A Red-and-Black Broadbill poses in Taman Negara National Park. Photo: Jon Dunn
About 720 bird species have been recorded in peninsular Malaysia of which some 660 are resident. A large proportion of these residents are unique to the area’s lush tropical rainforest. A superb sample of this environment can be found in magnificent Taman Negara, Malaysia’s largest national park, and we’ll spend four days exploring its riches. We’ll begin with three nights in cool highlands at Frasier’s Hill where migrants from the north augment the local avifauna.
For those who wish, we offer an extension to Borneo, the world’s third largest island. We’ve added a day to this section and have altered the itinerary to include a four-night stay at the spectacular Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley. We’ll visit as well Kinabalu National Park, home to many of Borneo’s endemics and, of course, the splendid Orang-utan.
The Malaysia and Borneo segments are separable. This tour can be taken in conjunction with our tour Thailand.
Malaysia
Day 1: The trip begins at noon in Kuala Lumpur. We’ll spend a leisurely afternoon birdwatching on the Old Gomback Road where spiderhunters, Crimson-breasted and Orange- breasted Flowerpeckers and migrants perhaps including Sooty Flycatcher and Tiger Shrike will provide our introduction to Malaysian birds. Night in Kuala Lumpur.
Day 2: The mangroves at Kuala Selangor are inhabited by a number of special birds including Black Baza, Chestnut-bellied Malkhoa, Mangrove Pitta, Mangrove Whistler and Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher. We’ll spend our morning here before driving to Fraser’s Hill. Night at Fraser’s Hill.
Days 3-4: Fraser’s Hill is a wonderful montane region, cool by comparison with Kuala Lumpur and full of birds. We can expect a rich mix of residents including Fire-tufted Barbet, Black-and-crimson Oriole and Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush, and several winter visitors from the north including Mugimaki Flycatcher and with luck the striking Siberian Thrush. Nights at Fraser’s Hill.
Day 5: We’ll depart Fraser’s Hill this morning, driving east to Kuala Tembeling and then traveling by boat up the Tembeling River to the headquarters of Taman Negara at Kuala Tahan. As we cruise in our outboard-driven canopied longboats we’ll see riparian species such as Black-capped Kingfisher, Straw-headed Bulbul and possibly raptors and hornbills as they cross the river or move along its banks. We should arrive at our destination before dusk. Night in Taman Negara.
”Thanks for arranging a marvelous Malaysia trip. Both of us had a great time. Dennis is so much fun to be with and his skills are almost unbelievable. We felt sorry for him, because the birding was obviously not as good as usual due to the drought. I don’t know how Dennis managed it, but I saw as many lifers (198) as I had hoped for even though our trip total was well below that of the last few years. We can’t say enough about the effort he put into it. We had heard about his patience and fantastic hearing and he showed us and used every bit of it. The accommodations and the food were great and we really enjoyed our contacts with the Malaysian people.”
Frank and Willy Schermers, Michigan
Days 6-9: Taman Negara, located in the center of peninsular Malaysia, covers 1677 square miles of pristine forest and contains virtually all the bird species found in inland Malaysia. Indeed about 360 species have been identified in the park to date. We’ll spend four days working the many miles of trails into the surrounding lowland rainforest. Birds we hope to see include Crested Fireback, Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, three malkohas, two treeswifts, Red-naped, Daird’s and Scarlet- rumped Trogons, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Black and Rhinoceros Hornbills, Brown Barbet, a dozen woodpeckers possibly including White-bellied and Great Slaty, Black-and-yellow, Black-and-red and Green Broadbills, up to 15 bulbuls, Sultan Tit and many, many more. We’ll also hope to hunt down rare and elusive species such as Crested Jay, Malaysian Peacock-Pheasant, Masked Finfoot, Gould’s Frogmouth, Garnet Pitta, Blue-banded Kingfisher and Helmeted Hornbill. Birds aside, an added attraction is the opportunity to see a variety of rainforest plants and animals during our walks. Nights in Taman Negara.
Day 10: This day will be devoted to returning to Kuala Lumpur. Time permitting we’ll make some stops en route. Night in Kuala Lumpur.
Day 11: After breakfast we’ll depart for Kuala Lumpur International Airport where the Malaysia segment of the tour concludes.
Borneo
Day 11 (February 29, 2008): The Borneo extension begins this morning in Kuala Lumpur with a flight to Sandakan via Kota Kinabalu. We’ll make a two hour drive to the Gomantong Caves where we’ll have our first birding looking for Edible, Black and Mossy-nest Swiftlets at dusk. If we’re luck we’ll also see Bat Hawk. After dark we’ll board the boats for Sukau Rainforest Lodge where we’ll arrive about 7:30 p.m. Night at Sukau Rainforest Lodge.
Days 12: The Kinabatangan River is just outside our lodge and the area is especially rich in birds. There should be many birds on the grounds possibly including Black-and-yellow and Dusky Broadbills, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher and Rufous-tailed Tailorbird. However much of our time will be spent aboard a boat along the river and its tributaries. We’ll visit the Menanggol River in the morning to look for riverine birds including Stork-billed and Blue-eared Kingfishers, Black-and-red Broadbill, White-chested Babbler and the very distinctive, almost bizarre, and endemic Proboscis Monkey. In our river travels we may also see the rare Storm’s Stork, Lesser and Gray-headed Fish-Eagles, Jerdon’s Baza, Malaysian, Bornean and Sunda Blue Flycatchers, Oriental Darter, Red-throated, Gold-whiskered and Blue-eared Barbets and Bushy-crested, and Wreathed and Wrinkled Hornbills. We’ll bird the midday period around the lodge before taking to the river again in late afternoon to watch for Oriental Pied, Black and the spectacular Rhinoceros Hornbills stting exposed or flying across the river. Night at Sukau Rainforest Lodge.
Day 13: We’ll leave early for Borneo Rainforest Lodge, stopping to to bird the road leading to the Gomantong caves. It’s an area full of birds including endemics such as White-fronted Falconet. We’ll arrive at the Lodge in late afternoon in time for birding on the grounds. Night at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley.
Days 14-15: The largest remaining lowland rainforest in all of Sabah is found in the Danum Valley. Our lodge is located in the heart of this ideal habitat and there is excellent birding right on the grounds. Much of the rest of the region can be reached via a fine network of trails. We’ll look for Great Argus, Chestnut- necklaced Partridge, Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, Buffy Fish-Owl, Brown Wood-Owl, up to three species of pittas, Striped and Fluffy-backed Tit-Babblers, Black-and-yellow, Banded and Green Broadbills, Chestnut-naped Forktail, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, many woodpeckers, and nearly all of Borneo’s hornbills as well as endemics such as the spectacular Bornean Bristlehead, White-crowned Shama, Pygmy White-eye, Bornean and Black-throated Wren-Babblers, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker and the extremely rare Bornean Ground-Cuckoo. The region is also rich in mammals and we may see Orang-utan, Bornean Gibbon, Red Leaf Monkey, Malayan Flying Fox, several species of civet cats, flying squirrels and possibly Asian Elephant. Nights at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley.
Day 16: After a final day in the Danum Valley we’ll make a late afternoon drive to Lahad Datu. Night at Lahad Datu.
Day 17: We’ll beakfast early and transfer to the Lahad Datu airport for our flight to Kota Kinabalu. We’ll check the mudflats at a small tidal wetland near the airport where in recent years we’ve found both Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, Pacific Golden-Plover, Gray-tailed Tattler and Red-necked Stint. A small group of up to 10 wintering (and globally threatened) Chinese Egrets has been present here on each of our tours and we’ll hope for their return again this year. We’ll continue to Kinabalu Park, arriving in time for lunch Night in Kinabalu Park.
Days 18-20: Kinabalu Park is a wilderness area that surrounds Mount Kinabalu, at 13,455 feet the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Created in 1962, the park provides easy access to the montane avifauna of Borneo once denied to all but the most enterprising and ardent naturalists. We’ll spend our days mostly around the park’s headquarters at 5300 feet, working the excellent system of trails. We should find Sunda Bush-Warbler, Gray-throated Babbler, White-crowned Forktail, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Ashy and Hair-crested Drongos, Short-tailed Magpie, Mountain Leaf-Warbler, Sunda Cuckoo-shrike, Temminck’s Sunbird and Gray-chinned Minivet among many others. We’ll also have a chance to see some of Kinabalu’s real specialties such as Mountain Serpent-Eagle, Red-breasted and Crimson-headed Partridges, the Whitehead’s trio (Broadbill, Spiderhunter and Trogon), Bornean Whistler, Black-sided Flowerpecker, Fruithunter, Mountain Blackeye, Mountain Wren-Babbler, Bornean Stubtail and the skulking Kinabalu Friendly Warbler. In addition to the birds our walks may reveal mammals such as the Mountain Treeshrew and Jentinck’s, Whitehead’s Pygmy and Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrels. Kinabalu is famous also for its plant life and we’ll see many orchids, pitcher plants and rhododendrons. Nights in Kinabalu Park.
Day 21: After a final morning in Kinabalu Park we’ll drive down to Kota Kinabalu and fly back to Kuala Lumpur. Night in Kuala Lumpur.
Day 22: The tour ends this morning in Kuala Lumpur.
Updated: 22 August 2006
Prices
- 2010 price not yet available.
Notes
Maximum group size seven with one leader; 14 with two leaders. Single occupancy may not be available at some lodges.