Cycling In Kuching and Northern Sarawak

•  A courteous English-speaking guide will be at the Kuching International Airport for facilitating your arrival and hotel check-in. You will be the guests of the Pullman Hotel, Kuching. It is a 30 min drive from the airport. The hotel offers stunning panoramic views of Kuching City and the Sarawak River.
• The hotel is well equipped for young travelers including a children’s swimming pool. The rooms are spacious and designed for families as the core audience. Each family room (Triple Room) has a king-size bed and a single bed. The rooms are large enough for an extra bed to be added if need be.
• The day is designed to give you some time to get used to the tropical climate and to relax away any jet lag that you may experience. The night stay at the hotel will surely be refreshing and luxurious. The hotel offers an exquisite range of dining options where the chefs take pride in local sourcing and quality produced ingredients for creating a lavish and extensive menu. Options include full-service restaurants, bar/lounge, and a café.
• Meals included: None

• The day starts with a cycling tour (half day – 5 hours). The children have a choice of kid bikes and junior bikes in a variety of sizes. Protective sports helmets are provided for the entire family.
• The cycling trip covers as much of the heritage sites as possible. It takes you through the countryside and allows you to explore the Malay Kampongs (Local villages of indigenous people). These villages are dotted all along the banks of the great Sarawak river creating a striking contrast with the urban center that is Kuching. We will ride on wooden bridges and on the banks of the river. You will enjoy a relaxed and leisurely bicycle tour through the villages. Your guide will help you experience first-hand how the kampong people live. You will be visiting a traditional Malay wooden stilt house full of historical stories to tell. The local folks are friendly and like to interact, they never fail to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
• We cycle to the local markets (most colorful during the weekends) called Kubah Ria. Experience the diverse color of tropical fresh fruits and vegetables, shop for local handicrafts, and discover a whole range of jungle produce including unique wild ferns, exotic vegetables, and even orchid plants. The market also provides a great chance to explore local delicacies, deliverance for the food lover in you. 
• We now return to our hotel for a relaxed afternoon. Enjoy the hospitality of the hotel and relax the rest of the evening. Overnight stay at the Hotel.
• Meals included: Breakfast

• A day of activity starts with a sumptuous br eakfast at the hotel. We then travel to the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, originally built to protect the Orangutans and to rehabilitate captive and orphaned ones back to the wild.
• The reserve has its own rare flora and fauna including the giant squirrel, pigmy squirrel and splendid variety of birds. Trekking trails make Semenggoh an ideal place for wildlife photographers and nature lovers.
• The highlight of the visit is a chance to see an Orangutan, your guide will help spot one during the morning feeding time. This is when the Orangutans swing down from the trees for a free handout of fruit. This reserve is one of the few places in the world where humans can interact with their shy jungle cousins.
• We return to a relaxed afternoon at the hotel in Kuching. The night stay at the hotel will give you a chance to experience Malay hospitality like never before.
• Meals Included: Breakfast  

• We check out of our hotel after breakfast. It is time for a 45 min drive to the Matang Wildlife Center. The Matang Wildlife Centre is part of the Kubah National Park. It houses endangered wildlife in large enclosed areas of rainforest and in spacious cages. The central attraction remains the Orangutan conservation programme. Matang includes spacious enclosures housing Sambar Deer, Crocodiles, Sun Bears, Civets, and Bearcats. The center has three large aviaries featuring Hornbills, Eagles, Kites, Storks and a host of other birds native to Sarawak.
• A freshwater clear jungle stream runs next to the center and has some picturesque picnic spots just a short walk from the information center. The place also has four jungle trails. The much-preferred Pitcher Trail, which follows a circular path through the forest, takes approximately two hours and trekkers can hope of spotting various species of pitcher plants that litter the forest floor at the sides of the trail. One of the picnic spots is used for a quick packed lunch and some relaxation in the form of a dip in the refreshing stream waters.
• We now start towards the Damai Beach resort which is about 1-hour drive from the Matang wildlife center. The Damai Beach Resort is designed with young families in mind. It offers 2 children's pools and a "Kids Club" with playground, board games, storybooks and organized activities (charges might occur depending on the activities offered) for its young guests. Table-tennis and mini-golf (both chargeable) are also on offer. The resort's twin-bedded Chalet Rooms are well furnished to take care of the needs of young families. We spend the rest of the evening engaging in activities at the resort and relaxing. One can also opt to relax at the beach. The night stay is arranged at the resort.
• Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

• We enjoy a simple Breakfast at the resort and start our visit to the village. This place is termed as the living museum of Sarawak and is just next to the Damai Beach Resort. The cultural center brings together the lifestyles and arts of the 7 major ethnic groups which form the traditional tribes of Borneo. These indigenous people stay in typical traditional houses and demonstrate parts of their daily work. Your guide will explain in great details about the different tribes and their background to give you a deeper understanding. The tour includes a vivid and colorful cultural show with the natives, dressed in their elaborate traditional costumes. We now return to the Damai Beach Resort then we have the rest of the afternoon free to ourselves for some relaxation and some great time with family at the beach. We spend the night relaxing at the resort
• Meals included: Breakfast

• We have breakfast at the resort and start for a 30 min drive to the small village called Bako. From here we take a 20 min boat ride to reach the national park. The national park covers the northern tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula and is spread over an area of 27 sq km. Bako contains a wide range of vegetation – swamp forest, scrub-like Padang vegetation, mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest, delicate cliff vegetation and more. Bako also contains a rich variety of wildlife and a coastline covered with small bays, coves, and beaches. The park has a number of well-marked trails offering interesting walks ranging from short pleasant strolls to serious full-day hikes. Visitors to Bako are almost guaranteed to see wildlife.  Long-tailed macaque monkeys and silver leaf monkeys are ever present, wild boar is often found rummaging around the park HQ, squirrels and monitor lizards are also common. There is every chance of seeing the rare and unusual proboscis monkeys on trails such as Telok Paku and Telok Delima, particularly if you go out late in the afternoon.
• Once the tour is over we transfer back to the resort for some leisure time. We spend the night at the ever so pleasant Permai Rainforest Resort.
• Meals included: breakfast and lunch

• It’s now time to wind down our adventure and checkout from Kuching. The transfer to the Kuc hing international airport is arranged and you will now take your flight to Bario. Bario is a community of 13 to 16 villages located at an altitude of 3500 feet. The area is called the Kelabit Highlands and is the main settlement for the indigenous Kelabit tribe. The area has its airport and we will meet here on your arrival. A transfer to a lodge/homestay is arranged.
• We will have a traditional lunch at the homestay and then will start our exploration of the Bario Valley. We will visit the traditional longhouse of Ulung Palang, the local Bario school and the oldest longhouse in Bario called Bario Asal. The distinctive part of this longhouse is that the ancient timber of the house is darkened due to the smoke from cooking fires that have helped cook food for generations. You will also get a chance to see a few ladies with elongated earlobes, due to wearing heavy brass earrings, an old tradition of the Kelabit people.
• We will return to the homestay for dinner and some rest. The facilities are basic but will cover all our needs. The night stay is arranged at the lodge/ homestay.
• Meals included: Lunch and Dinner

• This is going to be a day of exploration. We enjoy a traditional breakfast at the homestay and start our first activity. We take a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to reach Pa U mor, about 20 min drive from our homestay. This is where the road ends and we trek for the next half hour to reach salt springs, this is where the famous Bario salt is produced. Your guide will explain the entire process of how the spring water containing brine is boiled and all the water evaporated to produce Bario Salt. This salt is considered as organic and contains a rich dose of natural minerals giving it a number of health benefits. You can procure some for use back home.
• We will have a local lunch here and then start our exploration of the remnants of the megalithic culture once practiced by the Kelabit people. The entire Northern Highlands of Sarawak is home to hundreds of ancient stone artifacts. These were created by the ancient people, they were either incised, carved, erected or arranged to form impressive rock monuments. The creation of these artifacts was done as part of certain ceremonies and in Sarawak are unique to the Kelabit tribe.
• We will visit two of the more elaborate ones today. The first artifact is the Batu Narit Arur Bilit. In the local language, this translates to “Engraved Stone”. This one sits in the middle of a paddy field and depicts a human with both hands stretched up words – as though in conversation with the heavens. The second site we visit is called Batu Ipak Upai Semaring, this is a stone formation created by and named after a legendary local hero. We continue our exploration of the highlands and towards the late evening return to the homestay/lodge for dinner.  As before the night stay is arranged at the lodge/homestay and is simple in terms of amenities.
• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• We enjoy a warm breakfast at the homestay and it’s time to say goodbye to our hosts. The hospitality of the region is legendary, and you will experience it in every interaction in the highlands. We now drive to the Bario airport for our onward flight.
• Meals included: Breakfast

Notes

• The tour package is designed for young adults and is not suitable for children below 7 years of age
• The tour detailed itinerary may change due to unforeseen events - we will cover all that we have stated here only the program by day may change. For example, if our program states a city tour on Day 1, it may be postponed to Day 3 instead. This is mostly a last-minute adjustment and will be without any prior notice
• Some package can be booked on a private basis, but certain services may be on a shared basis only. This is to minimize impacts on the natural environment or if other circumstances require so. These services include the adventure caving, the rainforest kayaking, the mangrove swamp cruise, and boat transfers in Bako.
• Due to fluctuations in demand hotels can be changed without prior notice. We do assure you that any substitution will be within the offered category
• The flight availability from Miri to Bario and Vice versa are operated by small airlines that fly ATR aircraft or Twin Otter Aircrafts. This sometimes limits the luggage allowance on these flights, we recommend you check these details on your flight ticket and plan accordingly.
• If you overnight in Miri before and after this 3 days tour of Bario, your suitcases can be stored at your hotel in Miri. In case you just transit in Miri on the way to Bario and on the way from Bario to your next destination, we can arrange a representative of Pro Vacation to meet you during your transit in Miri and store the luggage for you (This facility is not included in the package; charges depend on size and weight of luggage; this must be booked in advance).
• The rules at Permai Rainforest Resort do not allow children below 12 years of age to stay alone at a tree house. They must be accompanied by an adult. For example, if a family of 2 adults and 2 children book 2 tree houses then – each tree house will have 1 adult with 1 child staying in it.
• Sightings of wildlife depend on several natural factors (e.g. weather) and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
• Rooms at the lodge/homestay are private twin-share rooms. Toilets and bathrooms (dip & splash method) are on a shared basis.