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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

RFI: visiting Danum Valley FC/ Borneo rainforest lodge (1 Viewer)

J

James Lowther

Well-known member
Hello,
i'm visiting Borneo in november and would love to visit Danum Valley but am getting confused/alarmed at the permutations/costs involved?

I just can't justify the outlay to stay at BRL so that leaves DVFC, maybe with a day trip to BRL tacked on.

Trouble is the information on DVFC on the web seems rather nebulous and the place itself a bit changeable...

I guess my main questions are:-

can a visit to DVFC be arranged in advance (and if so how?) or do you have to wait until you get to Lahad Datu?

how do you arrange a day trip to BRL?

are there travel agents/ guides who can arrange the whole lot for you in advance and if so are they worth splashing out on?

any other tips for getting the most out of a stay at DVFC?

any help gratefully received!! :eek!:

cheers,
James
 
James Lowther said:
Hello,
i'm visiting Borneo in november and would love to visit Danum Valley but am getting confused/alarmed at the permutations/costs involved?

I just can't justify the outlay to stay at BRL so that leaves DVFC, maybe with a day trip to BRL tacked on.

Trouble is the information on DVFC on the web seems rather nebulous and the place itself a bit changeable...

I guess my main questions are:-

can a visit to DVFC be arranged in advance (and if so how?) or do you have to wait until you get to Lahad Datu?

how do you arrange a day trip to BRL?

are there travel agents/ guides who can arrange the whole lot for you in advance and if so are they worth splashing out on?
any other tips for getting the most out of a stay at DVFC?

any help gratefully received!! :eek!:

cheers,
James
Click to expand...

James,

I recommend fellow BF member Horukuru @Jason Reyes. He is a bird guide who is based in Kota Kinabalu and does take clients for bird tours all over Sabah. Bird guides like him definitely make getting those rare ticks on your bird list easier. To get his profile and see what equipment he uses, please see this thread http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=180382.

Hope this helps sir :t:

Hor Kee
 
Hi guys,
thanks for your tips. DV does sound like an area where a guide would be useful - if only to help with the arrangements! But it does come down to cost again.
If the guys who run BRL and DVFC are so difficult to get hold of from abroad - do most people do it on the hoof in Sabah then?? seems rather terrifying to me (in the sense that it might not work out).
cheers,
James
 
James Lowther said:
Hi guys,
thanks for your tips. DV does sound like an area where a guide would be useful - if only to help with the arrangements! But it does come down to cost again.
If the guys who run BRL and DVFC are so difficult to get hold of from abroad - do most people do it on the hoof in Sabah then?? seems rather terrifying to me (in the sense that it might not work out).
cheers,
James
Click to expand...

I believe most visitors just hire a local guide who will do everything for you. Best to give them a bit of time though as I've read that BRL does restrict non-staying guests. I stand to be corrected though.
 
BRL books up a long way in advance during peak-season. Give them a phone call first, rather than email so then you will get an answer.

At BRL you will be designated your own in-house guide as part of the package. Most of them are excellent with nature in general and some know the birds very well - mention to them you are a birdwatcher and they will give you one of the bird guides.

Nothing daunting about booking it, it is fairly straight-forward once you have made contact.

Enjoy the trip - Danum Valley is a wonderful place, one of Asia'a finest.

James
 
when I went I emailed repeatedly from NZ without reply. so when I got to KK I just went to the head office and booked it there. But when I got to the Lahad Datu office they didn't know anything about the booking (even though at the KK office I was sitting right there while the lady arranged it over the phone with the Lahad Datu office). It does all seem a bit random trying to get there. I have heard the prices have all gone up a lot as well since I was there (in 2009)
 
thanks everyone,
seems that booking DVFC (as opposed to BRL) is a bit hit and miss but i'll give it a whirl!
It's confusing because there are at least 3 websites for DVFC and 2 for BRL out there!
If you travel without a guide to DVFC what is the score (normally) with walking the trails etc.??
cheers,
James
 
Hi James,

Visited in 2008. Tried working something out in Lahad Datu. The Field Centre was "closed for a workshop" and BRL's rates were ridiculous. So I found this alternative: http://www.tabinwildlife.com.my/

Staying there was about as expensive as BRL but they would allow you to day visit, which is what I did at MYR256 for the day (including cooked lunch). You're able to drive your hire car in (roads muddy but passable) through the dreaded oil palm plantations to the centre, and then on up to the start of excellent forest ("Core Area"). Visited dawn to dusk, excellent. Seems management was in a state of flux at the time, maybe things are different now?

Cheers,

Jon
 
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