We are in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. We were last here in 1992, our very first trip to Asia! Back then everything was new and very exotic. I was hesitant to return to Borneo knowing it would be very difficult to top our inaugural visit to the Asian continent. However, the draw of seeing wildlife was too strong to resist and we booked a trip in September through Adventure Alternative Borneo. This time the focus would be entirely different.
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| Our 1st Trip to Borneo in 1992 |
Our first destination was Kinabalu Park, established in 1964 it's Malaysia’s first World Heritage Site. The main draw is the majestic Mount Kinabalu, at 13,435 feet it’s one of Southeast Asia’s highest peaks. We scaled it in 1992 so there was no need for us to climb it again.
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| Peggy on Mt Kinabalu, 1992 |
This time we were here to look for birds with our guide, Henry and set off along the main road in search of avian quarry. We saw around 27 species including Sunda Laughingthrush, Indigo Flycatcher, and two endemic species: Whitehead’s Trogon and Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush.
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| Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush |
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| Whitehead’s Trogon |
Not to be outdone by the birds, the squirrels were out in full force. We saw Bornean Black-banded Squirrel, Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrel, Jentink’s Squirrel and this adorable Tufted Pygmy Squirrel feeding on lichen on a tree right next to the road.
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| Tufted Pygmy Squirrel |
We passed a memorial and several trees that had been planted in memory of the 18 people who had died during the 2015 Sabah earthquake. One was dedicated to Robbie Sapinggi, Henry’s brother and mountain guide, who had given up his life to save others!
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| Robbie Sapinggi Memorial |
On the way to Poring Hot Springs, an hour's drive away, we stopped at the Adenna Rafflesia Garden to check out the blooming giant rafflesia. The first flower was very large at 71 cm. The second two blooms were slightly smaller, around 50 cm. Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. It contains approximately 28 species, all found in Southeast Asia. The species with the world’s largest flower is Rafflesia arnoldii. It can grow to be 3 feet or 91 cm across. The species we were seeing was Rafflesia keithii.
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| Rafflesia keithii |
We visited Poring Hot Springs back in 1992 just 2 years after the canopy walkway was open to the public. In fact, it was Dr. Illar Muul whom we met in Peru in 1991 who encouraged us to go to Borneo. He was instrumental in designing and building some of the first canopy walkways in the world. Basically, a series of aluminum ladders were bolted together and suspended over the rainforest canopy from steel cables. The open rungs of the ladders were covered with boards and netting enclosed both sides so you felt somewhat secure.
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| Marc on the Canopy Walkway |
For most tourists, it’s the thrill of being 140 feet above ground which draws them to the walkway but for us, it was the opportunity to see the canopy birds. We spent several hours on a platform watching and photographing birds. The highlight was this colorful Black-and-yellow Broadbill who perched close by!
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| Black-and-Yellow Broadbill |
We returned to Kota Kinabalu where we spent the night before flying to Tawau the next morning. We were met by our guide, Chun, who is also the president of 1StopBorneo Wildlife, a volunteer group founded in 2012 to raise awareness of Borneo’s wildlife through education, animal rescue and release, and ecotourism. To find out more about 1StopBorneoWildlife and how you can help go to:
We were on our way to Tawau Hills Park and hoped to see Borneo Pygmy Elephants which we didn’t see during our first trip. Not long after settling into the Bombalai Jungle Lodge near the park headquarters we heard the haunting calls of gibbons! We went to investigate and found a small troop feeding on figs low in the forest. They were endangered Northern Gray Gibbons (Hylobates funereus) recently split from the Bornean Gibbon (Hylobates muelleri).
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| Northern Gray Gibbon |
Also called the lesser apes, gibbons differ from great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and humans) in being smaller, not exhibiting sexual dimorphism and not making nests. Like all apes, gibbons are tailless. They move with great speed and agility through the trees by brachiation, swinging from branch to branch using only their long arms.
That night Chun showed us some of the smaller nocturnal inhabitants of the rainforest including insects, amphibians and an amazing gliding Thomas's Flying Squirrel. We watched in awe as the squirrel glided about 100 meters illuminated by the light of the full moon.
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| Thomas's Flying Squirrel |
The next morning we drove to Sabah Softwoods Berhad (SSB), a nearby palm oil and softwood plantation that seemed an unlikely place to look for Borneo Pygmy Elephants. A couple of SSB employees, Watie and Jamal, a wildlife warden met us in the early afternoon. Before searching for the elephants, we had to help plant seedlings into a wildlife corridor that SSB and 1StopBorneo Wildlife are creating to connect Tawau Hills Park to the Danum Valley Conservation Area. Jamal showed us how to plant the trees by first digging out a square 12 inches wide on each side and about 8 inches deep. A sapling is then placed into the hole along with some fertilizer and covered with dirt. Marc, Chun and I each planted 3 trees. It was hard work and I was dripping sweat but we worked as fast as possible. I was motivated to finish quickly to give us more time to find the elephants. I hope our trees survive!
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| Peggy Planting a Tree |
We drove around the plantation for almost an hour without seeing an elephant or any recent signs of them. I was beginning to think they were absent today. Around 4:20 we spotted our first elephants! A small herd of around 6 were at the bottom of a steep pitch in the road. They were 200 meters away but Jamal said we could get out of the truck and approach them on foot.
The Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is a subspecies of the Asian Elephant and the smallest elephant in the world. How they got to Borneo is still under debate. Some suggest that they were brought here by the Sultan of Sulu in the 17th century while others contend that the pygmy elephants were isolated about 300,000 years ago from their cousins on mainland Asia and Sumatra and indigenous to Borneo.
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| Borneo Pygmy Elephants (photo courtesy of Chun Xing Wong) |
The Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is a subspecies of the Asian Elephant and the smallest elephant in the world. How they got to Borneo is still under debate. Some suggest that they were brought here by the Sultan of Sulu in the 17th century while others contend that the pygmy elephants were isolated about 300,000 years ago from their cousins on mainland Asia and Sumatra and indigenous to Borneo.
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| Borneo Pygmy Elephants |
We returned to the truck and followed them along the road. On the way more and more elephants joined the herd, there must have been 25-30! The herd kept getting bigger and bigger.
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| Elephant Herd on the Road |
Finally, they moved off the road and we were able to get past. Just when we thought we were in the clear we caught up to another 12 or so. Fortunately, this group moved off the road quickly. In all, I’d say there were 35-40 elephants, at least half the plantation’s population of 60-80! I hope they make use of the wildlife corridor. In recognition of our effort in planting trees, Watie presented us with a certificate.
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| Watie Presenting Tree Planting Certificates |
Our return to Borneo was already off to a great start. We had already seen so much more wildlife than on our first visit. We’d like to thank our guides Henry and Chun for sharing some of the marvels of Borneo with us and for all their work in helping to protect this very special place! Stay tuned to see more of the weird and wonderful creatures of Borneo!
We hope all is well with everyone.
Peggy and Marc
Our route map:
Our route map:
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