Borneo & the Malaysian Peninsula

Most Inspirational Moment

I especially enjoyed the mangrove boat excursion as we saw so much wildlife and stopped to swim on a beautiful quiet beach.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both Rony and Jason were excellent tour guides who are passionate about their job and proud of their country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go!

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to pinpoint just one to be honest. The river cruise on the Kinabatangan River was such a great experience. Seeing the wildlife was amazing. The other thing I enjoyed was exploring Georgetown with our group. All the buildings and the history was so interesting. There are just so many to highlight.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I loved our Guide(s). I think it was great we had 1 guide in Borneo (Nelson) and 1 guide in the Malaysian Peninsula (Jason). Both are exceptional guides and very experienced. Not only is their knowledge of history and nature amazing, but their passion for what they do is clear. They really went the extra mile to take care of everyone in our group. Even though they have done these trips for years, I can't thank them enough for that spark and passion for what they do.

Advice for Potential Travellers

For those that don't know, Malaysia is very hot and humid. Now the good thing is you have air conditioning in your hotels; however, since it's so hot outside, one of the things I highly encourage all people to bring are electrolytes. It helped me and other travelers on my trip. Also think about a small compact umbrella. Not just for the rain, but also for the sun as it's fairly strong in the afternoon. Speaking of Rain, bring something to keep you dry because when it rains in Malaysia, it RAINS.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing an orangutan and its baby in the wild!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Borneo itself was an extraordinary destination, it was Jeffry’s exceptional guidance and leadership that truly brought the trip to life. His deep expertise, passion for the region, and dedication to the group made him an invaluable part of the experience. Jeffry was not just a guide, but a true ambassador for Borneo, and his presence was a highlight that will be remembered long after the trip ended.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Despite the packed itinerary, there are several free afternoons and it's worth researching things you might want to do before you travel. Some activities such as the Petronas Towers need to be booked in advance due to limited availability.

Most Inspirational Moment

The River cruises and seeing Proboscis Monkeys. It was pouring with rain and I was sat in a puddle but seeing many different troops high in the trees on the jungle edge was amazing. Plus many hornbills and birds of prey, pygmy elephants and a crocodile. The whole trip was fantastic.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Awang was our guide in Borneo & he was always available to assist. When we couldn't do the jungle hike as there was a male elephant in the area he organised a walk to the village. He was knowledgeable & well organised. He also kept us entertained on the coach journeys with some funny stories. Chee was our guide on the peninsular and he had his work cut out with looking after a group of 16. As there was free time in each city, he gave suggestions and helped us get to our chosen excursions. He also suggested restaurants that would be suitable for vegans, plus where we could buy a Guinness! He helped to find a bar to watch the England game during the Euros, which were on late. On the visit to the Petronus Towers due to the logistics those not going up just waited in a Sky bar or did some shopping, so that was a shame.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take long sleeved cotton shirts & trousers, the sun is hot & the mosquitoes seem to bite even when you haven't seen any and you have put on anti mosquito cream. You only need walking shoes or trainers plus some sandals. Everywhere is casual. Take a mix of cash & card as some small shops only took cash. Beer and soft drinks are cheap on the peninsula whereas drinks on Borneo were like UK prices. The cocktails are good & reasonable. There is an app called "Grab" which is easy to install on your phone and is which is great for taxis & and they are very cheap. I found it was easy to be vegan here. I took a small carton of oat milk for the first day to have in tea/coffee and was able to pick up cartons of soya milk along the way at Mini marts/service stations. Although they were very sweet. There was also small chocolate oat drinks. No hotels offered non dairy milk. Breakfasts were mainly toast with beans & potatoes, or peanut butter. There was always a fruit selection (melon). In Borneo where food was provided there was a buffet & all vegetarians/vegans were given an extra plate with Tofu/tempeh, plus veg curry. When eating out there were vegan/vegetarian restaurants in KL & Georgetown. Otherwise there were usually a couple of options on the menu. There was always fried veg rice or spaghetti. You need to specify no cheese, even if not listed as an ingredient. The included meals on the peninsula were good with a lot of variety. The final meal on Langkawi was delicious. There was generally a lack of cake/desert, but you can buy biscuits & chocolate. I always take some vegan bars. I enjoyed the food here. On the street food tour in K.L. the things we tried were vegan (all deserts).

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the endangered Pygmy elephants on the river cruise, flying squirrels and spotting two wild orangutans. Appreciate that we were very lucky as the wildlife doesn't appear on demand. Melaka was great fun, bonkers and very lively night life, a real culture shock after our time in lodges in the Borneo rainforest.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both group leaders were excellent. Edwin in Borneo (being a former forest ranger) had fantastic wildlife knowledge and along with our river boat driver was amazing at spotting so much wildlife for us to see. Edwin had a great sense of humour and took the group to a lovely restaurant on our last night in Borneo. Jason on the mainland was a kind and truly passionate guide and went out of his way to ensure that everyone in the group was looked after. His job was much harder as there was so much else to see so the group did split up more in the bigger towns, but he managed to keep everyone happy seemingly popping up out of nowhere to ensure everyone was having a good time and were safe. He always made restaurant suggestions for dinner and helped with menu translations. Mostly the group kept together and followed his recommendations. All of us heading off in a big taxi van for a fish and chip supper on a remote beach in Langkawi was a great shout Jason! When not with the group (hardly ever) he was always availble on What's App chat anytime should he be needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a poncho and small umbrella. The Poncho for the occasional huge downpours and the umbrella useful for light rain and can also be used as sun shade, it can get very hot walking around the towns. No need for hiking boots - some waterproof walking shoes/trainers will be fine. Plenty of sunscreen and insect repellent. But don't hesitate just book it.... just relax and go with the flow. I'm looking forward to the next adventure with Exodus now.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the orangutans in Borneo and the river cruises

Thoughts on Group Leader

My experience of the guide in Malaysia has been the worst I have experienced and will make me seriously question the use of Exodus for future trips. Andy was obsequious and undoubtedly the worst guide I have encountered. It started a racist joke at the airport and continued with the arrival at out hotel in Malacca where he said we were with Intrepid and went downhill from there. At the KL hotel he said the same and we questioned this and he said that Exodus and Intrepid were the same company. News to us…..but perhaps he is right, however, we booked under the Exodus name. He failed to give adequate explanation about what we were doing each day, he never learnt our names and his guiding was frankly useless. When asked a question, he would often make up the answer. We asked for a recommendation on the second night in Malacca for somewhere to eat and he suggested a supermarket! The dinner restaurant in Malacca was below the standard expected for an Exodus holiday, the toilets were so disgusting they felt to be unusable. It felt like he reached the city and called into the first place he saw. He treated the group like children and was patronising on many occasions. On the walking tour of KL it lasted for 5 and a half hours due to his poor organisation. During this activity we had a guide from the Islam temple talk to us about the history and religion, in the few minutes we spent with her she remembered all our names and was clear and informative. We finished in the Chinese temple and then caught the underground went 2 stops and then a walk to lunch. Many of our party were over 70 and this was exhausting. The lunch restaurant was little more than a canteen and once again sub standard to previous experiences with Exodus. On the transfer day to Penang we left the hotel at 9:30, we arrived at the station at 9:45, when asked why we were there an hour and 20 minutes before departure he said it was the railway rules to be there an hour before otherwise they would sell your ticket. We found a notice saying “ we recommend you be here 30 minutes before departing and the train doors close 5 minutes before” ……. Nothing said to be there an hour before. He also said we could get nothing to eat or drink on the train and in our carriage was a buffet bar. We arrived in Penang and on the coach to the hotel asked about the itinerary for the next two days. He just said we would do a walking tour but no information about what we would see. We asked about the optional tours in Langkawi, he said there were two but could give no explanation about the costs or what they entailed. His walking tours were poorly managed and his knowledge inadequate. He did not make me feel safe or as though he had any clear idea about what he was doing. Having a lovely group and going to some interesting places the holiday was very spoilt by this inadequate guide. By the time we got to Penang several of us refused to go on his walking tours and went off by ourselves. I for one could not bear his disorganisation any longer…..but that is not what I expect to do on a guided tour holiday. Malaysian guides poor performance was brought into relief by the caring and friendly nature of our Borneo guide.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a lot of days of travelling!

Suggestions

On a positive note the restaurant we were taken to for our final night was very good, ambient setting and enjoyable food. I felt we missed valuable time in Penang as we only ended up with one day due to the travel arrangements. The hotel in Langkwaei is dingy and very disappointing after a further day of travel. Once again not the standard expected. Overall the trip feels poorly executed with too many days spent travelling at times which means that is all that happens. Travelling over lunch meant there was not time to do anything before or after the journey. The internal flights were changed without explanation. When we tried to contact Exodus about this, there was no response until after the flights and even then we were not told why this had happened.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Andy was excellent and always available and helpful. Felix was good but quietly spoken. He answered questions but didn’t offer much information unless asked.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book for the twin towers beforehand. It would be useful if Exodus suggested that everybody booked in the same time slot if possible. Our guide had his work cut out shuttling different people to the towers for different time slots and then there was a lot of waiting around afterwards.

Suggestions

We were shocked at how little of the rainforest appeared to be left in northern Borneo. On the boat trips along the Kinabatangam river in many places we could easily see through the trees on the banks to the palm oil plantations behind. We did see 3 wild orangutans and plenty of hornbills and crocodiles. We were also disappointed by the plastic rubbish washed up on the beaches of Langkawi. Every small item we bought was given to us in a plastic bag. The Exodus recommended mangrove tour was excellent with a very knowledgeable local naturalist guide. However while on that your we saw some very poor practice with boats and jet skis going close to dolphins, sea eagles being lured with chicken skin and monkeys being fed crisps by hand from other boats.

Most Inspirational Moment

The amount of wildlife viewed , seeing flying squirrels, the Sepilok Orang Utans sanctuary, crocodile in river . Wandering around Mellacca and Penang old towns.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Borneo - Edwin, very personable and happy to share information regarding local customs . Clear explanations and good sense of humour. Within Borneo we were staying at wilderness lodges so there were not the same number of tourist sites etc as are available on Peninsula in second half of trip. Malaysian Peninsula - Wye , also very personable and super helpful . Ensured everyone in group looked after , always happy to provide advice regarding eateries, tourist sites, travel , costs of attractions, translating in food courts . Not sure Wye ever ate a hot meal with us as she would be busy assisting her guests with translating/recommending food ordering and following up what was delivered matched the order.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Not much cash needed for Borneo ( as staying in wilderness lodges and not many opportunities to spend. Bar bills and possibly extra food/snacks / ice creams/ drinks) . Internal flights the group total luggage allowance is 15KG x number in group . Try to keep luggage weight to 15KG but dont stress if you go over by a small amount as it might be "lost" within group overall total . Take own torches for walking on paths in Borneo and also paved streets on Peninsula towns/cities. ATMs plentiful at KL airport to withdraw cash on first entry to Malaysia , however different banks ( Maybank, CIMB, Public Bank) have different daily limit on withdrawal amount. Always answer "No" to conversion ( otherwise local bank sets conversion rate instead of using Inter Bank Rate ) .

Suggestions

Crammed in lots and saw a huge amount . Trip Notes mostly accurate ( apart from referring to Kota Kinabalu which is not visited or located anywhere near where this trip goes. Obviously copy paste form another trip ) . Mostly 2 nights at each location with some free time, can spend as much or as little with group .

Most Inspirational Moment

After seeing the Orangutans in the sanctuary, spotting some in the wild whilst on the river cruise was memorable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Both group leaders were knowledgeable, I think in particular Wan on the second part of the tour excelled in helping everyone with there questions. With a full group of 16 it is nearly impossible to satisfy everyone but Wan ensured that, I believe, everyone was sad to see by the end of the tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just relax and enjoy the different cultures and try everything!

Suggestions

Thank you for a great experience

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to choose but visiting Borneo was amazing, having seen so many documentaries on TV.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had two group leaders, Beverly on Borneo very professional, could not fault her knowledge on all aspects of the wildlife, she was very approachable, always there, calm and gave good advice on preparation for the day's activities, she also was interesting to listen to on any bus/coach travelling. In Malaysia we had Wye, again could not fault her knowledge on the small trips and activities, again very approachable and gave good advice. Both guides were an integral part of the trip and added their own individual vibe appropriately, both very likeable, both made sure everything was smooth running. I hope their earnings reflect their dedication.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Trust the process, the tours guides make the rest easy.