BORNEO WILDLIFE PHOTO TOUR 2026 - INFORMATION & ITINERARY

NEXT DATES: JULY 19 - JULY 29, 2026

1 spot left.

(11 days / 10 nights)

THE TOUR

This unique small group tour is dedicated to putting you in the best spots to photograph and observe Borneo’s unique wildlife. Join Nicolas Rakotopare for 11 days of visiting incredible wildlife locations in the Malaysian part of Borneo, Sabah. 

This tour is designed for photographers of all levels. Nico will assist you in improving your skills while viewing and photographing some of the planet’s most iconic and unique species. The tour is also educational — you will soak up many interesting facts about the wildlife we find and photograph. During the tour, we will have time to review and process some of your images, and Nico will help you improve your skills in this area.

The wildlife highlights on this tour will include orangutans, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, frogs, reptiles and dozens of beautiful and unique birds.

Supported by experienced local wildlife guides, Nico will put you in position to shoot some stunning images while providing advice to improve your camera skills (photo and video). Nico has spent over a year of his life in Borneo, sharing his time between amphibian research and documenting the natural wonders the island has to offer. He loves taking people through the Malaysian part of the island, whether it’s their first visit or people looking to experience a place they know with better camera knowledge.

Are you a wildlife photographer, but your better half isn’t? 

No worries—nobody’s perfect! Nico has welcomed plenty of adventurous duos over the years, and guess what? Wildlife watchers have just as much fun as the photographers. Whether you’re snapping away or just soaking it all in with your binoculars, we’re always looking for the best views of these magical moments.

• TOUR DATES: 19th July - 29th July 2026

• NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 5 guests max.

• LOCATION: Sepilok, Kinabatangan River, Deramakot, Mt Kinabalu National Park.

• PRICE: AUD 9950 (All pricing on a twin/double share basis)

• Single Supplement: AUD 600.

• PAYMENT: Payment is via EFT transfer via online banking.

• RESERVE A PLACE: To deliver the best possible wildlife experience, we have to lock in sought-after accommodation, vehicles and the highly sought-after natural-history guides we trust to place us in the best viewing and photographic opportunities. These partners cannot often hold dates without upfront certainty, so we commit funds many months before the tour begins.

  • Deposit – A $ 2,000 per person

    Your place is confirmed with a deposit, which becomes non-refundable once we are within 12 months of the tour’s start date. As early as a year in advance—sometimes more—we must book lodges, camps, guides and park permits to secure the on-ground services that make the experience exceptional—arrangements that cannot, or can only with great difficulty, be resold if someone cancels.

  • Balance – non-refundable from 90 days out

    Ninety days before departure, the full tour fee becomes due and non-refundable. By then, all room nights, drivers and park permits—among many other moving parts—are fully paid. A late cancellation leaves us carrying those fixed costs, with empty beds or vehicles if no substitute guest can be found.

INCLUSIONS:
The tour price includes expert local guiding and daily photography instruction by Nico, travel within Sabah for the duration of the tour, all accommodation and supplied meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), all transport within Sabah for the duration of the tour, and all entry fees to national parks and forest reserves included in the tour itinerary.

EXCLUSIONS:
The tour price does not include international flights to and from Sabah, accommodation in Sabah before or after the tour program begins (Nico can assist with organising these), entrance fee to the rescue and conservation centres in Sepilok, extra meals other than those included in the tour, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, or personal expenses (e.g., snacks, internet, laundry, travel insurance, tips, etc.). 

THE PHOTO LEAD AND TUTOR

ITINERARY OUTLINE

• 19 July (Day 1). Transfer from the airport or your accommodation to Sepilok. Today, we visit Sepilok Forest Reserve and its famous Rainforest Discovery Centre trails and tree-top walk. Here, we aim to photograph a wide range of bird species, including Banded, Collared, Ruddy, Rufous-collared and Oriental Dwarf Kingfishers, to name a few. Various Hornbills and other iconic Bornean rainforest species are also present. Potential mammal species include Orangutans, Macaques, flying-squirrels, and more.

• Meals: Lunch (L), Dinner (D).

• 20 July (Day 2). Today, we will continue to explore the Sepilok Forest Trails, searching for and photographing more of this region’s abundant wildlife. We also have the option of visiting the two rescue and conservation centres nearby before dinner and then a nocturnal walk in search of the local “nightlife”.

  Meals: Breakfast (B), L, D.

• 21 July (Day 3). This morning, we will make the two-hour trip to our accommodation at the Kinabatangan River. The Kinabatangan is a hotspot for various primate species, including unique Proboscis Monkeys, Orangutans, Long-tailed Macaques, Silvered Langurs, Pygmy Elephants, and more. The Kinabatangan River also provides habitat for a vast number of bird species, including Oriental Pied Hornbill, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill, Black Hornbill, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, White-crowned Hornbill, Wrinkled Hornbill, Black-crowned Pitta, Hooded Pitta, Grey-headed Fish-Eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Oriental Bay-Owl, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Greater Coucal, Asian Palm Swiftlet, Edible-nest Swiftlet, Mangrove Whistler, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Sunda Frogmouth, Bornean Falconet, and various Kingfishers.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 22 July (Day 4). Morning boat safari searching for the elephants and other wildlife, afternoon at the Gomantong cave for more wildlife photography and the incredible bat-fly out at sunset.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 23 July (Day 5). While Borneo is home to hundreds of incredible bird species, it is also an internationally recognised hotspot for unique mammals. Today, our tour will continue to Deramakot Forest Reserve, where day and night 4x4 safaris will take us on forest tracks to target some of these species. The jewel in the crown of this area is the secretive yet iconic Sunda Clouded Leopard. Other targets include the Bornean Orangutan, Pangolin, Bornean Pygmy Elephant, North Bornean Gibbon, Maroon Langur, Slow Loris, Malaysian Sun Bear, Otter Civet, Marbled Cat, and more. Deramakot is also an excellent place for birdwatching, with a record of more than a hundred lowland bird species in the reserve, including babblers, bulbuls, and all eight species of hornbills. Banded Pitta and the endemic Bornean Bristlehead are also present.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 24 July (Day 6). Today, we will have time to bird around the accommodation before we take more 4x4 safaris in this incredible forest in search of more birds and mammals to photograph both in the daytime and at nighttime. As it gets hot, we often take a break in the middle of the day to rest and look at photos / do an editing tutoring session.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 25 July (Day 7). Today, we will photograph more great forest species in Deramakot, with a daytime break open to activities like editing tutorials, updating species lists, and more.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 26 July (Day 8). Our last day exploring the trails of Deramakot, searching for mammals and birds during the day and night. The option for an editing and species list session during the midday break is still possible.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 27 July (Day 9): Today, we go to Kinabalu National Park, another location with abundant bird species to see and photograph. Situated at a higher altitude and in a different ecosystem, you will be experiencing a different part of Sabah. Some of the new species we are likely to encounter include Ashy Drongo, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Indigo Flycatcher, Golden-naped Barbet, Whitehead’s Broadbill and several Trogon species and more. We will do an afternoon walk followed by dinner and a night walk spotlighting for wildlife, there are fantastic frog species calling this place home.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 28 July (Day 10). Today, we spent more time finding and photographing the endemic species of Kinabalu NP both during the day time and during a second and final night walk.

  Meals: B, L, D.

• 29 July (Day 11). Early morning bird photo walk followed by breakfast before your pickup for departing and travelling to Kota Kinabalu for your flights onwards (or ongoing travels in Borneo if you wish).

  Meals: B.

GALLERY: PREVIOUS BORNEO WILDLIFE PHOTO TOURS

(Click to see full images) - A range of memories from the 2023 and 2024 tours.