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Malaysia & Borneo - Bird Photography Tour (Small Group)

© Stork-billed Kingfisher by Keith Valentine
Malaysia & Borneo - Bird Photography Tour (Small Group) 2025

27 Aug 2025 - 12 Sep 2025 (17 days)

MYR31,495 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Local Leader

Tour price (Per person): MYR31,495 * USD7,047 * GBP5,623 * EUR6,775 * AUD11,308

Single Supplement: MYR3,500 * USD783 * GBP625 * EUR753 * AUD1,257

Flight costs: MYR550 * USD123 * GBP98 * EUR118 * AUD197

Malaysia is a developed Asian nation offering first-class facilities, an extensive range of well-serviced national parks and nature reserves and a bounty of quality birds and mammals with amazing photography opportunities; simply put, this is the perfect destination for a bird photo tour!  

On this adventure, we will visit some of Asia’s most famous birding sites, including Fraser’s Hill, the grand Taman Negara National Park, the Kinabatangan River and Sepilok. Habitats range from lowland and montane rainforest to mangrove swamps and wetlands and these host a rich mix of typical south-east Asian birds as well as several rare species and Bornean endemics. As if this isn’t enough, it is also one of the best countries in Asia to enjoy rainforest mammals and we can expect some incredible creatures, including Orangutan, several species of Gibbon, Mouse-Deers, nocturnal flying squirrels and if we are lucky, Bornean Pygmy Elephant or Leopard Cat! Get your cameras out and join us for what is sure to be an awesome, exotic blend of fabulous birds, mammals and amazing scenery!

  • Opportunities to see and photograph a variety of Borneo’s very best mammals including Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, and Bornean Pygmy Elephant
  • Boat trips exploring the lowland rivers of Kinabatangan
  • Exploring the lush, forested slopes of Mount Kinabalu, SE Asia’s highest mountain, where an exceptional variety of endemics birds and mammals reside.
  • Spending time forest birding and photographing from canopy walkways

Top Birds

Bornean Bristlehead; Mountain & Malayan Peacock-Pheasants; Crested Fireback; Malaysian, Crimson-headed & Red-breasted Partridges; Storm's Stork; Helmeted, White-crowned, Wrinkled & Rhinoceros Hornbills; Buffy Fish Owl; Blyth's & Gould's Frogmouths; Whitehead's, Diard's, Red-naped & Orange-breasted Trogons; Garnet, Malayan Banded, Bornean Banded, Giant, Blue-headed & Black-crowned Pittas; Whitehead's, Long-tailed, Silver-breasted, Dusky, Green & Banded Broadbills; Banded Kingfisher; Red-bearded Bee-eater; Fire-tufted, Brown, Golden-naped, Mountain, Bornean & Black-browed Barbets; Crested Jayshrike; Bornean Treepie; Sultan Tit; Bornean Green Magpie.

Top Mammals

Orangutan; Proboscis Monkey; Sunda Colugo; Red (Maroon) Leaf Monkey; Siamang; Greater Slow Loris; Borneo & Lar Gibbons; Leopard Cat; Bearded Pig; Asian (Bornean Pygmy) Elephant; Red & Thomas's Giant Flying Squirrels; distinct chances of Clouded Leopard; Flat-headed & Marbled Cats; Malayan Tapir; Binturong & Horsfield's Tarsier.

Habitats Covered

Lowland and montane rainforests, mangroves, rivers, wetlands, coastal mudflats

Expected Climate

Generally hot and humid, cooler in highlands, some rain expected

Max Group Size

1-6 with 1 local guide

Tour Pace & Walking

Moderate. This tour has a lot of trail walking and early starts. Not suitable for anyone with mobility or health challenges. • Our Bird Photo Tours are a hybrid between our Classic birding tours and dedicated photographic tours. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or have the biggest lens; this is for everyone with an interest in photography and birding. Whether you’re using a bridge camera or the latest body and prime lens, our aims are the same. • These tours are not aimed at seeing the most species possible on the route, rather taking time to photograph key targets and any other interesting species we may find. Naturally, the overall species list will be lower than a comparable birding focused tour. • Whilst we may use blinds, feeders and hide setups on some of these tours, we will not be spending an entire day nor even several hours fixed in one spot. • These tours are suitable for photographers who prefer opportunistic photography over entire days in a hide. • Our leaders will assist in helping everyone secure good photographic opportunities and advise as much as they can on camera setup. However, they are not professional photographic tour leaders.

Accommodation

Comfortable to very comfortable.

Ease of Birding

Bird density can be low at some sites but also quite high and rewarding at other times. Several difficult targets and skulking understorey species that require sitting/standing for periods of time to

Photographic Opportunities

Generally good to very good but can be challenging at times given the forest habitats. Some dedicated blinds / hides / feeding stations.

What our clients say about us

Glen Valentine
SP, Malaysia & Borneo

Glen did a fantastic job on this tour. Birding in the lowland rainforest looking for Pittas was certainly a challenge! Glen was informative, patient and persistent, and did his best in making sure that the entire group saw these fascinating birds. The itinerary was comprehensive, the accommodations were great and the food was excellent. Overall, a wonderful trip.

Adam Walleyn
JB & CM, Malaysia & Borneo 2020

Our local leader and Adam Walleyn made a great team; we appreciated Adam’s great skill at spotting and identifying the mammals and herptofauna, which is an important part of any birding trip for us.

Glen Valentine
JW & MW, Malaysia & Borneo

We felt that the trip was very well organised and efficient so we could spend as much time in the field as possible. Glen was a terrific guide - excellent birder as well as his concern that everyone was seeing the birds. Glen was very even in his manner at all times and with everyone.

Adam Walleyn
BR, Malaysia 2023

The Rockjumper guide (Adam Walleyn) is fantastic. His vast knowledge, enthusiam and helpfulness are exceptional. He always made sure that all saw the animal, and explained the plans for the day in detail. I am less enthusiastic on some of the Malaysian guides. Lieuw (guide in Sabah) is an exceptional birder and helped us to find many specific birds, but his key interest is to present specific (endemic) birds to the customers. I can understand that most tourists that travel with him are listers that want to see as may endomic bird species as possible, but for somebody that wants to enjoy nature as a whole this is at times too much. Having said that,, Liew is a great guy that shared many pictures with us, is extremely enthusiastic and can explain very well how certain (closely related) species differ from each other.

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