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Sabah, Borneo : July 2013 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Frogfish
- Start date
Thanks Andy. Yes that confused me for a second as no Ashy appears in the Phillips' handbook ... until I noticed the alternative in the text under Red-headed
Hi Frogfish, Just read your write-ups, and really enjoyed them. We (husband and me) plan to bird Kinabalu NP next February. We were in Tabin, Kinabatangan, and Danum in 2006, but missed Mt. Kinabalu. How easy is it to rent a car and do a self-guided trip (if we don't have the problems you did with the credit card company)? A local guide quoted MYR800 per person per day, which seems really high, even if it's peak season prices. Any recommendations for accommodations at the park and in Poring? Any other sites around Kota Kinabalu? Many thanks (also hope others can help).
Hi Trogon52,
It is easy to drive around Sabah (easy for me to say because I live in China)
Really, it's easy, and renting is not expensive either, some judicious Googling of old Trip Reports and maybe a question or two on here (or on the Lonely Planet forum - which is even better for questions related to car hire and accommodation) and you should find a very reasonably priced company (you don't need the multi-nationals but even they are not too expensive - and are way way lower than that horrendous quote you have there) ! If you reserve early enough then you won't have a problem getting a good car/rate.
I have been on another trip to Sabah since July (October - Trip Report to come !) and went back to the always excellent Sepilok, also back to Mt K, to Poring and this time also included Mt Alab. There are a few sites on Mt Alab that have some species that are either not on Mt. K or are much harder to find there. The Rafflesia centre and also the Park HQ are two that come to mind. Accommodation is more difficult in this area but can be found.
There are also other sites around KK which will get you species not found on the mountains.
Accommodation : well I don't like roughing it too much but I will also not pay over the top for up-market places either (where North American and European tourists are seen as cash-cows). In Poring I got a great walk-in rate at the Poring Hot Spring Hotel (they run the reserve) when I arrived at dusk.
However this will be seasonal and obviously depend on their occupancy. Breakfast is included in the rate (I think I paid 180 MYR for a private non-ensuite room so it will go up from there, rack rate was something like 350-400 MYR). There is a very popular B&B right opposite the entrance to the Hot Spring Hotel - it was full when I arrived, also it's very good cafe for cheap eats, with an extensive menu.
Mt K. : it's very easy to stay outside the park and just drive in (or take a taxi if you have no car - they will pick you up really early if arranged the day before) and will save you A LOT of money. The B&B's are just fine and do cheap eats too. The cafe right outside the Park Entrance is excellent and amazing value for money.
Hope this helps - any other questions I'm happy to share what little I know.
Cheers
Kevin
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Agree with this, and also it is very easy to get quickly from KK to Mt Kinabalu NP on the bus. You also don't really need transport to bird within the park itself. The trails are very well marked. There is a lot of information on the net (reports etc) about hotspots on trails for the specialities, but the hard ones do move about and you'll just need time and luck to bump into them in this beautiful area. There is also a friendly resident birder (can't remember his name without checking my report) at the park HQ, who is more than happy to chat about where he's recently been seeing some of the 'difficult' species. Best of luck, you'll love it :t:
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DMW
Well-known member
Just to second what Larry suggests, unless you really don't like walking, there's no need to have your own vehicle at Mt Kinabalu - in fact the birding along the road up the mountain is often just as good as on the trails. I wrote a mini trip report in 2011 which might give you some useful information: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=199637&highlight=Sabah.
Hi again -- have pm'ed the local guide, hope he can help. Thanks to DMW for the very useful write-up (will bring it with us). Two more questions: (1) Do rental cars come with unlimited mileage? (2) Does anyone remember the name of the B and B at Poring? Thanks again.
Hi!
We went to Borneo a couple of months ago. We used CKLeong as a guide (Borneobirds.com). Jason,(Horukuru) who has lots of entries on this forum is very informative and helpful as well as being a guide - see
http://horukuru.blogspot.com. I have not finished my report or I would send it to you.
We went to Borneo a couple of months ago. We used CKLeong as a guide (Borneobirds.com). Jason,(Horukuru) who has lots of entries on this forum is very informative and helpful as well as being a guide - see
http://horukuru.blogspot.com. I have not finished my report or I would send it to you.
James Lowther
Well-known member
I think Gunung alab is the peak by the road from kk to tambunan. That's what the roadhouse at the pass is called anyway. Rafflesia centre is about 8km downhill in the direction of tambunan, roadside birding very good round there. Frogfish may know other sites round there though.
Cheers James
