Real Borneo

Accommodation on this trip is on a multi-share/twin basis. Solo travellers will share a room with other travellers of the same gender. You’ll get the chance to stay in a variety of accommodation on this trip, from village huts and jungle lodges to hostels and hotels. It can be basic, but it’s always comfortable. A single supplement is only available on the hotel nights in Kota Kinabalu.

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement is only available on Days 1 and 9 and is subject to availability. All other nights you’ll be in shared accommodation. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. We recommend that you check your government's advice for their latest information on travelling in Eastern Sabah before your departure and ensure that your travel insurance covers you for all areas of your itinerary. Further information can be found in our "Safety" section of the Essential Trip Information. You can find links to prominent government travel advisories our Travel Alerts page https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/travel-alerts

What you need to bring will vary according to when you are travelling. Generally speaking, we recommend you pack as lightly as possible and make sure that you are able to carry and lift your own luggage, and walk with it for short distances. As well as your underwear, toothbrush and other items you always need to pack for travel, below are some items that you specifically need for this trip., LAUNDRY– you will have access to paid laundry facilities on this trip, every couple of days in most destinations. We recommend you take a few set of clothes to wear for times when you don’t have access to a laundry.

LOCAL DRESS - Malaysia is a liberal Muslim country, and many Malaysian women do not wear headscarves. However, Malaysia is very conservative when compared with standards you may be accustomed to at home, and you should dress accordingly. As a general guideline, shoulders, cleavage and knees should be covered when travelling in Borneo except when on the beach. Wearing skimpy clothing is considered disrespectful to local culture at many of the small local communities we visit.

ESSENTIALS
- Long trousers/long skirt/shorts (Denim not recommended due to humidity – cotton or quick drying clothes are better)
- T-Shirts/cotton shirts
- Long-sleeved top (for evenings when mosquitoes are out)
- Comfortable shoes for walking with a good grip: Closed-in shoes that are comfortable to walk for an entire day are recommended
- Sandals/flip flops/easy to remove footwear:
- Sun protection – hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm
- Insect repellent
- Day Backpack – for carrying snacks, water bottle, camera etc
- Lightweight waterproof jacket – It is not unusual to encounter a short down pour even outside of the rainy season while traveling through South East Asia
- Swimming costume
- Torch or head lamp - for the Rainforest Discovery Centre night walk and around your accommodation at night. Some properties have limited lighting and are powered by generators that switch off at a certain time.

RECOMMENDED
- Personal medical kit. Your guide will carry a large kit but we recommend you carry items such as, mild pain killers, bandaids and electrolytes.
- Camera with spare batteries/charger
- Electrical travel adaptor plug
- Torch/flashlight
- Hand sanitizer
- Water bottle – some hotels may have filtered drinking water to refill your bottle.
- Money belt or pouch
- Binocluars for spotting wildlife

OPTIONAL
- A good book, a journal and music player
- Deck of cards if you like to play cards with your traveling buddies
- Travel washing line and Bio-degradable washing detergent

MORE!
If you need some further tips for packing, you can always check out our ultimate packing list., https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list, WATER BOTTLE
Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. Although it can be difficult to avoid bottled water when travelling, please use the water dispensers which are provided on some of our vehicles and at some of our accommodation. Your group leader or local representative will advise whether tap water is safe to drink in your destination, and if it is, you can simply refill it with tap water. When unable to avoid bottled water, it is better to buy the largest available and distribute it into your smaller bottle for the day. If you are walking or trekking as part of your trip you will need to carry at least 2L of water with you.

TOOJOU Kota Kinabalu, 12, Jalan Masjid Lama, Bandaran Berjaya, Kota Kinabalu, 88000, MALAYSIA, Phone: 088 534888

Alternate Joining Point

At Kota Kinabalu International Airport, If you have any problems and cannot locate our transfer representative please go to the Airport Information counter (located on the same floor at arrivals) and ask them to call our transfer operator at +60 16-815 8511 or +6 088 317 378

If your flight is delayed or you have been put on a different flight number please call our local operator in advance to let them know as the driver is only able to wait for 1 hour past your scheduled arrival time.

TOOJOU Kota Kinabalu, 12, Jalan Masjid Lama, Bandaran Berjaya, Kota Kinabalu, 88000, MALAYSIA, Phone: 088 534888

At Kota Kinabalu International Airport, If you have any problems and cannot locate our transfer representative please go to the Airport Information counter (located on the same floor at arrivals) and ask them to call our transfer operator at +60 16-815 8511 or +6 088 317 378

Alternate Finish Point

If you have a transfer to Kota Kinabalu Airport, your driver will collect you from your accommodation 3 hours before your flight time. If your driver has not arrived within 15minutes of the scheduled pickup time please ask the hotel reception to call our transfer operator at +60 16-815 8511 or +6 088 317 378. Your group leader will reconfirm this with you before departing.

Breakfasts included: 8

Lunches included: 5

Dinners included: 5

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your group leader or local representative will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule, our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. If you have dietary requirements and/or food allergies, please let your booking agent know prior to departure.

CHINESE NEW YEAR:
An important 15 day festival for the Malaysian Chinese, based on the lunar calendar in January or February. In 2025, the Year of the Snake is scheduled to be held from 29 January.This can be a busy time and some transport delays, shop closures and reduced opening hours at some sites may be expected, but there are also many fabulous festivals and rituals to observe during this time, so it's a great time to travel. Although we make all reasonable efforts to avoid disruption, a flexible approach from travellers is appreciated if choosing to travel during this time in Malaysia.

RAMADAN
The important month of Ramadan will be in progress 1 March to 30 March 2025 and the Eid ul-Fitr festival will be held directly at its conclusion for 3-4 days. Ramadan is a festival of sacrifice where the devout refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours. During Ramadan, business hours are shortened, including opening hours at some tourist attractions. Alcohol is not permitted during daylight hours and many restaurants will be closed. While you should expect some delays and inconveniences during this period, the month is a fantastic opportunity to travel in a Muslim country and witness this unique period, particularly the nightly celebrations when the sun sets and the fast is broken. Please note that although the Eid ul-Fitr festival can also be a fascinating time to travel it's a period of national holiday. Most government offices and businesses will be closed and some tourist site opening hours may be affected.

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

Available for phone call or WhatsApp call on +60 138 815 813

OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.

TWIN SHARE / MULTI SHARE BASIS
Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on a different Intrepid trip than your own.

CHECK-IN TIME
Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.

PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.

Please note some of the multishare/dormitory accommodation can be mixed gender.