Borneo Part Four: Danum Valley
Danum Valley Rainforest
June 2018
The Danum Valley Conservation Area has been protected by the Malaysian government to preserve this remains area of Borneo's rainforest and save the home for its endangered species like the Orangutan.
We arrived at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge after a two hour drive over dirt roads. This ecolodge is set on a river deep in the unlogged native growth rainforest. The Lodge was fully booked and we were lucky to secure spot for our trip. We splurged and rented the luxurious two story villa overlooking the river. Yes this was our "bucket list" trip so why not go all out, and it was worth it.
Our days at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge with filled with hikes with our guide and relaxing at our villa in the afternoon. The food at the Lodge was excellent, great buffet with Asian and Western dishes, great wines and always interesting people to share the stories of the day with. After dinner we always had a night hike or a drive with our guide to spotlight even more wildlife. This was an area rich with birds and wildlife and lots of wild Orangutan high in the trees.
There are many trails that surround the Lodge, so we were able to take a new one each morning. They were adventures that let to sightings of Read Leaf and Silver Leaf Monkeys. We even had a group of Red Leaf Monkeys sit outside our Villa and eat the red leaves of a tree near our deck.
And yes, there are leeches in Borneo but don't let the scare you off. If you dress right no problem, see my outfit below. But I should have left my sleeves down because I did find a leech on my upper arm one day in the bathroom after I retuned from a hike and stripped down. I didn't feel a thing, just a bit of blood streaming down my arm where the leech had fallen off onto the floor (see photo below). It was my badge of honor for hiking in the Borneo rainforest :-)
Borneo was a trip of our life that was perfect in every way. The country, its cities, villages, roads and forests are clean, safe and welcoming. There is so much to experience there I hope to return but doubt we will because there is so much more to see in the world. If you go you won't be disappointed. If you love experiencing nature and still having great accommodations this is the trip for you. I hope that my blog posts were helpful and inspire you to travel here in your future.
Enjoy the Journey, Bernie
June 2018
The Danum Valley Conservation Area has been protected by the Malaysian government to preserve this remains area of Borneo's rainforest and save the home for its endangered species like the Orangutan.
We arrived at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge after a two hour drive over dirt roads. This ecolodge is set on a river deep in the unlogged native growth rainforest. The Lodge was fully booked and we were lucky to secure spot for our trip. We splurged and rented the luxurious two story villa overlooking the river. Yes this was our "bucket list" trip so why not go all out, and it was worth it.
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| Our "villa" came with our own concierge who greeted us after hot hikes with cool lemonade. |
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| Our river view. |
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| Our private pool. |
Our days at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge with filled with hikes with our guide and relaxing at our villa in the afternoon. The food at the Lodge was excellent, great buffet with Asian and Western dishes, great wines and always interesting people to share the stories of the day with. After dinner we always had a night hike or a drive with our guide to spotlight even more wildlife. This was an area rich with birds and wildlife and lots of wild Orangutan high in the trees.
 |
| After a 900' elevation gain hike in the heat, this was our reward, a view down to the resort on the river. |
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| We did a lot of this! |
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| Wild male orangutan high in a tree, shot with telephoto. |
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| Another cool pool and waterfall during one of our hikes. |
There are many trails that surround the Lodge, so we were able to take a new one each morning. They were adventures that let to sightings of Read Leaf and Silver Leaf Monkeys. We even had a group of Red Leaf Monkeys sit outside our Villa and eat the red leaves of a tree near our deck.
And yes, there are leeches in Borneo but don't let the scare you off. If you dress right no problem, see my outfit below. But I should have left my sleeves down because I did find a leech on my upper arm one day in the bathroom after I retuned from a hike and stripped down. I didn't feel a thing, just a bit of blood streaming down my arm where the leech had fallen off onto the floor (see photo below). It was my badge of honor for hiking in the Borneo rainforest :-)
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| Red Leaf Monkey eating red leaves! |
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| No caption needed. |
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| Found on the bathroom floor, a happy leech. |
Borneo was a trip of our life that was perfect in every way. The country, its cities, villages, roads and forests are clean, safe and welcoming. There is so much to experience there I hope to return but doubt we will because there is so much more to see in the world. If you go you won't be disappointed. If you love experiencing nature and still having great accommodations this is the trip for you. I hope that my blog posts were helpful and inspire you to travel here in your future.
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| Bobbi and I on Canopy Walk bridge. |
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| Sunset over the Danum Valley rainforest. |
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