Help needed for 2 week itinery for Sabah / Sarawak in August

Hi,
I booked flights yesterday & arrive in Kuching on 17th August (2 1/2 weeks from now) &, rather naively thought i'd just do my usual 'turn up & see where i end up' thing. However, having just opened my newly purchased "Lonely Planet Borneo", it seems like this may be a stupid idea and i may actually need to do some planning!
My main goals for the trip are to see as much wildlife as possible & maybe get a few beach days too.
I had planned to spend a few days in the Kuching area then get a bus or plane to Sabah & spend rest of the time there.
However im open to suggestions and would be really grateful for some itinery advice as i have little free time before i leave & it seems i need to book ahead.
As it stands, ive come up with the following:
Day 1: overnight in Kuching;
Day 2: head to Bako NP for 1 night;
Day 3: early rise to see wildlife in Bako then head to Santubong
erm, thats it so far!
Despite what it seems, i am a fairly experienced traveller, ive just had this time off work forced on me with little noticed & am not used to travelling in peak holiday season!
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Scott

Hi,

Is there any particular reason, you don't think you can just go with the flow in Borneo?

I was there in May on a very spontaneous trip before starting a new job. I literally bought the ticket from Europe on Monday, arrived to Kota Kinabalu on Friday and then backpacked from there. The only thing planned and booked in advance was the 1st night in a hostel. In my opinion, it is quite easy to go with the flow.

I don't think it will be to much of a problem travelling in August either, except if you are really fussy about accommodation (good hotels).

Hi,
Thanks for your reply.
Yeah, i read quite a few things saying i won't get accommodation / wont be able to get to certain places due to it being crazily busy in August.
lol, i am fussy about hotels but not good ones, i just like them cheap! I generally book the 1st night in advance (didnt even used to bother doing that until i had a total nightmare in Sri Lanka 2 years ago lol) then wing it from there but got the distinct impression that may be a bad idea.

If you are into wildlife and beaches, you should spend your time in Sabah, rather than Sarawak.

Decent beaches in Sarawak are IMHO here:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sarawak/Sematan/ (from Kuching 1 1/2 hours by taxi)
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sarawak/TanjungDatu/ (accessible from Sematan; pretty secluded place)
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sarawak/Similajau/ (north of Bintulu, beautiful beaches)
I'm not a big fan of Santubong.

Mulu NP is a very special place (caves, jungle, trekking), even if it's very difficult to see wildlife:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sarawak/Mulu/
You could stop in Mulu on your way from Kuching to Sabah (fly Kuching - Mulu and Mulu- Kota Kinabalu).

Wildlife places in Sarawak would be Semenggoh (orangutans) and Bako (proboscis monkeys).

In Sabah you have many islands with great beaches:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sabah/Beaches/
and the best wildlife spots Malaysia has to offer:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/Sabah/Wildlife/

Thanks Alfred, you've given me loads to work with.

If you fly to Kuching anyway and like wildlife do definitely not miss Bako NP (there are not only proboscis monkeys; you do not need a guide (saves cash (unlike Mulu f.e.)) and there are enough trails for more then a day). To book a bed visit their office in Kuching when you arrive.

It is not really close to Kuching but have a look at Kinatabangan in Sabah where there is a lot of wildlife to see (a bit touristy, but one can see indeed a lot).

For the beaches you could check out also the Tip of Borneo.

Officially you need a guide in Mulu, but the last two times I've been there I went to the caves without a guide. There were no checkpoints.

Current plan is:
Day 1: arrive in kuching
Day 2: Semenggoh Nature reserve
Day 3: Bako
Day 4 & 5: sematan or santubong
After that im pretty much going to wing it, see how i feel at the time. The idea is to go to do some sort of river safari in Kinabatangan & Danum valley then head back to a beach for last couple of days.
Thanks for all your input, has been most helpful :)

Day 3: Bako is perhaps better done by doing Semenggoh in the morning of day 2, and leaving after that to Bako.

Ah, ok. Thanks Alfred :)

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