Star Clippers have launched new Borneo itineraries of either ten or eleven nights depending if you are travelling west or east. Borneo home to orangutans, Irrawaddy dolphins and clouded leopards is truly an exotic destination and perfectly explored on a small manoeuvrable ship like Star Clippers. The ten night itinerary starts from Singapore and finishes in Kota Kinabalu.
After setting sail out of Singapore, spend two days at sea heading towards Borneo, with the first port of call being Kuching. Kuching offers modern shopping malls and eateries with traditional landmarks such as the Tua Pek Kong Temple, the Kuching City Mosque and Fort Margherita.
From Kuching to Bintulu with its jungle trekking or hill climbing continues the exotic adventure. The on to Miri with a visit to Niah National Park offering impressive caves and waterfalls. Head to the Esplanade Beach at Luak Bay to soak up the sun. Although not part of Borneo, the small, uninhabited coastal island of Pulau Tiga is fantastic for snorkelling or dive and uncover the treasures of the surrounding waters, or enjoy a detox session with some therapeutic, natural volcanic mud.
Brunei also features in this itinerary. One of the smallest countries in the world, it offers a grand mosque and is also home to Kampong Ayer – a village where houses seem to float on the water. It is the largest stilt settlement in the world and is thought to date back more than 1,000 years.
The cruise finishes in Kota Kinabalu which is an excellent place to do some land sight seeing including travelling to Sandakan to the Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre, where you can observe man’s closest relative being rehabilitated for life in their natural habitat. There is also an opportunity to see sun bears in their natural habitat, via a walk in the tropical low land of Dipterocarp Forest.
One of the best ways in which to see proboscis monkeys as well as a range of native bird species is to embark on a short cruise along the Menanggul River towards Sukau village. These monkeys are known for their distinctively long red noses, so be sure to have your camera at the ready.
The smaller size of the Star Clippers ships means sailing to and docking at a range of destinations generally considered inaccessible to larger vessels. This makes them the perfect base upon which to explore the mesmerising south-east Asian island of Borneo. With so much to see and do across the island, it really does pay to enhance your cruise with pre and/or post-cruise stays and Star Clippers offer complete Fly/Cruise/Tour packages of 13 to 17 nights from $5,499 per person, twin share.
Prices for a ten night/eleven day cruise only start from $3485 per person twin share.
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