Start: 2nd December 2024 | End: 12th December 2024 | Meeting location: Kinabalu Airport | Spaces available: SOLD OUT
Included in the tour:
- Expert herpetologist guides.
- Accommodation.
- Transport.
- Food & drinks.
- National park entry fees.
- Permit fees.
Black-striped coral snake (Calliophis nigrotaeniatus).
Chasen's mountain pit viper (Garthius chaseni).
Dark-headed ground snake (Stegonotus caligocephalus).
Masked tree frog (Leptomantis angulirostris).
Schmidt's reed snake (Calamaria schmidti)
Kinabalu gliding gecko (Gekko rhacophorus).
Kinabalu dwarf pipe snake (Anomochilus monticola).
Stuebing's slug snake (Asthenodipsas stuebingi).
Sabah pit viper (Trimeresurus sabahi).
Sarawak keelback (Hebius sarawacense).
Malcom's pit viper (Trimeresurus malcomi) juvenile.
Everett's tree frog (Philautus everetti).
Kinabalu krait (Bungarus flaviceps baluensis).
Malcom's pit viper (Trimeresurus malcomi).
Chasen's mountain pit viper (Garthius chaseni).
Kobyashi's horned frog (Pelobatrachus kobyashii).
Nights 1-5: Mount Kinabalu
After meeting for lunch in Kota Kinabalu, we will immediately drive to the highlands of Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in the region, and prepare for 5 nights of herping in montane forest. There are many trails, roads and streams to explore in this beautiful area, and we will explore them both day and night in order to maximise our chances of encountering the best of the best.
The cool-weather, high-elevation forests of Borneo have simply staggering levels of endemism. The holy grail of the highlands is undoubtedly the mesmeric Malcolm's pit viper (Trimeresurus malcomi), which can grow to incredibly impressive sizes and occurs way up the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, living sympatrically with two other species of highland-specific vipers. Heavy rain encourages movement of the highly-cryptic Chasen’s mountain pit viper (Garthius chaseni), while the Sabah pit viper (Trimeresurus sabahi) is abundant regardless of weather. Both the black-striped coral snake (Calliophis nigrotaeniatus) and world-famous Kinabalu krait (Bungarus flaviceps baluensis) inhabit these highlands, feeding primarily on smaller snakes. Most other snakes we will encounter are small reed snakes, but there are many rare and remarkable colubrids here which we will certainly see several of.
Unsurprisingly, along with a brilliant diversity of snakes comes an equally incredible number of endemic lizards and frogs. The Kinabalu crested lizard (Hypsicalotes kinabaluensis) is our personal favourite lizard here, albeit rare, while the more commonly-seen Kinabalu gliding gecko (Gekko rhacophorus) is another highlight. The huge Kobayashi’s horned frog (Pelobatrachus kobayashii) is an unmissable frog target, as well as many other moss-camouflaged and colourful tree frogs. All species mentioned here amongst countless other gems can be seen in the images below, and this is just a fraction of the herpetofauna present in the area.
Bengkulu cat snake (Boiga bengkuluensis).
Many-banded mangrove cat snake (Boiga dendrophila annectens).
Jasper cat snake (Boiga jaspidea).
Dark-headed cat snake (Boiga nigriceps).
Frilled tree frog (Kurixalus appendiculatus).
Scarce wolf snake (Lycodon effraenis).
Juvenile Sumatran pit viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus).
Blunt-headed slug snake (Aplopeltura boa).
Elegant bronzeback (Dendrelaphis formosus).
Cat gecko (Aleuroscalabotes felinus).
Bornean keeled pit viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus).
Dark-necked slug snake (Asthenodipsas borneensis).
Bornean angle-headed lizard (Gonocephalus borneensis).
White-fronted keelback (Hebius flavifrons).
Hole-in-the-head Frog (Huia cavitympanum).
Everett's tree toad (Rentapia everetti).
Bornean angle-headed lizard (Gonocephalus borneensis).
Long-nosed horned frog (Pelobatrachus nasuta).
Sumatran pit viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus).
Bornean short-tailed python (Python breitensteini).
Bornean keeled pit viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus).
Bornean leaf-nosed pit viper (Craspedocephalus borneensis).
Nights 6-9: Ranau
Once our time in the highlands has concluded, we drive a short distance to our new hotel situated right beside rich, low elevation dipterocarp rainforest. Similar to the highlands, we will herp both day and night, although it is significantly warmer here during the daytime. There are beautiful forest waterfalls, hot springs, agricultural areas and much more for us to hike.
The biodiversity of Borneo’s lower-elevation forests is far too high for us to create a concise list of highlights, but our key targets will of course be the 3 lowland-dwelling vipers. The biggest and best is the Sumatran pit viper (Trimeresurus sumatranus), although certainly the rarest occurring in this area. The Bornean leaf-nosed pit viper (Craspedocephalus borneensis) is very cryptic, perfectly camouflaged amongst dead vegetation, but careful scanning will give us a great chance to find it. Lastly, the Bornean keeled pit-viper (Tropidolaemus subannulatus) is the most common species of viper, but adult females are simply magnificent and a huge target of ours. If we did not have any luck in the highlands, the Kinabalu krait (Bungarus baluensis) can also be found in this area, along with the ultra-rare Bornean blue coral snake (Calliophis bivirgata tetrataenia).
There are several impressive Gonocephalus sp. lizards occurring in the lowlands, most notably the Bornean angle-headed lizard (Gonocephalus borneensis) - adult males boasting an unreal crest of horns. The cat gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus) and Peter’s bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus consobrinus) are two fantastic gecko species. In the past, our guides have seen the ultra-rare Everett’s tree toad (Rentapia everetti) here, while heavy rain can bring out the iconic Wallace’s flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) and endemic charming tree frog (Feihyla kajau). The long-nosed horned frog (Pelobatrachus nasuta) is also common here.
Sumatran cobra (Naja sumatrana).
Banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus).
Asian vine snake (Ahaetulla prasina).
Painted bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus).
Night 10: Kota Kinabalu
The daytime will be spent packing and driving back to Kota Kinabalu, where we can enjoy a relaxing dinner together and reflect on the previous 9 nights of herping. For those still keen to herp, we will unwind with one final night herping around Kota Kinabalu, checking out completely different habitats to the previous days. Our options are coastal dipterocarp forest, coastal mangrove swamps and road cruising through agricultural habitat.
The dry, coastal forests are home to several colubrids which we may not have encountered so far, such as the oriental vine snake (Ahaetulla prasina), painted bronzeback (Dendrelaphis pictus) and eight-lined kukri snake (Oligodon octolineatus), while providing a last chance to see an adult female Bornean keeled pit viper (Tropidolaemus borneensis). Nearby, the mangroves are home to a population of banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) and some salinous-specific mud snakes. Sumatran spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana) can be found crossing the road if we are extremely lucky.
CONTACT US to get a quote and reserve your space on our first-ever Expedition Borneo and help us make it an unforgettable experience for all the right reasons!
Accommodation:
We will stay at comfortable hotels at each location, within walking distance of high-quality rainforests at Mount Kinabalu and Ranau. The standard package is two people per room, although we have the option to upgrade to a private room at each location. There is wifi and mobile service (4G) at all locations where we will be staying during this tour.
Food:
The majority of meals will be local rice and noodle dishes, but we will make several stops in more urban areas where one can also indulge in Indian and western cuisine. Every location will have easy access to local shops where one can stock up on snacks and drinks for the night of herping. All meals, drinks with meals and drinking water are included in the price, while personal drinks and snacks are not.
Environmental conditions & fitness:
The weather at our herping locations on Mount Kinabalu is very temperate, rarely exceeding 25 degrees during the day and dropping as low as 15 degrees at night. We highly recommend packing at least one sweater. At Ranau and Kota Kinabalu, it is extremely hot and humid during the day, cooling down significantly at night. This trip is scheduled during the rainy season to give us the best chance at finding some of the rarer herpetofauna, so expect several heavy downpours during our stay. Waterproof clothing and rubber boots are an absolute necessity.
During this expedition, we will not be scaling any mountains but a minimum level of fitness must be met. We advise an ability to walk 10 kilometres on hilly terrain per day. Mosquitos, leeches and other biting/stinging animals are part of jungle life, so long trousers/pants, long sleeved shirts and long socks are strongly advised.
Travel information:
All participants must arrive at the designated meeting point near Kota Kinabalu International Airport by (12:00pm) on the 2nd December 2024. We advise all guests to arrive the night before and get a good night’s sleep before the expedition begins. Daily flights to/from Kota Kinabalu Airport are available every day from multiple airports in the region, but we recommend booking far in advance.
It is the guests’ responsibility to meet all entry requirements needed to enter Malaysia, including visa procedures. Explore Herpetology can help advise entry requirements. Guests travelling from most countries do not require a visa to visit Malaysia for less than 30 days. Make sure to check the entry requirements for your country before booking. There are no current COVID restrictions in place for travellers entering Malaysia.
Guides:
This expedition is led by Steven Wong and Rupert Grassby-Lewis, who share an extensive history of highly successful herping trips together, making several scientific discoveries and finding countless extremely rare species along the way. Their combined expertise will ensure countless fantastic finds as well as an enriching experience for everyone, regardless of experience level.
Steven is a Kuala Lumpur native and professional herping guide boasting an endless catalogue of knowledge on Malaysia’s wildlife, with a specialist focus on reptiles & amphibians. His immense experience bringing groups and individuals herping at our trip locations is invaluable, and his brilliant eye for herpetofauna will make every single night of the expedition productive. Steven, as a local and ‘food enthusiast’ (*not* a foodie), is also perfectly poised to make astute recommendations for local food and drinks - for those who want to experiment and indulge in the local culture.
Rupert is a professional herping guide from the United Kingdom, specialising in the herpetofauna of South-East Asia. As director of Explore Herpetology, Rupert has redefined what is considered a ‘successful herping trip’ through an unwavering commitment to success, laser-focused mindset and multifaceted understanding of the ecology of every species we could target. He has been on field trips to Borneo on multiple occasions, finding almost every showstopper species along the way.
Steven
Rupert
