Borneo: Rainforest Retreat

We flew from *Singapore to Kuching to begin our 10 day visit to Malaysian Borneo. Kuching is the capital of the Sarawak region of Malaysia.

*We stayed in Singapore for one night on the way to Borneo and one night on the way back so I’ll publish one ‘Singapore’ post at the end of the Borneo posts.

Situated on the equator, with its pristine rainforests, dramatic caves and golden beaches Borneo is the perfect destination for an exciting and varied trip.

Rather than spending all of our time staying in Kuching city and participating in day trips to the nearby national parks, we decided instead to base ourselves in one for the first few nights.

From Kuching airport we took a taxi for 150 RM (Malaysian Ringitts) for the 50 minute drive towards the Santubong Peninsula which is also known as Damai.

Accommodation

Our homestay accommodation is central  for this first section of our Borneo adventures and here we met Polycarp and Louise, owners of Nanga Damai and our hosts for the next 3 nights.

We had to remove our footware before entering their tropical oasis of a home and before long and over a welcome complimentary beer, Polycarp gave us a helpful briefing and explained the activities available.

Day 1: Permai Resort Hiking

There are just a handful of other accommodations on this remote peninsula and with no taxis available either Polycarp or Louise are happy to drive their guests around.

Louise drove Chris and I to the Permai Resort where for 15 RM (about £2.50) they allow non-guests to enter and trek through one of their marked rainforest trails. We had to register at the entrance and we were given a map and a safety briefing.

It was hot and humid so before starting our trek we were tempted by the cafe and a refreshing fresh coconut drink.

From the cafe we had to walk through the rustic resort to get to the start of the trail. If you want to stay somewhere unique this might be a place to consider as the rooms are all up in tall treehouses!

We found the beginning of the waterfall trail and set off following the blue and red waymarkers.

The path was uneven and bumpy for the entire 2 hours with tree roots and branches and rocks to step across, boulders to clambour over and huge fallen logs to scramble under. And with streams to cross too it was quite an adventure.

The trail was well signposted and we saw several large butterflies throughout the trek.

Just over half way round we had to cross a rope bridge.

We stopped for a break at the waterfall, removed our footware and dangled our feet in the cool refreshing water.

Some sections were steep with ropes to hold onto as you made your way either up or down. The weather was sunny however the ropes would be very useful in rainy conditions.

Once we finished the trek we had to sign back in at the reception desk before we headed back to the cafe for lunch.

We had looked out for wild monkeys in the rainforest but didn’t spot one until we arrived back in the resort where there were some silver langur monkeys sitting above in the trees.

Louise picked us up and we returned to Nanga Damai for a quick shower before the sunset wetlands cruise.

Day 1: Part 2 Sunset Wetlands Cruise

We were collected by mini bus from the homestay and were driven for about 20 minutes to start the wetland boat tour along the estuaries of the Kuching river system.

Shortly after departing on our small boat with about 15 other people we were fortunate to see several irrawaddy dolphins. This type of dolphin has a rounded face and they look cute, like baby belugas.

We had great views of Mount Santubong from the boat. We were staying within the foothills of Mount Santubong which has an elevation of 810 m. It is possible to climb to the top although it gets challenging as you near the summit as you will need to do some scrambling and there are some sections where you have to climb vertical ladders.

As we cruised towards the mangroves we could see a couple of probiscus monkeys in the rainforest.

We passed by a traditional village on the banks of the river.

As it got dark we were taken into the depths of the mangroves and saw fire flies, although we were unable to capture any images.

Finally we saw a crocodile lurking around in the mangroves. These cause a few deaths in this region and there is usually at least one person a year who loses their life to the jaws of a croc 😳

Overall we both enjoyed this sunset wetlands cruise and were fortunate to see the dolphins, probiscus monkeys, fire flies and a crocodile. The cost was around £30 each and we were given a bottle of water and a some snacks (banana, cake and biscuits).

Day 2: Part 1 Santubong National Park Trek

The entrance to the official Santubong National Park was just a km or so from our homestay. Polycarp had kindly given us a lift and after registering at the entrance, we set off. Entry was free of charge and you need to write down your passport details.

Similar to the previous trek, the path was uneven for the entire 2 hours so we made slow progress at times!

However we were not in a rush, especially in the heat and humidity and enjoyed the amazing sights and sounds of the rainforest.

This was fully self-guided again and we just had to follow the blue waymarkers this time.

We saw many huge butterfies again and when we sat down for a break, one landed and stopped for a rest on Chris’s shoe!

The tropical foliage was stunning and this was probably the prettiest trek we have ever done.

This stream looked red, which we think was some kind of mineral in the water.

Chris spotted some pitcher plants during our walk. Borneo is considered to be a hotspot for these type of plants which attract insects and once the insect sits on the top, the plant closes its lid and traps the insect.

We watched this long line of ants marching into the forest.

Surrounded by lush green foliage this was the most enchanting stream I’ve ever seen.

After a couple of hours we had finished the trek. From there we walked for about 15 minutes to the Sarawak Cultural Village for the next part of our day.

Day 2: Part 2 Sarawak Cultural Village

The Sarawak Cultural Village is a ‘living museum’ to showcase the local culture and lifestyles of the ethnic groups of Sarawak.

We had pre-booked our tickets online using our credit card and entrance was 90 RM (£15) excluding lunch and 125 RM (£21) including lunch.

As we had arrived at lunchtime and were hungry following our morning trek we decided to begin by having lunch in the restaurant. On the suggestion of Polycarp, we had booked one ticket with lunch and one without as he said there would be enough for 2 of us to share. The lunch consisted of bowls of tasty traditional Sarawak food.

After lunch we began to explore the cultural village where a range of traditional houses have been built and where you can climb up and go inside each of them.

Some of the houses were huge for example the traditional Sarawak longhouse. These wooden structures are built on stilts and whole communities live in them. The ‘street’ runs along the length of the inside of the house and a row of individual rooms run alongside the communal area which are occupied by separate families.

Local people are based inside each of the different houses and they demonstrate traditional crafts such as weaving, woodwork and cooking. Sometimes they put on a short dance with traditional instruments being played.

The wooden structures surround a pleasant lake.

This lady was making traditional ‘sunhat shaped cakes’ made with rice flour and we were able to buy some for a small fee.

At 11:30 and 4 pm each day a cultural show takes place in the air conditioned theatre. This explosion of life and colour lasts for about 45 minutes and the ethnic performances together with rainforest instruments was excellent.

Day 2 Evening

To finish a fabulous day we enjoyed a lovely evening together with Polycarp, Louise and another guest called Carla from New Zealand. Polycarp drove us for 5 minutes to a nearby local village for sunset watching and dinner.

First Polycarp and Louise led us the the banks of the estuary so we could look at the sunset. We were slightly alarmed when we saw a ‘Beward of Crocodiles’ sign but thankfully we didn’t see any!

The 5 of us then had a lovely authentic local meal together. The total cost for 2 x mains and 2 x hot lemon drinks was just £4.00… for both of us!

Nanga Damai accommodation

The Nanga Damai homestay is literally in the rainforest and has an abundance of tropical flowers and foliage.

Three types of monkey are regular visitors to the homestay and we had to keep our windows closed to ensure they didn’t enter our room. On our last morning we were fortunate to see wild proboscis monkeys frolicking around next to the terrace of the homestay.

Proboscis monkeys are recognised by their long noses and are endemic to Borneo. They are mostly found in mangrove forests and along coastal areas.

The homestay had an ‘honesty bar’ system whereby you can help yourself to wine or beer or soft drinks and record what you’ve had in a small notebook. Relaxing with a glass of wine on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the colourful garden was wonderful.

We had the end of the 3 rooms on the middle level of the house. There are only 4 guest rooms in total so never more than 8 guests staying at one time. We shared a light and airy communal lounge with 2 other rooms.

We had a comfortable sea view room and could see the sea about 300 meters in the distance.

Evenings

As Nanga Damai is so isolated there are no restaurants within walking distance so every evening the either Polycarp or Louise offer to drive guests to nearby restaurants.

Following a spectacular sunset on our first evening, we sat overlooking the beach and enjoyed a tasty dinner in Escobar restaurant. Two mains, a portion of garlic bread and two beers was just 74.55 MR’s (£12.50). This was in contrast to the two mains and two glasses of wine in Singapore the previous evening where the bill came to £66 😳

Nansi Goreng is a South East Asian dish of fried rice and one I first tried in Indonesia. I was delighted to find it as a staple in Escobar and ordered it with seafood.

Money

Two or 3 newly installed ATM’s are available and we were able to withdraw cash from one located inside the Cultural Centre. The homestay only takes cash so you need to ensure you have enough with you.

Summary

We had a wonderful start to our visit to Borneo and thoroughly enjoyed staying at the homestay with the kind hospitality of Polycarp and Louise. Nothing was too much trouble and they went out of their way to ensure all of their guests experienced the best of Santubong Peninsula. I would highly recommend staying there.