June 16-July 3, 2026 with Megan Edwards Crewe & & local guides Jumaidi, Sabinas and Adrian
Charles Darwin once wrote, in reference to a tropical rainforest, "The land is one great wild, untidy, luxuriant hothouse, made by Nature for herself." And so it is with Borneo's remaining native forests, tucked as they now are between ever-expanding swathes of oil palm groves: sweaty tangles of rampant vegetation and soaring emergent trees housing a fantastic but increasingly vulnerable mix of mammals, birds, herps and invertebrates. It would be hard NOT to have a great experience in one of the most biologically rich places on Earth!
Our adventure started right on the grounds of our Sepilok hotel, where we found a trio of Smooth-coated Otters rolling around in the grass on the far side of the hotel's pond and had our first encounters with a number of species we'd see again during the tour. Yellow-eared Spiderhunters and Brown-throated Sunbirds gobbled red berries from spiky stalks, flocks of Asian Glossy Starlings winged over or gathered on rooftops, a Crested Serpent-Eagle showed off its distinctively wide white wing stripe as it circled overhead, and a pair of Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds flaunted their appropriately rufous tails as they flicked through trackside bushes. After an early dinner, we headed to the nearby Rainforest Discovery Center for our first night walk -- and what a great time we had! First up was a Red Giant Flying Squirrel which wowed the crowd that had gathered below its roosting box by first clambering up through the branches and then launching itself into a long glide right over our heads. A nearby Wallace's Hawk-Eagle also watched with interest! As the light faded, we left the canopy walkway and headed onto the trail system, where we tracked down a Philippine Slow Loris visiting sap wells on a tree trunk (looking for all the world like a rock climber making his way up a steep cliff), a very cooperative Oriental Bay-Owl, snoozing Blue-eared and Rufous-backed Dwarf kingfishers, and -- after much searching -- a goggle-eyed Horsfield's Tarsier.
We were up and out early the next morning, headed back to the Rainforest Discovery Center to explore that marvelous park by daylight. After some desultory birding in the parking lot, where we picked up a couple of Ornate Sunbirds, some Javan Mynas and our first endemic in the form of several Dusky Munias, we started on the canopy walkway -- surely one of the sturdiest canopy walkways in the world! A calling male White-crowned Hornbill got us off to a good start and we added many other things before the morning was over, including a very close male Diard's Trogon (thanks to some very young photographer-birders), an adult and immature Red-bearded Bee-eater, Buff-rumped and Buff-necked woodpeckers, a gang of Bornean Black-Magpies (with a few carrying nesting material), a couple of Red-throated Sunbirds, a handful of bulbul species, and a Sabah Partridge that approached quite literally to our boot tips. After a cold drink to refortify ourselves, we headed to lunch and then made the several hour drive to the Gomantong Caves, where we braved muttering thunder to visit the world-famous home of edible nest swiftlets and Wrinkle-lipped Free-tailed Bats -- thousands and thousands of each of them. A Maroon Langur and our first Bornean Orangutans distracted us briefly on the way in, but our main target was the cave. Though the nests of the swiftlets had been recently harvested, we were able to find a few Mossy-nest and Black-nest swiftlets (as well as hundreds of Plume-toed Swiftlets) on their distinctive nests. Sadly, the sole White-nest Swiftlet nest we found was unoccupied, though we doubtless saw at least one zooming around overhead during the course of the trip! It was raining by the time we exited the cave, but we waited for a while in the conveniently covered shelter nearby, watching bursts of exiting bats sky-writing against the clouds with a couple of Peregrine Falcons in occasional pursuit. A Bushy-crested Hornbill perched at the entrance (perhaps waiting to grab any fallen bat?) was a nice bonus.
From our base at the comfortable Sukau Rainforest Lodge, we spent much of the next three days on a boat, motoring along the mighty Kinabatangan River and several of its tributaries: the Menanggol, the Resang, and the Tenangang. And there was plenty to look at. Malaysian Blue-Flycatchers flitted over the river, flashes of iridescent blue against the verdant backdrop. White-chested Babblers flicked through tangled roots along the shore, singing their simple, easily imitated "trick or treat". Storm's Storks stood sentinel on treetops, keeping a wary eye on our approach -- and what a treat it was to see several of these, the rarest of storks, now numbering fewer than 2000 in the world. We got some of our best looks at the outrageously ornamented Rhinoceros Hornbills, particularly along the Resang, where they were gathering for the night. Stork-billed and Blue-eared kingfishers sat on eye-level branches, Black-and-red Broadbills added mouthfuls to their burgeoning "flood debris" nests, Lesser Adjutants and a White-bellied Sea-Eagle soared overhead, and White-breasted Waterhens tiptoed across floating vegetation. We spotted a furtive Western Hooded Pitta patrolling the bank, found a Cream-vented Bulbul where we stopped for a coffee/tea break one morning, and had extended views of a Gray-headed Fish-Eagle perched just above the river. And who will soon forget that hunting Bat Hawk that made multiple thrilling passes right over the boat as dusk approached on the Resang -- so close we could see its golden-yellow eyes even without our binoculars! The river system is a great place for primate viewing, and we saw many monkeys, including well-endowed (at both ends!) Proboscis Monkeys in family groups and bachelor troops, Southern Pig-tailed Macaques (with one expertly crossing a monkey bridge), Long-tailed Macaques (including one trying to catch the green dot), and a family of Sunda Silver Langurs with a fuzzy orange baby in tow. Our night outings were also productive, with multiple Buffy Fish-Owls seen eyeballing the water from low perches and a singing Large Frogmouth spotlighted on a branch high above the river's edge. In the mammal department, we had several Small-toothed Palm Civets clambering through branches and a marvelous Flat-headed Cat, which padded along the shoreline for a good 100 meters, completely ignoring our boat floating nearby.
It wasn't all nautical, however. We also returned to the Gomantong Caves are on a couple of mornings to bird the long entrance road, which winds for several kilometers through decent forest. This is one of the best places on our tour route for Black-throated Babblers, and they didn't disappoint -- though they did make it a challenge to get a good look (or picture) as they're masters at hiding behind every available leaf! Sooty-capped Babblers proved far more confiding, as did the ubiquitous White-crowned Shamas, and a handsome male Scarlet-rumped Trogon. It was a good road for malkohas, with a less-common Red-billed Malkoha working its way through the trees in the loose company of its Chestnut-breasted and Raffles's cousins. It was good for hornbills as well, with five species seen one morning, including a pair of perched Wrinkled Hornbills showing off their distinctively colorful faces. A couple of Ruddy Kingfishers (a species we regularly miss on this tour) spent long minutes in bushes at eye level right near the road, and a tiny White-fronted Falconet sat atop a dead snag. A pair of Black-winged Flycatcher-shrikes hunted in the treetops and the tour's only Plain Sunbird (looking appropriately plain) foraged in some roadside flowers. A quartet of Fiery Minivets moved through the trees, eventually pausing for a preen, which allowed us to study their diagnostic wing pattern in the scopes.
From Sukau, we moved on to Danum Valley and the fabulous Borneo Rainforest Lodge, a five-star hotel in the heart of primary rainforest. Here, we spent most of our time on foot, walking the main entrance road, a few of the trails, and the canopy walkway. And despite the fact that the Bornean Bristlehead sadly eluded us, we had many great sightings. On our way in to the lodge, a gorgeous and very confiding Whiskered Treeswift returned again and again to the same spot on a telephone wire. A Great Argus cleared his dance floor before settling down for a preen, occasionally loosing his impressively loud "Oh wow!" call. A Blue-headed Pitta danced back and forth across a narrow trail. A Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher flicked around a clearing, trailing his long, white tail like a comet behind him. Two Straw-headed Bulbuls -- rare now, no thanks to the caged bird trade -- shouted challenges from the Danum River's scruffy bank. We heard the crazy, laughing song of the Helmeted Hornbill many times during our visit before one flew past and landed in an emergent tree up the hill from where we stood, and some of us saw another pair winging high over Coffin Hill as we enjoyed free cocktails late one afternoon. We had a plethora of babblers. Some, like the Bornean Black-capped Babbler that sang from a low stick along the entrance road, the Striped Wren-Babbler that serenaded us at the start of the Hornbill trail, or the Rufous-fronted Babbler that dropped lower and lower through a tree beside the nature trail boardwalk, were gratifyingly easy to see. Scaly-crowned and Rufous-crowned babblers let us study the subtle differences in their crown patches and leg colors and Chestnut-rumped Babblers flaunted their namesake chestnut rumps. Others -- like the Black-throated Wren-Babbler and Puff-backed Tit-Babblers that skulked through the roadside underbrush and the Horsfield's Babber that sang and sang and sang for three days before FINALLY perching on a branch where we could see it -- were more of a challenge! An Orange-bellied Flowerpecker rummaged in flowers just off the dining deck and a Lesser Fish-Eagle flapped along the river and perched for a while in a tree near some of the cabins.
Our night outings brought a mix of birds, mammals, herps and invertebrates. Three species of tree frogs dotted the leaves around the frog pond, while a Malaysian Star Tarantula lurked under the roof of the nearby shelter. Spotty Malay Civets nosed along the roadside. A Black-crowned Pitta snoozed on a low branch, little more than a round red ball of feathers, and a Sabah Partridge blinked from a perch over our heads. Gould's and Blyth's frogmouths called softly (and repeatedly) from the dark forest, as did a Eurasian Eagle-Owl, though we couldn't pull any of them into view. Three species of flying squirrel -- Red Giant, Black and Thomas's -- scampered up huge trunks or peered down from high branches and a sizable Bornean Boa stretched across a trail. We found a couple of chevrotains (formerly Greater and Lesser mouse deer), a handful of Sambar feeding near the cabins and a Buffy Fish Owl that made the pool area its hunting ground. After three busy days and nights, we headed back to Lahad Datu for our flight to Kota Kinabalu, with a lucky few picking up a glimpse or two of the Crested Firebacks that sprinted across in front of the vehicles on our way out. At the airport, a Buff-banded Rail kept us entertained while we waited for our plane to arrive.
Early the next morning, we wound our way from the city up to the Crocker Range National Park, arriving at the Gunung Alab substation in a misty rain, with foggy drops coating the vegetation and an ominously silent forest all around. After marveling at the unexpected collection of moths that had been attracted to the lights in the campground's bathrooms, we slogged our way slowly up the hill, happy that the rain was diminishing with every step. And as the drizzle lessened, the birds began to appear. An Aberrant Bush-Warbler twitched through roadside ferns. Little Cuckoo-Doves trundled along branches, drawn in by Todd's excellent imitation of their song. At the hill's summit, Little Pied Flycatchers and Ashy Drongoes sallied from a chain-link fence around the transmission towers. Several Mountain Black-eyes, a swarm of Chestnut-crested Yuhinas and a White-throated Fantail flitted through fruiting trees. At a former photography blind, a pair of Snowy-browed Flycatchers put on a great show as we waited (in vain, as it turned out) for a calling pair of Crimson-headed Partridges to make an appearance. A walk along the busy highway lower down in the park brought us a cooperative Black-and-crimson Oriole, a group of Bornean Leafbirds (close enough we could clearly see the distinctive blue on their wings), a trio of Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrikes, several Bornean Bulbuls (sporting their jaunty topknots), a singing Golden-bellied Gerygone, a sky-blue Verditer Flycatcher and an appropriately named Long-billed Spiderhunter.
We finished the tour in the cool highlands of Mount Kinabalu -- a welcome relief after our toasty days in the lowlands! This is where most of Sabah's endemics reside, and we encountered many of them during our three days there. Things started with a bang on our very first morning, when we found a trio of spectacularly green Whitehead's Broadbills right at the bottom of the lodge driveway while waiting for the (very late) gate guy to arrive. (Turns out he had overslept after staying up half the night to watch the World Cup matches!) We spotted a showy male Whitehead's Trogon sitting on an electrical wire alongside the park road, and a few days later, found his more subtly-plumaged (but still gorgeous) female in a tree nearby. On a slow drive up the mountain one morning, we spied an Orange-headed Thrush bouncing in the gutter in the pre-dawn half-light. A bit further along the road, we found a couple of Everett's Thrushes -- a scarce endemic restricted to a few high peaks on Borneo -- doing the same. A little group of Mountain Wren-Babblers worked their way up a steep hillside to swirl through a tangle of downed branches right beside the trail, singing lustily all the while. At the end of the park road, the area around the Timpohon Gate drew a gaggle of regulars attracted by a mix of berries (thanks to a variety of fruiting trees) and moths (thanks to a multitude of security lights). Chestnut-crested Yuhinas investigated a chain-link fence, Indigo Flycatchers and Ashy Drongoes sallied from light poles, Velvet-fronted Nuthatches patrolled tree trunks, Yellow-breasted Warblers and Mountain Leaf-Warblers probed leaves, Chestnut-hooded and Sunda Laughingthrushes twitched through low branches or bounded across grassy lawns and a quartet of colorful Gray-chinned Minivets lit up a dull gray morning. A tiny Bornean Stubtail swiveled on a branch almost within arm's reach, belting out its ultra high-pitched song for those who could still hear that upper register. A walk along the Silau-Silau trail brought us close looks at Penan Bulbul and Bornean Whistler, while a Bornean Shortwing scurried through the undergrowth like a turbocharged mouse. And we ended our stay with a trio of noisy Bornean Green-Magpies sharing caterpillars and a lizard they'd captured after long minutes of working through the trees around the Hill Lodge parking lot.
Thanks so much for joining us for the adventure. It was good fun sharing the wonders of that magical island with all of you! Thanks too to our trio of local guides -- Jumaidi (Jay), Sabinas and Adrian -- for all their help and local knowledge. I hope to see you all again somewhere, some day!
OTHER SIGHTINGS OF INTEREST:
Mammals:
Wrinkle-lipped Free-tailed Bat (Mops plicatus)
Philippine Slow Loris (Nycticebus menagensis)
Horsfield's Tarsier (Cephalopachus bancanus)
Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina)
Sunda Silvery Langur (Trachypithecus cristatus)
Maroon Langur (Presbytis rubicunda)
Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus)
Eastern Gray Gibbon (Hylobates funereus)
Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Pale Giant Squirrel (Ratufa affinis)
Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii)
Plantain Squirrel (Callosciurus notatus)
Bornean Black-banded Squirrel (Callosciurus orestes)
Jentink's Squirrel (Sundasciurus jentinki)
Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrel (Sundasciurus everetti)
Least Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus exilis)
Tufted Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus whiteheadi)
Red Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista petaurista)
Black Flying Squirrel (Aeromys tephromelas)
Thomas's Flying Squirrel (Aeromys thomasi)
Malay Civet (Viverra tangalunga)
Small-toothed Palm Civet (Arctogalidia trivirgata)
Northern Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)
Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata)
Greater Indo-Malaysian Chevrotain (Tragulus napu)
Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain (Tragulus kanchil)
Sambar (Rusa unicolor)
Herps:
Reticulated Python (Broghammerus reticulatus)
Bornean Keeled Green Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus)
Jade Treefrog (Rhacophorus dulitensis)
File-eared Treefrog (Polypedates otilophus)
Black-eared Treefrog (Polypedates macrotis)
Rough-sided Frog (Pulchrana glandulosa)
Bornean Horned Frog (Megophrys nasula)
Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
Flying Lizard sp. (Draco sp.)
Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenata)
Smith's Giant Gecko (Gekko smithii)
Olive Tree Skink (Dasia olivacea)
Common Sun Skink (Eutropis multifasciata)
Water Monitor (Varanus salvator)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/542172
You can see my iNaturalist report of non-avian taxa at this link: https://uk.inaturalist.org/projects/borneo-june-july-2026
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/bor26bTRIPLIST.pdf
-- Megan