Just another Borneo report...

[jmharack]

I want to thank everyone who posts about Borneo, because I am just back from a wonderful trip informed by your collective wisdom. I don't have much to add, so will just provide some notes to supplement the great reports already on here. If/when work calms down, I will try to come back and add a few pictures. We went in the second half of July to Sabah, which is high season, so the lodges were pretty crowded. We worked with Luca of Naturalis, like many on here, and he was great to work with! We had so many changes and complications, and he rolled with everything. The trip went off seamlessly. We are really interested in birds and primates, so stayed a bit longer at places -- 4 nights Tabin, 5 nights Borneo Rainforest Lodge (a real splurge, but so wonderful), 3 nights river (KRL and Abai) and 3 nights Sepilok Nature Resort (to allow time for birding at Rainforest Discovery Center).

 

We had spectacular weather; it only rained the last afternoon. We were told that it was so dry we didn't need leech socks, and we only had one leech between three of us. I was the lucky one, and it came from charging into the bush in the dark with our terrific guide at BRL to see a slow loris. I'll take a leech any day for that experience.

 

I haven't seen a lot of reports on here for this time of year, but I had read somewhere that this is a good time for fruiting trees, which brings out the primates. We saw 18 orangutans! 3 at Tabin, 12 at BRL, and 3 at Abai. I think we were really, really lucky. We saw mothers with babies, young adolescents, and a male come down from a tree to eat some ginger and then climb back up. It was amazing. The gibbons at Tabin were great, and I would not skip Tabin, but I'd be sure to do it before BRL, because nothing compares to BRL. We hired private guides, which makes a big difference in the busy season, and for birding. Maldin at Tabin really knew his birds, and found us orangs and gibbons and great birds and the night drives were terrific, At BRL we had a superb guide named Azmil, who knows his birds really well, is highly motivated,and worked hard to put us in position to see everything possible. We saw all 8 hornbill species well, bristlehead, green broadbill, 3 pittas, and on and on. He was exceptional. Very personable and perceptive, and great company. I do think all the guides are great there from what I saw. We also spent some time talking to Din, who did the nightly presentation and the night drive. I think a serious birder would want one of these two guides. After 5 days with Azmil, I think we saw everything that could be seen at BRL in that time period (gibbons and red leaf monkeys were great too) and learned so much.

 

KRL and Abai were also terrific -- had a wonderful experience with a herd of pygmy elephants swimming at KRL, orang sightings at Abai. Boardwalk at Abai was great -- one morning a troop of slivered langurs came through, and we had the chance to see them at much closer range than we could have hoped for. I think Sepilok is skippable, but it was nice to have a more relaxing chance to bird RDC, though birding was a bit thin compared with other times of year, I think. We had booked it just in case we failed to see orangs in the wild, but obviously, we were really lucky in that regard.

 

OK, we didn't see a clouded leopard, and the only downside to the dry weather was that we couldn't find a tarsier, despite the best efforts of our guides. We'll just have to go back. Everyone was so warm, welcoming and helpful; it really was a pleasure to travel in this part of the world.

 

Thanks again to all those who set such a great path to follow!

 

[Kitsafari]

@@jmharack 12 orangutans at BRL!!! you are so lucky. it does sound that this is the best time to go. BRL leeches get everyone. there seem to be more leeches there than elsewhere.

 

I do hope you are able to put up photos. I'll look forward to that very much.

[elefromoz]

@@jmharack hello and thanks for the tip on the timing and the fruiting trees. Lots of Orangs and a Slow Loris, I do hope some photos will follow?

[TonyQ]

@@jmharack

It sounds like you had fantastic sightings (I am jealous of your Orang Utans!).

WEe used Luca at Naturalis when we went so I am pleased he worked well for you.

I would love to see some photos when you have time

[jmharack]

Hi all

 

thanks for your interest in our trip, and photos. I've put a random assortment in my gallery and think you can click on that? I'm new to this website and not sure if I've done things correctly...

[michael-ibk]

@@jmharack

 

Great sightings, and great pictures in your gallery! Elephants, Proboscis, Utan, Otter, Jungle Cat, Trogon, Gibbon, Hornbills, Kingfishers, Dragonfly ... you´ve really seen a lot!

 

You might want to include your pictures here, and you should, because they deserve to be showcased. Look her for how to post pictures:

 

http://safaritalk.net/topic/14-posting-images-in-the-text/

[jmharack]

[jmharack]

[jmharack]

[jmharack]

Thanks Michael! Sorry for piecemeal posting, this system is not intuitive for this aging poster.. I'll get the other pictures in here eventually, but so far I've posted pied hornbills, silvered langur (gray leaf monkey) and adolescent orangutan. These are from Tabin and Borneo Rainforest Lodge

[CaroleE]

@@jmharack

 

This sounds like an exceptional trip. 18 Orangutans....wow! Pygmy elephants as well. To name but two of your excellent sightings.

 

Thank you for the information regarding timing. Very useful as I would love to go back to Borneo. This time go to Borneo Rainforest Lodge or the like. Last visit it was a choice between that and Lankayan Island for diving/snorkelling. The latter won out. Which I have no regrets about. Not only incredible diving/snorkelling but it is also a turtle sanctuary therefore we had numerous turtle hatches and releases day and night. Plus a never to be forgotten, still get a lump in the throat thinking about it, turtle coming up the beach to lay her eggs. All was very well controlled so I felt very comfortable participating in these events. Well worth considering for a future Borneo trip (it is not cheap though!)

I am now off to have a look at your gallery for more photos.

[jmharack]

 

Pig-tailed macaque guarding the walkways early morning at Rainforest Discovery Center, Sepilok

 

You can go in early for bird-watching but you have to brave these guys..

[jmharack]

 

Male orangutan seen from boat at Abai; he was in the same tree as a female with a baby feeding..

 

 

Male proboscis, seen from boat at Abai

 

 

Female proboscis with baby

 

 

A different dominant male.. Abai

[jmharack]

 

Dragonfly, also from Abai

 

 

Collared kingfisher, Abai

 

Blue-eared kingfisher, Abai -- we never got tired of seeing the beautiful kingfishers of Borneo...

 

We also didn't get tired of seeing the beautiful trogons; this one is a scarlet-rumped from Rainforest Discovery Center

[jmharack]

 

Male orangutan, Borneo Rainforest Lodge

 

 

Same male on another day

 

 

We did not get tired of seeing young orangutans! They were always feeding high up, carefully watched by their mother, and hard to photograph, but so much fun to watch!

 

 

The gibbons at Tabin were amazing -- loud, hooting, graceful and moving quickly around -- so hard to photograph, but wonderful to watch; they came through the lodge area a couple times when we were there

 

 

Gibbon at Tabin

 

 

Slow loris -- intrepid guides helped us find this guy deep in the bushes; Borneo Rainforest Lodge

[jmharack]

Pygmy elephants swimming and playing on the riverbanks -- just magical

We saw this group from Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge

 

[jmharack]

 

a couple more elephant pix

 

[jmharack]

 

Other Tabin specialities -- we saw the hairy-nosed otters playing everyday

 

 

 

And the night drives at Tabin were amazing -- leopard cats are beautiful

[jmharack]

And I'll end on Borneo Rainforest Lodge and the Danum Valley - -a beautiful place with special creatures.. the red-leaf monkeys were so interesting...

 

 

An incredible variety of birds; I think we saw over 120 species there... we had great views of all the hornbills; this is a helmeted:

 

 

It was the diversity of the wildlife and range of birds and the beauty of the place that was just overwhelming...

 

 

This is why I travel..

[Kitsafari]

@@jmharack what an amazing sighting of the leopard cat! i am jealous. And you had great luck with the hornbills. we had so much problem seeing them clearly, let alone taking a photo!

 

So pleased you liked BRL. We too love the morning views.

 

When were you in Borneo? it sounds like a really fruitful trip.

[jmharack]

@@Kitsafari, I think you'd have to be unlucky to not see a leopard cat at Tabin; their night drives are quite reliable for cats. And owls, and all kinds of stuff. You can really see a lot of wildlife at Tabin, but it's not as comfortable as Borneo Rainforest Lodge, and the food is not as good. I think the two places complement each other nicely for a wildlife enthusiast or birder. I'm glad we did Tabin first. During the daytime at Tabin, you have to work harder for stuff than at BRL, but the birding is very good, especially with a good guide, and I think chances for gibbon are much better at Tabin (we certainly had better views there, but did see gibbons at both places). The otters and cats are better at Tabin too. We did Tabin to BRL to K river to Sepilok in late July, about a two-week trip.. flew into KK and out of Sandakan..

[TonyQ]

@@jmharack

Thank you for posting those photos - really beautiful. It is great to see more on Borneo and you had some fabulous sightings - I really enjoyed seeing them.

(We had to work hard at Borneo Rainforest Lodge for our sightings!)

Edited August 20, 2015 by TonyQ

[Atravelynn]

I know this has been posted a while back.  I missed it the first time around.  I can understand your choice of avatar photo.  The orangutan hair is absolutely glowing.  Fruiting trees in July--good point!  Pygmy eles are outstanding!  You have your leech bite as a badge of honor for all this amazing stuff!