Today we leave for Borneo from your chosen departure airport, arriving into Sarawak’s Kuching International Airport (KCH) the following day.

• Meals: Dinner

Following your arrival, we transfer the short distance (20-30 mins) to the Heritage Quarter of Kuching. Situated close to the Sarawak River, our small boutique hotel is the perfect place to rest up following your flights. This former boarding school has been painstakingly renovated and retains many of the building’s original features as well as a lovely pool for those looking to take a dip or relax.

With most flights arriving late morning / early afternoon we’ll meet up as a group for dinner in the early evening, which will be taken at one of the great local restaurants situated close to the hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 100 Metres Approx.

We start the Trans-Borneo journey with a morning speedboat ride from Kuching Pending Jetty to Sarikei Sibu with a scenic 3.5 hour boat trip that follows the coastline of Sarawak.

Our bikes will be waiting for us near the jetty in Sibu and after unloading and changing into cycling gear we take lunch before saddling up for our first taste of rural Sarawak on two wheels with a warm-up ride to Sibu where we plan to arrive mid-afternoon.

Once checked in to our accommodation there will be time to roam the city’s lively bazaar and scenic waterfront. Dinner will be at one of our favourite restaurants with famous local dishes such as kampua (noodle) and kongpia (mince meat bun) ready to treat your tastebuds.

NB: At the time of writing, the Kuching – Sarikei Express Boat has yet to restart operation after the Covid-19 pandemic. If this service is no longer available, we will make a 5 hour land transfer from Kuching – Sarikei on the newly completed Trans-Borneo Highway in place of the express boat journey to Sarikei before our warm-up ride.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 100 Metres Approx.

Sibu is the major river gateway to Central Sarawak and the Sibu Central Market next to the riverfront is buzzing with trading activities in the morning. After breakfast, we take a quick stroll to the Sibu Central Market to explore this unique market experience before taking a district speedboat for a 2 hours boat trip to the town of Dalat.

The boat journey will take you along a meandering waterway, passing Melanau villages, timber and sago processing factories and Iban longhouses. Back on land and after a quick lunch at one of the wooden shophouse cafes, we cycle the backroads experiencing rural Sarawak at its best as we cycle past colourful remote villages and sago tree plantations.

The road is pretty flat and we’ll end the day by riding to a costal resort. Tonight meal is taken in downtown Mukah where we discover some of the area’s famous delicacies including Umai, a dish of fresh raw fish.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 280 Metres Approx.

Our route today flirts with the sea the whole distance and is more undulating than your first day’s cycling, especially the latter stages. The morning sees us passing through several rustic, rural towns which provide some welcome shade and an excuse to stop for a cold drink or two or to gorge ourselves on the juicy papayas, melon or mangoes which grow abundantly here. In the afternoon we continue, exploring a series of quiet roads through some seemingly-endless palm plantations.

We end our longest stage with a very short transfer (to avoid some busier roads as we approach Bintulu), to the Similajau National Park and it is here, in more tranquil surroundings, where we will spend the evening in our delightful chalet-style accommodation.

NB: At the time of writing (April 2022), the Similajau National Park chalet-style accommodation is still undergoing significant renovation. If this accommodation is still not available, we will overnight at one of the Bintulu city hotels.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 720 Metres Approx.

The natural sounds of the National Park will wake us early and we’ll enjoy breakfast in the company of exotic birds and other flora and fauna before continuing our journey north.

After spending a few more kilometres hugging the coast, the road begins to undulate and villages become less frequent and noticeably smaller. At around 70km into the ride we arrive at Similaju where we will stop for lunch before pressing on through more typical rural land, paddy fields, and villages. The lush scenery leads us finally to the Niah Cave National Park.

The Niah Cave system is considered to be of enormous archaeological importance and, set against a dramatic backdrop of limestone cliffs and pinnacles that dominate the skyline, there is a lot to savour here. Depending on park opening schedules during our visit, we will spend time, either this evening or tomorrow morning before departure, enjoying the spectacles, especially the painted cave houses and the Great Cave, home to hundreds of thousands of bats and swiftlets.

NB: At the time of writing (April 2022), the Niah Cave National Park accommodation is still undergoing renovation. If this accommodation is not available, we will overnight at one of the Niah Town hotels.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 365 Metres Approx.

Our destination today is Miri, a city which found wealth during the region’s oil boom but has somehow managed to retain a friendly, small-town atmosphere. The city, sitting on a stretch of coastline looking out across the South China Sea, is in close proximity to Sarawak’s most attractive and photogenic beaches and with this in mind we will make an early start today so that we can take full advantage.

The route today follows a lovely coast road and is mainly flat so we’ll be aiming to arrive in Miri in time for lunch with time in the afternoon set aside for relaxation. We can choose between simply enjoying the facilities at our beautiful hotel or, if time allows, taking an excursion to visit one of the beaches.

We’ll arrange to meet up in the evening to watch the sunset and enjoy pre-dinner drinks before heading out into town to enjoy dinner together.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 770 Metres Approx.

We’ll start the day with a short transfer to safely clear the hustle and bustle of Miri’s busy city-centre traffic. Soon after getting back on the bikes we’ll cross the Baram River and once passports have been dutifully stamped we’ll temporarily say goodbye to Malaysia and enter Brunei.

Thanks to its bountiful oil and gas reserves Brunei is one of the richest countries in the world, with its head of state, the Sultan of Brunei, famed for his huge personal fortune. Culturally vibrant, Brunei’s population is roughly two thirds Muslim and contrasts noticeably with neighboring Sarawak & Sabah.

From the border we continue our way eastwards past Kuala Belait and Seria, home to the majority of Brunei’s oil and gas industry. After lunch at Seria, rolling rural roads through the lush green vegetation lead us past the Andulan Forest Reserve, through Tutong, and ultimately to Bandar Seri Begawan, the country’s capital.

After checking in to our hotel, we can take a stroll through the city’s historical center where the skyline is dominated by the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, one of the most magnificent mosques in South East Asia. We can also see Kampong Ayer (literally ‘water village‘), the world’s largest stilt community, dating back over 600 years, with its cluster of some 40 villages connected by 24 miles / 38km of boardwalk.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1,400 Metres Approx.

We’ll make an early start to avoid the traffic and it won’t be long before we are out of the city and once again riding quiet rural roads through farmland and paddy fields. This will be our hilliest stage so far and it really marks the end of the first, mainly flat, phase of our tour. We’ll have to keep passports handy as we will be making three international crossings, passing from Brunei to Sarawak to Brunei and finally Sarawak once again.

We’ll spend some time in Limbang, a charming Sarawak town which, as home to Bruneian Malay, Kedayan, Iban, Lun Bawang and Orang Ulu people, is a genuine cultural melting pot. The whole place buzzes with border trade and, after soaking up the atmosphere wandering through the bustling Tamu (Wet Market), we’ll settle for lunch on the waterfront from where we can observe the locals trading fresh vegetables, fruits and seafood.

As we press on after lunch the terrain really does start to get hillier and towards the end of the day we make our final border crossing before eventually reaching Lawas, the northernmost town in Sarawak. We’ll spend the evening close to the river and a short distance away from the center of the town. We’ll have dinner in an amazing outdoor Hao Wei restaurant offering a huge array of delicious seafood treats.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1,850 Metres Approx.

It’s time to bid farewell to the state of Sarawak as we enter Sabah and prepare to cross the mountains of the Crocker Range. This impressive mountain range is the home to Mount Kinabalu which at 4,095m / 13,400ft is the highest mountain in Malaysia and separates the west and east coast of Sabah.

The day begins, as many have until now, with approximately 18 miles / 30km of flat rural riding, but almost as soon as we cross the state border in Sabah, the road begins to rise and it isn’t long before things get considerably more lumpy. By the time we’ve reached the 43 mile / 70km mark the gradient ramps up into the mid-teens and things are suddenly much more serious as we weave our way upwards through the lush pristine rainforest. Thankfully the challenge is a relatively short one and within a few kilometers we‘re enjoying the magnificent vistas and preparing for the inevitable thrilling descent into Tenom.

The fertile land surrounding Tenom is primarily an agricultural area and boasts the famous Tenom highland coffee plantations. Naturally we’ll overnight at a small hotel close one of the town’s coffee factories so that we can sample the local produce with ease. For lovers of a brew, the Old School Coffee House, with an indulgent slice of cake, takes some beating!

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 1,440 Metres Approx.

The road from Tenom begins with a long but steady climb brushing the edges of Crocker Range and although we‘re climbing for most of the day with the high mountains as a backdrop, our route through the paddy fields is mainly along a gently rolling road. Having completed the first significant climb of the day we’ll descend into the charming old town of Keningau at approx 25 miles / 40kms, where we’ll replenish energy levels with dim sum and bak tuk teh, a famous regional dish consisting of a hot and savory herbal broth.

More upwardly rolling roads follow and the day’s second climb leads us ultimately to Tambunan at an altitude of 750m / 2460ft above sea-level. The pleasant town set in a valley enjoys a mild tropical climate all year long and is surrounded by hills peppered with villages and beautiful terraced paddy fields.

This highland area is home to the Dusun people who grow mountain rice on the hills and are famed for their Lihing and Tapai, fermented rice wines which we can sample over dinner before retiring to our simple hotel set amongst the paddy fields.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 2,100 Metres Approx.

The last day of the ride is also the most challenging with the tough ascent of 1,100m over the first 30km. The route passes through the northern age of the Crooked Range National Park that is blessed with spectacular jungle scenery.

Before we make the final descent, we make a stop at a local restaurant for an early lunch and take a stroll to shop for local natives products and handicraft. Back on the saddle, it is all the way downhill with a descent of 1,700m to the flat plain of western Sabah. The incredible winding descent offers spectacular views of Kota Kinabalu and the South China Sea on the way down. The ride ends in Kota Kinabalu with the final 15km through the city’s suburbs. Once in Kota Kinabalu we check into our hotel near the central district.

Once settled in to our centrally-located hotel we‘ll take a stroll along the waterfront where we can visit the vibrant seafood market or just relax at one of the many bars before meeting up in the evening for a final farewell dinner.

• Meals: Breakfast

Time for one more bowl of noodles before we head to Kota Kinabalu (BKI) for onward connections.