Cycling Borneo from Sea to Jungle

We ride 303 km over 8 cycling days. The journey takes us across a large swathe of northern Sabah, from the shores of the South China Sea to the foothills of Mount Kinabalu and from the jungle-rich banks of the Kinabatangan River to the edge of Sepilok Forest Reserve. All days except for day 6 include a vehicle transfer before and/or after the ride to avoid busy highways, inaccessible plantation roads, and to keep the distances manageable. The roads are mostly paved but with enough jaunts onto gravel and dirt that Mountain Bikes are the preferred companion for the ride! We have one day off-saddle when we visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

The cycling is complemented with a wide variety of opportunities to be immersed in nature and we have designed this route to give you a good chance at wildlife sightings — including, of course, the famous orangutans. It is important to be aware, however, that encounters are not guaranteed. We encourage you to come with an open mind and let the whims of nature surprise us. Besides exploring the wilds of Borneo we also discover rural Sabah, from the ever-present palm plantations to indigenous villages, tea fields, fruit farms and the highlands of Mount Kinabalu. Ocean views and opportunities for a swim in the Pacific are highlights of the first three days as well.

Your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This is an active-level tour where riders can expect to be challenged by both the route and the terrain. The first six riding days include plenty of ascents and descents, while the final two days (Days 7 and 8) are relatively flat. Daily distances average a manageable 38 km, allowing us to take our time on the climbs and rougher surfaces while enjoying the scenery without overexerting ourselves. While we have sprinkled in some fun bits of trail riding, this tour is not suitable for riders seeking predominantly off-road experiences. Anyone with a reasonable level of fitness, comfortable on a mountain bike, and prepared to ride in the heat and humidity of equatorial Sabah will enjoy this adventure to the fullest. A support vehicle follows the group at all times. However, there are some sections where it cannot access the narrow roads and trails we ride, and pre-determined rendezvous points will be set.

Biking Conditions: On this tour, riders can expect approximately 85% of the route to be on paved surfaces, ranging from good-quality tarmac to broken, bumpy, and cratered sections. The remaining 15% consists of gravel and dirt roads, including vehicle-width tracks and occasional single-track or off-road sections. We also bike across some shallow river and stream beds. While much of the route is on quiet countryside roads with minimal traffic, we will regularly share the road with cars, motorbikes, and buses. There are a handful of unavoidable sections along main provincial roads but these are few and far between. Rainfall is not uncommon in Borneo throughout the year and can affect cycling conditions - we generally ride rain or shine though, based on the guide’s discretion or your level of comfort, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Accommodations: Hotels on this tour come in a range of different styles. The first night is spent at an elegant beach resort, after which things become more rustic but still cosy in the Kudat Peninsula (Days 2 & 3). We again enjoy elevated comforts in Kundasang (Day 4), Poring (Day 5) and Sabah Tea Garden (Day 6), before a more basic night in Telupid (Day 7). The final three nights are spent at nature lodges in Kinabatangan (Day 8) and Sepilok (Days 9 & 10) at the 3-star level, well adept at catering to those who want to experience Borneo’s wildlife without sacrificing basic comforts and a bit of pampering. Please be aware that some older properties, while charming, may show signs of wear and tear, and the service pace in Malaysia can generally be more relaxed than you might be accustomed to. Don’t expect all hotel staff to speak English. For larger groups, we may need to use more than one accommodation and, in case of limited availability, switch to an alternative property from the one listed in the itinerary.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a mountain bike or gravel bike in good mechanical order. E-bikes are not available on this tour.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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