3-Day Pedal and Paddle Sarawak

We start early with a transfer to visit Semenggoh Nature Reserve, a large, enclosed area of rainforest which is home to endangered orangutans rescued from captivity and kept for rehabilitation. During the scheduled feeding time, some orangutans may descend from the rainforest to the lower branches of trees near the feeding platform.

After feeding time, it’s time to start riding. Using winding, rural back roads, we pedal through a series of kampong with small scale pepper farms, rice fields, and plantations. We arrive at a large, 200-year-old Bidayuh Tribe’s longhouse that houses over 80 families. Join one of the host families in the longhouse to enjoy freshly cooked bamboo chicken and wild jungle vegetables. 

After lunch, explore this peaceful Bidayuh longhouse and learn about the culture of the Land Dayaks who were once headhunters. The remainder of the afternoon is free and easy, you can opt to swim in the mountain stream before enjoying another authentic longhouse meal at a Bidayuh homestay.

Accommodation: Annah Rais Longhouse Homestay

Meals: Lunch and dinner

After a quick transfer to reach the start of your kayak adventure, we paddle through the rainforest on a meandering river, shaded by overhanging tree canopies, the sounds of trickling water, and chirping insects and birds will surround us. We get back into the saddle to cycle one of the most scenic stretches of riding on this trip to reach Bau, the oldest goldmine outpost in Sarawak.

After lunch, we head off-road to explore some hidden gold mines and experience the moderately challenging off-road up and downhill through some spectacular limestone karst landscape! Along the way, we stop by two caves (both National Reserve areas), the Wind Cave, filled with bats and the majestic Fairy Cave chamber. We then finish our ride for the day at the historical shophouse town of Siniawan for a merry evening of dining before an early night at a simple but uniquely Asian shop lot guesthouse.

Accommodation: Siniawan Heritage Hostel

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

After an early morning traditional noodle breakfast at an old town coffee-shop (kopitiam), we get ready for a full day of riding. Prepare yourself for riding across a suspension bridge, taking a traditional boat ferry, and pushing your bike across the jungle stream. We ride using shaded back roads under the mountain before stopping for a breather at a jungle waterfall for a refreshing dip and lunch break.

We then head to the Matang Wildlife Center in the early afternoon for another encounter with the orangutans, as well as other endemic Borneo wildlife such as the sun bears, sambar deer, and hornbills. We then end our adventure and transfer you back to your city hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Our bike tours are fully supported by air-conditioned vehicles, so should you want to put your feet up, there will be a seat for you and a place to put your bike. The support vehicle also carries your luggage, as well as keeping you topped up with water, tropical fruit, and snacks.

Wearing a helmet is strongly recommended on all our biking adventures. Your tour leader will conduct a group cycling safety meeting on day one, as well as a briefing at the beginning of each day on what to expect during the day’s ride. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue but, to a certain degree, you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. For non-biking activities such as kayaking, safety measures such as life-jackets are compulsory and a separate safety briefing will be given before the start of each activity.

Meals and snacks are included as per the itinerary. We take care in our planning to include the best of Sarawak cuisine, including delicacies from a mixture of Dayak, Malay, and Chinese cuisine that all use local, fresh ingredients from the tropics. Some can be hot and spicy. We eat dinner together, Malaysian style, by sharing all of our delicious dishes. Alcoholic drinks are available at your own expense, but they might not be served in some Muslim halal restaurants.

We have carefully chosen the best available accommodation in different locations with friendly, local hosts. To ensure your comfort after a hard day in the saddle, we strive to offer a range of accommodation that is clean, comfortable, and represents the local culture. The type of lodging can vary depending on the location and what is available: a local tribal homestay, a jungle lodge, a national park cabin, a historical shophouse, and seaside resorts. Rooms are based on a sharing basis with double beds and if you are a single traveler, you might be paired with another traveler of the same sex unless you pay the single supplement.

The details of the number of cycling days, cycling distances, and difficulty levels for each tour are listed in the fact sheet. All our trips require basic fitness, preferably acquired through cycling. The fitter you are, the more you’ll enjoy the riding. However, we try to make our Sarawak bike tours as accessible as possible with the average cycling distance of 30-40 km per day and the longest distance no more than 70 km. Most cycling terrains are on paved roads (and limited gravel tracks) with some undulations.

Being on the equator, Borneo is generally hot (average daily temperatures are around 30 degrees Celsius) and humid, especially around noon. Therefore, we like to start our day early and rest at points of interest during the hottest part of the day. Short rain showers are fairly common during the mid to late afternoon but we provide waterproof ponchos for continuous riding, which can actually be very entertaining.

Once you have booked your tour, we will send you a pre-tour information pack that will have all the information you need to prepare for the tour, such as the packing list and joining instruction, etc.

Solo travelers are always welcome and those who would like their own room have the option of paying a single supplement. Otherwise, we will arrange for a shared room with another solo traveler (of the same sex) at no extra cost. If there is no roommate available, we will cover the additional cost of a single room.    

We include very limited corporate insurance coverage with minimum coverage. It is a condition of participating in a Paradesa Borneo that each traveler holds his or her own travel insurance for the duration of the trip. It needs to include coverage of medical expenses, emergency evacuation, personal liability, and accident insurance. You should email us a copy of your insurance coverage for our reference in case of an emergency.

The official currency is the Malaysian ringgit (RM). Foreign currencies are not generally accepted and currency exchange is only available in major banks, as well as larger hotels. Credit cards can be used only in larger hotels and shops. ATMs are widely available in cities and towns, but you’ll need cash in villages to pay for some extra meals, drinks, activities, and, of course, shopping. There will be limited opportunities to spend money whilst cycling through rural areas outside of personal items, extra snacks, drinks, and the odd souvenir. Tipping at restaurants and for local guides and support staff is uncommon. Should however you feel the staff/guides have provided excellent service you may wish to give them some form of gratuity. We recommend that you bring an equivalent of US$ 400 (in Malaysian ringgit) for incidentals.