 3-4pm, entry RM10 / £1.70 plus a camera fee) — semi-wild orangutans regularly swing in. Afternoon is free: Sarawak Museum, the Main Bazaar for crafts, and a bowl of kolo mee. Confirm your onward bus or flight plans.

🚌Longhouse return + local bus/Grab ~£10

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kuching (£10-16)

• →Semenggoh orangutan feeding
• →Sarawak Museum
• →Main Bazaar shopping

Final morning laksa breakfast, last-minute souvenir shopping at the Main Bazaar, then a Grab to Kuching airport (~RM25 / £4.50) for an international connection or a cheap AirAsia hop back to KK or Kuala Lumpur. If you have a late flight, Bako National Park is a half-day option for proboscis monkeys in the wild (boat + permit ~£20).

🚌Grab to airport ~£4.50

🛏None (departure day)

• →Main Bazaar shopping
• →Optional Bako National Park half-day