Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying on the Kinabatang river at the jungle lodge was such a fantastic part of the trip. We absolutely loved seeing all kinds of monkeys, proboscis, silver leaf, long and pig tailed macaques as well as crocodiles and the absolute highlight was seeing the Pygmy elephants. The jungles of Borneo are spectacular and our guide was fantastic at spotting things in the jungle and the river while our guide was able to name and tell us details about the animals, insects, birds and plants.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nostalia really made the trip for us. Her knowledge and caring nature as well as always letting us know what the plan was and what to expect really helped to make us feel comfortable. The organization was incredible and we were very impressed how smoothly things ran through the entire trip. We felt so much more connected to the people and the culture with her as our guide. We hope that she will come to visit us in Canada so we can show her around.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely come to Borneo! It was so much more than I expected and I have a lifetime worth of memories that I will treasure.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing a herd of Wild Pygmy Elephants was a definite highlight. But, there were many amazing parts of the trip. Too many to count.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Nostalia, was brilliant. She was knowledgeable about everything and her enthusiasm for conservation shone through. Don’t underestimate the value of having a good guide on a holiday like this!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The adventure lodge may not have hire boots to fit you if like me you have big feet. Folks in Malaysia tend to be smaller on average so size 12+ boots are a rare breed! Bring shoes that you can hose down. Remember that the accommodation is not supposed to be luxury. If you keep this in mind you won’t be disappointed as all accommodation exceeded our expectations.

Suggestions

A wonderful holiday that we thoroughly enjoyed and would (and have already) recommended to others.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing groups of rare Pygmy elephants in the wild. Seeing orangutans families. Staying with a Bornean family in their home, exploring the foothills of Kinubalu.

Thoughts on Group Leader

10/10. Organised, knowledgeable, friendly and passionate. Nostalia is an exceptional group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it!

Suggestions

Perfect itinerary ending with some chilled beach time - such a fascinating journey.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing groups of rare Pygmy elephants in the wild. Seeing orangutans families. Staying with a Bornean family in their home, exploring the foothills of Kinubalu.

Thoughts on Group Leader

10/10. Organised, knowledgeable, friendly and passionate. Nostalia is an exceptional group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it!

Suggestions

Perfect itinerary ending with some chilled beach time - such a fascinating journey.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing groups of rare Pygmy elephants in the wild. Seeing orangutans families. Staying with a Bornean family in their home, exploring the foothills of Kinubalu.

Thoughts on Group Leader

10/10. Organised, knowledgeable, friendly and passionate. Nostalia is an exceptional group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it!

Suggestions

Perfect itinerary ending with some chilled beach time - such a fascinating journey.

Most Inspirational Moment

You will see some incredible sights - stunning scenery (especially at Sabah Tea), insights into both city and rural life (the homestay was fantastic!), wildlife close-up (we saw an orang utan breastfeeding her baby) and get to experience a variety of accommodations (the longhouse is unlike anything else!). Every single person we met, from drivers, to hotel staff, to other guests were incredibly happy and friendly and this added to the wonderful feel to our holiday. It is impossible to choose just one moment!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Beverly was simply wonderful! She had excellent subject knowledge, kept the group at the right place at the right time and left us without a worry so that we could just enjoy the holiday! She went above and beyond throughout, could spot the smallest bird from a great distance, taught us about environmental issues, tried to teach us some Malay and was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the Death Marches and the local customs. Everywhere we went, she knew someone and was welcomed with open arms! She is an absolute gem!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Shorts and t-shirts are the staple wear. You only really need long trousers for the night walk and if you want to protect your legs from evening bugs. Are there lots of bugs? There are some, but armed with the recommended Skin So Soft and Deet bug spray we only had a few minor bites between us. Is there wifi? Pretty much everywhere and mostly free! It costs 10RM (about £2) at the river lodge. I am vegetarian and whilst I always managed to find something to eat, the choice can be limited in places - especially at the jungle lodge, but you won't starve! Water shoes are good for swimming in the waterfall at Poring Springs as you have to walk across rocks to get in and it is rocky underfoot - you can also use these on the beach on Manukan Island. No need to worry about buying leech socks - you can rent them at the river lodge for just 5RM. Although it says a head torch in the trip notes, take a handheld one as the only time you really need it is for the night walk and you will be told not to wear it on your head as it can be bad for the sleeping birds (yes, birds just sat there on branches looking incredible!). If you are on the group flight, ask to pay to book seats together. We did not know about this and were seated separately. Once you have your booking reference, you can then pay a small amount to book your seats on all of the other flights if you want to sit together. The 15kg weight limit for luggage is very important! You will also be carrying your own bags a lot, so travel light! Of the optional trips, we went to the Sun Bear Conservation Centre, the War Memorial and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. All were excellent and I would recommend saying "yes" to them all!

Suggestions

If you are considering this trip, just go for it! It is a fantastic adventure and for children, it will open their eyes to a completely different world!

Most Inspirational Moment

We were lucky enough to see a wild pigmy elephant, crossing the river right in front of our boat. Lucky for us, we were alone on the river. Sunrise at the Wildlife Discovery Centre in Sepilok had us up close with a somewhat angry wild orang-utan, which was definitely an experience! At the Sun Bear Sanctuary we met Poppa Bear (Wong) who, if you've seen the ITV Borneo show with Judi Dench, you will know instantly. He, like every other Bornean, was extremely friendly, and happy to chat at length about about the gorgeous Sun Bears. Visiting Labuk Bay and the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary was a special place, my favourite being the Silver Leaf Monkeys and one baby. And snorkelling off of Manukan Island was top notch, and accommodation there was lush! Could have used a few more days. Be sure to order a kopi tarik at the take away cafe toward the pool. They open at 7.30 am.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manuel, our tour leader, was amazing. We were such a lucky group and could have not asked for a better leader to gel our Exodus Team! He was knowledgable, compassionate, and a pleasure to be around. I'm looking forward to another Manuel Exodus tour in the future, as he really bonded with every member of our tour and we were all sad to say our goodbyes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Luggage - You have to carry your own nearly everywhere, so pack as light as possible, in a soft pack. Leech socks - I was very worried about finding these here before we left, but we found some in the Centre Pointe Mall on the ground level. They were also available to rent at the Bilit Adventure Lodge along with wellington boots! Sleep - Our entire group had problems sleeping on various parts of our tour. No way to combat it, but be ready. Bug spray - Take it with you an top up regularly, especially in the rainforest areas. Plasters - Take these too as you may have blisters. Roti cannai - Try this in the Centre Point basement Islamic Center restaurant. It doesn't look like much, but we were there every day were were in KK. You'll see red plastic chairs and know you're in the right place. 1x roti cannai costs 1.50RM, so like 30p, and it's the best we found on the whole tour. Noodles and rice dishes were great too. Laundry - Forget about it. Know by the end you're going to stink. So will all your travel companions. Use laundry services where they're available; we found the Sabah Tea Longhouse laundry to be a reprieve from the stink! The last hotels on the trip will happily take any clothes you don't want to take home with you and distribute to those in need. A good idea (stolen from travel mates) is to buy clothes at the charity shop and leave them with you. Best thing to wear would be lightweight long sleeved shirts! If you put any effort into this tour, you'll be handsomely rewarded - early morning treks provided us with a personal encounter with a pigmy elephant as well as an orang-utan. It was special!

Suggestions

Don't hesitate. I'm experiencing massive post-holiday blues as this holiday was particularly life changing for me. Amazing. Enjoy.

Most Inspirational Moment

Probably seeing the giant flying squirrels as I wasn't expecting them. The orang-utans in the sanctuary and in the wild were just lovely.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent! A grand sense of humour, always patient, interested in us all personally, very knowledgable and very good at spotting the wildlife

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are interested in wildlife, go for it

Most Inspirational Moment

For me I think it was seeing Pygmy Elephants crossing the Kinabatangan river. We had overheard that there were elephants in the area, but I don't think any of us truly believed that we would see a herd of at least fifty swimming across the river right in front of us!! We also loved seeing the flying squirrel in Sepilok, and we managed to catch two flying lizards at the Sun Bear sanctuary! I also loved the truly magical sunsets encountered on this trip - I think the Sabah Tea Gardens Longhouse was a highlight, with the mighty Mount Kinabalu in the distance.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Manuel was absolutely brilliant. His knowledge of the wildlife and of Borneo is encyclopedic, and he is truly passionate about his country and conserving the natural resources. We all learnt so much and I think Manuel's enthusiasm was shared by each and every member of the group. I especially enjoyed the various food recommendations (Asam fish - delicious!!)

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is super hot! Bring quick dry clothing (especially t-shirts) as anything too thick or heavy will struggle to dry. Bring an individual water bottle so you can refill from the main bottle daily, rather than buying smaller bottles. Leech socks can be hired at Kinabatangan along with wellington boots, which were really necessary because of the mud! Take plenty of insect repellent (not that it stops the mozzies). A camera with a good zoom and/or binoculars is a really good thing to take - especially for your time at Kinabatangan.

Suggestions

We thought that the 2 nights spend on Manukan Island at the end of the trip were absolutely perfect - we fell in love with our hillside villa (so luxurious!) and it was a real struggle to leave the island!

Most Inspirational Moment

The orangutans

Thoughts on Group Leader

The tour leader Roxanne was great with the children teaching them the language and imparting her knowledge at the right level for them, She is fun so the kids really take to her. She does the majority of the family trips .

Advice for Potential Travellers

My son had a great time on this trip at age 8 , personally I think the trip would be hard for a lot of 5 year olds as there are as few early morning starts and the trip is busy. However, this would depend on the individual child. My son is a seasoned traveller and would have managed it well at age 5. My son and I travel a lot independently but this trip was good for him as he was able to make friends with the other children on the trip. The kids on the trip got on well and it was great for him to travel with children from other countries. Try and give yourself a couple of days before or after the trip so you can take the short boat trip across to one or two of the islands off Kota Kinabalu.

Suggestions

I would not hesitate in recommending this trip to anyone it is great. My son and I also went to the Kuching, Sarawak on our own after the trip and then hired a Klotok in Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia Borneo after. I would also recommend doing both of these if you have the time. Internal flights in the region are cheap find them on skyscanner. Get yourself on this Exodus trip you will have a super time.