Highlights of Borneo — Self-Launched

Land at Kota Kinabalu International Airport and take the pre-paid airport taxi (about RM20-30, roughly £4-5) into the city. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Gaya Street / waterfront area — dorms run about £8-12, private rooms £18-25. Spend the evening wandering the seafront and the night market at Api-Api or the Filipino market for cheap grilled seafood and local fruit. Pick up a Malaysian SIM (Hotlink or Celcom, about £6 for a tourist data pack) and confirm your onward bookings.

🚌Airport taxi ~£4-5

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central KK (dorm £8-12 / private £18-25)

• →Gaya Street area wander
• →Waterfront night market food crawl
• →Buy local SIM card

Take a public bus or shared van from KK's Inanam or Padang Merdeka bus terminal to Beaufort (about 2 hours, RM15-25, roughly £3-4). Check into a simple guesthouse. In the late afternoon, book a Klias River cruise directly with a local operator in Beaufort or arrange one via your guesthouse or Klook — expect around RM90-140 (£16-25) for the boat plus a simple dinner. You're looking for proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, silvered langurs and — if you're lucky — fireflies on the return leg.

🚌Public bus KK–Beaufort ~£3-4; operator pickup for river cruise

🛏Simple guesthouse in Beaufort (£12-18)

• →Klias River wildlife cruise (proboscis monkeys, fireflies)
• →Evening river-side dinner

Ride Sabah's legendary old diesel railcar from Beaufort to Tenom (about 2.5 hours through jungle and river gorges, roughly RM10-15 / £2-3) — book at the station the day before. In Tenom visit the Murut Cultural Centre and the coffee plantations the town is known for. Return to Beaufort by shared van or bus (about 1.5-2 hours, RM15-20). Alternatively, skip the return leg and book the Padas River white-water rafting with a local operator from Beaufort (about RM180-250 / £30-45, often including lunch and transfers) — note rafting operates only when water levels allow.

🚌Beaufort–Tenom railcar ~£2-3; shared van back ~£3-4

🛏Simple guesthouse in Beaufort (£12-18)

• →Beaufort–Tenom heritage rail journey
• →Murut Cultural Centre
• →Optional Padas River rafting

This is the logistically fiddly day — do it yourself. Take a morning bus or shared van from Beaufort to Menumbok jetty (about 45 mins, RM10-15), then the public ferry across to Labuan (about 1-1.5 hours, RM15-25 / £3-4). Fly Labuan to Miri with MASwings (about 40 mins; book early, roughly £25-45), then connect Miri to Mulu on MASwings (about 30 mins, roughly £40-70 — Mulu flights are limited and pricey, book months ahead). From Mulu airport it's a short van to park HQ. Book your park accommodation in advance through the official Mulu park booking system (park chalets/rooms roughly £25-40 per room; dorms cheaper). Optional evening night walk on the boardwalks with a park guide (about RM30-50 / £5-9).

🚌Bus to Menumbok ~£2; ferry to Labuan ~£3-4; flights Labuan–Miri ~£25-45 and Miri–Mulu ~£40-70

🛏Mulu National Park HQ accommodation (chalet/room ~£25-40; multi-share cheaper)

• →Labuan transit wander
• →Optional guided night walk on Mulu boardwalks

Book the park's official guided cave tour directly at HQ or through the Mulu park booking site — the Clearwater & Wind Cave combo runs about RM65-90 (£12-16) plus a RM30 boat fee, and entry to the park itself is RM30 for foreigners. Walk the plankway to Wind Cave, then along the river to Clearwater Cave, and swim in the clear spring water where it emerges from the mountain. On the walk back, stop at the Pena tribe handicraft stalls. In the late afternoon join the Lang and Deer Cave tour (about RM65-90) and settle into the amphitheatre viewing area for the nightly emergence of millions of bats — a genuinely spectacular hour.

🚌Walking and short boat transfers within the park (~£6)

🛏Mulu National Park HQ accommodation

• →Wind Cave & Clearwater Cave guided tour
• →Swim at Clearwater spring
• →Lang Cave & Deer Cave
• →Bat exodus observation

Optional early-morning guided canopy walk — Mulu's 480m treetop walkway is one of the longest tree-based canopy walks in the world (about RM40-60 / £7-10, book with a park guide). Fly Mulu back to Kota Kinabalu via Miri (MASwings, roughly £55-90 depending on how early you book and connections). From KK, take a taxi to Jesselton Point or Sutera Harbour jetty and arrange a boat transfer to Pulau Sepanggar with a local boatman or through your island lodge (return boat roughly RM60-120 / £10-20 per person, more if you're alone — share where possible). Stay in a hillside lodge with sea views.

🚌Flights Mulu–KK ~£55-90; taxi to jetty ~£3-5; return boat ~£10-20

🛏Island lodge on Pulau Sepanggar (~£25-40)

• →Optional Mulu canopy walk
• →Boat transfer to Pulau Sepanggar

A slow island morning: snorkel the fringing reef straight off the beach (bring or rent mask and fins, about RM20-30), rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard (RM20-40 an hour), or just read on the sand. Optional extras booked directly with island operators: parasailing (about RM120), jet ski (about RM175), or a massage. Head back to the mainland in the afternoon and check into a KK hostel or guesthouse. Evening free in the city — the night seafood market is the budget-friendly pick.

🚌Return boat ~£6-10 share; taxi ~£3-5

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central KK (£8-15 dorm / £18-25 private)

• →Snorkelling off the beach
• →Kayak or stand-up paddleboard hire
• →Optional parasailing / jet ski / massage

Fly KK to Kuching with AirAsia or MASwings (about 1h45, roughly £40-70 if booked ahead; prices climb steeply close to departure). From Kuching airport, use the public bus or a Grab/taxi into the centre (about RM25-40 / £4-7). Check into a hostel or guesthouse around the Waterfront or Chinatown (dorms £8-12, private £18-25). Spend the evening strolling the Kuching Waterfront, crossing to the Astana side by tambang (river taxi, about RM1-2) and eating laksa and kolo mee at a local coffee shop.

🚌Flight KK–Kuching ~£40-70; airport transfer ~£4-7

🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Kuching Waterfront (£8-25)

• →Kuching Waterfront walk
• →Tambang river crossing
• →Kuching street food (laksa, kolo mee)

Take local transport (bus or Grab, about 45 mins, £2-4) to Bako village jetty, then a registered motorised boat along the coast to Bako National Park (return boat about RM100-160 per boat, so share with other travellers — £17-27 per person; park entry RM20). Walk the marked trails with a park map — the Paku and Telok Pandan Kecil trails are the classic picks for coastal views, and proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs and macaques are frequently seen near HQ. Bring water and snacks; there's a basic canteen. Return to Kuching in the late afternoon.

🚌Bus/Grab to Bako jetty ~£2-4; shared boat ~£17-27 return

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kuching

• →Bako National Park trails
• →Proboscis monkey spotting
• →Coastal viewpoint hikes

The longhouse stay is the one piece worth booking in advance and, for most travellers, easiest arranged directly with a local agency or guesthouse in Kuching (a 2-day Batang Ai longhouse package including transport, longboat, meals and guide typically runs about RM450-700 / £80-125). You'll drive through plantations and rainforest to the Batang Ai jetty (about 4-5 hours), stopping en route at a trading town and a local farmhouse. From the jetty, take a longboat to the longhouse. Bring modest clothing, a small gift for the family if you'd like, and a sleep sheet — accommodation is multi-share and basic.

🚌Shared vehicle Kuching–Batang Ai jetty + longboat (included in package ~£80-125)

🛏Iban longhouse (multi-share, basic; included in package)

• →Trading town and farmhouse stop
• →Longboat to Iban longhouse
• →Evening with the longhouse community

Morning blowpipe demonstration with the longhouse community, then a longboat trip across the lake. Disembark for a forest hike with a local guide, a lunch at a scenic spot by the water, and a swim in the lake or river. Night at a simple riverside hotel or guesthouse in the Batang Ai area — usually included in the same package. Keep expectations practical: this is basic, remote and wonderful, not polished.

🚌Longboat and walking (included)

🛏Riverside hotel/guesthouse near Batang Ai (included in package)

• →Blowpipe demonstration
• →Longboat lake crossing
• →Guided forest hike
• →Swim and picnic lunch

Return by boat to the jetty and drive back overland to Kuching, stopping at the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (entry RM10 for foreigners; feeding times around 9am and 3pm — check current times). It's a semi-wild orangutan rehabilitation reserve, so sightings aren't guaranteed, but when they come in for feeding it's unforgettable. If your longhouse package doesn't include this stop, it's easy to do independently: the Kuching bus roughly bound for 10th Mile drops you near the centre (about RM3-4) or a Grab costs about RM30-40. Night back in Kuching.

🚌Overland return from Batang Ai (included in package); optional Grab to Semenggoh ~£4-6

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kuching

• →Semenggoh orangutan feeding
• →Return to Kuching
• →Kuching farewell dinner

Depending on your flight time, fit in a final breakfast of Sarawak laksa or a walk along the Waterfront and Main Bazaar for souvenirs. Take a Grab or the public bus to Kuching International Airport (about RM30-40 / £5-7). Fly out or continue onward — Mulu and the Kelabit Highlands are the natural next stops if you have extra time.

🚌Grab to Kuching airport ~£5-7

🛏—

• →Main Bazaar souvenir shopping
• →Departure