4D/3N Wildlife Expedition Permai Rainforest Resort

Day 1

At 9.30 in the morning, your guide will pick you up from the hotel and you shall proceed to Permai Rainforest Resort for your check-in. The resort is approximately 30 minutes away from the city. It is an eco-resort set within the immaculate Borneo rainforest. It is built in an effort to minimize the impacts on the natural environment of the rainforest and also to conserve the environment. It is set on the shores of the South China Sea and at the foot of Mount Santubong.

The Permai Rainforest Resort caters to the different needs of people. For instance, those seeking relaxation will be able to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the atmosphere. Those bringing their families will find it to be private and fun whereas training groups will enjoy the refreshing natural environment, all the more to motivate and energize. The resort is safe and easily accessible for both adventure and exploration.

In the late afternoon, you will take a boat ride to the Mangrove Forest and see the Proboscis Monkeys. Once the monkeys are spotted, take your time to observe, study and take pictures of them.

Before nightfall, leave the forest to watch the beautiful sunset and as soon as it gets dark, enter the forest again in the pitch black state to watch crocodiles upriver. If you shine your torch towards a crocodile, you will be able to see its red, glowing eyes in the water. You will also search for fireflies here. Fireflies are soft bodied beetles that grow from 5mm to 25mm in length. The underbelly of the firefly is what makes them light up at night. You will now find them lit up among the trees making the whole stretch seem like festival decorations.

After that, you will return to the resort for an overnight stay.

Day 2

In the morning, depart the resort by speedboat at the beach. This journey will take about 45 minutes and along the way, you will be able to spot the Irrawadi or Snubfin Dolphins. These mammals have large melon rounded heads, indistinct beak, short blunt triangular dorsal fins, long and broad flippers and light coloured. They can grow up to 230cm when mature and weigh up to 150kg. Watch them as they jump up from the waters to ask for food from the local fishermen.

You will now stop and visit Kampung Salak, a Malay fishing village. The village has no electricity and still practices the simple and basic life.

The next boat ride will bring you to Satang and Talang-talang Islands, just of the coast of Santubong and Sematan. Both of these islands are main turtle nesting sites in Sarawak. Turtle Season is from May to September every year, so that would be the best time to visit and see the baby turtles hatching. If you come during other months of the year, you will also be able to enjoy the beautiful view, relax on the beach, swim in the ocean or snorkel even if you do not get to watch the turtle hatching.

On the way back by boat, you will pass by Bird's Rock, an important rockery for Black-napped and Bridled Terns. Return to the resort and have a short rest before you go on the guided Nature Walk, which takes about one and a half hour in the late afternoon. During the walk, you will see a small waterfall and go through the Mixed Dipterocarp Forest.

Day 3

After breakfast at the resort, take a 45 minute boat ride to Bako National Park. The park has been protected since 1957. You will do Proboscis Monkey sightings here since the species are only found in Borneo. Apart from that, the other wildlife you will be able to see is the long-tail macaque, silver leaf monkey, monitor lizard, green iguana, squirrels and over 150 species of birds. The Bako National Park is compact, making it easy to trek with 16 colour-coded walking trails ranging from hard hikes to gentle strolls.

The Lintang Trail enables you to pass through all types of vegetation in the rainforest of Borneo such as the Dipterocarp Forest, scrub-like Padang, Swamp Forest, mangroves and delicate cliff vegetation. The Telok Delima and Telok Paku Trail has the best vantage points with steep cliffs. You will find carnivorous pitcher plants known to devour small mammals along these sandy footpaths.

Later on, from Pandan Kecil, you will see Bako's trademark of sea stack cause by the waves. When you land on the beach at Telok Pandan Kecil you will have to continue your journey through open shrub land and keranga forest for a one and a half hour trek until you reach the mangrove forest area to see the wildlife.

You will now trek to the park headquarters for lunch at the canteen via the mangrove plankwalk. After lunch, explore the park by yourself before you go on a 45 minute trek via the mangrove plankwalk to Telok Paku and take a boat back to your overnight stay at Permai Rainforest Resort.

Day 4

Have breakfast at the resort before the transfer back to your hotel in the city at 3.00pm.