Tour Details
GETTING THERE
You will need to arrive into Kuching International Airport (KCH) between the hours of 9am and 5pm on your tour start date. You will be met at arrivals by a representative who will then transfer you to your first night's accommodation in Kuching (approximately 20 minutes away) for a welcome dinner and your first night’s stay.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
There is no prior visa required for most nationalities to enter Malaysia as a 90-day tourist visa is granted on arrival. However, please check the Malaysian Immigration website for detailed information.
MEALS AND BEVERAGES
Three meals per day, plus drinks, are provided throughout the tour. Meals typically consist of noodles, rice, vegetables, tofu and meat, and are prepared by local members of staff. Please note that alcohol is not provided but may be purchased at different times throughout the tour.
FITNESS AND SKILLS
This tour does not involve a lot in the way of physical labour but does involve trekking in the rainforest - usually in fairly humid conditions. With treks ranging from 1-4 hours and taking part across slippery mud trails, we recommend a good level of fitness for anyone taking part.
No Contact Policy
We are often asked whether or not travellers will have the chance to touch or play with the orangutans whilst at the wildlife centres. Our answer to this question is, and will always be no, and there is good reason for this.
Orangutans are highly susceptible to human diseases, and something as minor as the common cold can prove fatal to these great apes. Also, an environment of constant change, with new people going to the centre every month and being in contact with the orangutans would be very detrimental to the orangutan’s wellbeing. With no consistency in their lives, behavioural problems arise. They also have a tendency to begin to trust humans which is damaging should they be released back into the wild, as they will become easy targets for poachers. Finally, an orangutan is around 7 times stronger than an adult male human, so a no-contact policy is just as crucial for your wellbeing as orangutan welfare.
That is not to say that you will have no interaction with the orangutans, it simply means that you will have no direct contact with them. You will still have the opportunity to observe them, either at one of the orangutan rehabilitation centres that you visit on this tour or – if you’re lucky! – out in the wild, and an opportunity to assist with enrichment and husbandry will surely make a difference to their lives. For more information, please read our article on contact with orangutans by clicking here.