Tawau: 4D3N Maliau Basin Trekking Expedition

The experience I had hiking nearly 40kms deep into the Maliau Basin conservation area is one of the best experiences of my life! I'm not going to lie, the whole trip is super expensive for a Malaysian but it was worth it! I visited 4 waterfalls, walked along the basin rim, passed through too many forests, saw so many wildlife, plants, pitcher plants and even saw a blooming Rafflesia! The waterfalls were unbelievably beautiful and the hike was excellent. MUST VISIT IN SABAH!

Really amazing place, I would like to go back again. Staff are nice, but could use some more instruction on providing information about the facilities, shop, trails. Guide was Izzul, generally a good guide, he should try to not get too far ahead of his guests, especially at the ladders. If Borneo had more Maliau-type establishments, then there might be a better balance between development and natuee. There is utter and total destruction being wrought on biodiversity via the oil plantations which are 90% of the landscape experience on Borneo. I would wager, based on previous studies easily accessible on Google, that a combo of ecotourism like that of Maliau plus selective logging is far more profitable than monoculture of palm oil. I want more Maliau!!! Interesting studies could be done on ecological services stemming from Maliau to form a water fund and help pay for the area via payments for ecological services (water provisioning) received by the plantations.

This is an unique opportunity for hikers experienced in back country trekking (ropes, ladders, and some boulder holds). It is only 23 km over 3 days, but it is very steep and very slippery on the leaves (downhill). I found the mental challenge more difficult than the physical, as it required lots of concentration especially on the downhills. But to hike in pristine jungle! Amazing. The first night included a night drive with guide and saw lots of animals and birds around the camp. I didn't see any animals or birds on the actual hike but heard them all around - gibbons, hornbills, etc and certainly at night and in the morning. Lots of interesting flora too. No scary snakes. A guide is mandatory as the trails are not marked; but my guide was quite knowledgeable and explained what I was seeing and hearing. Mas was excellent. I am a fit 64 year old and was a bit concerned about hiking in the heat, but I am experienced in bush hiking in NZ, so knew how to manage food and water and with my guide, I was able to take my time so didn't need to worry. One pole was really useful for downhill and better than two because one hand was often on the ropes or trees. The jungle is both hot and cold - you are on the equator but you are not in the sun at any time. It is quite humid (bring your electrolytes and sweat bands) but the breezes in the jungle are cooling. At each hut there is an option to visit a waterfall, but they are actually quite far away for little side trips. The last one 'Maliau Falls' requires a very steep 10km round trip detour which makes for a 17km hike on day 3 if you choose to do it. There was a group of 10 experienced jungle hikers on my circuit; half decided to go to the last falls and half (inc me) decided to just go directly to the hut. We were pleased with that decision as the others didn't get to the hut until almost dark. They were exhausted. The last 1 1/2 km is very steep down to a river crossing and a steep climb up to the hut. They were all very tactful on whether the 'side' trip was worth it; none of them slagged it off but no one said 'so glad I did that'. If you want that adventure, know yourself and what you can do. Leave early in the morning, don't linger at the junction over lunch or at the falls, and manage your energy for the total kms. Sleeping is dormitory style, with a bottom sheet, pillow/pillow case and mosquito net provided. I did get cold and wished I'd had a bit more than my silk sleeping bag liner and silk leggings and top. A light weight blanket or extra layers would have been nice. The food provided was very good, freshly cooked stirfry/curries with lots of veggies. However I did not take the 'hot' lunch as was not going to eat chicken/rice that I had carried for several hours in 30+C degree heat. I took the apple (excellent source of water and energy) and nut bars and cookies and that worked for me. While the water is not considered 'drinkable' at the huts, the staff boiled water for all our meals and water, so my aqua tabs weren't needed. There are no bathrooms or water areas on the trails. I didn't need the bathroom though because I sweated out all the water i consumed. A camel back is good so you can take the 1 1/2-2 litres of water in the morning as there is no top up. They advertise they sell leech socks at the little shop in the Maliau research center, but they had almost sold out when I got there and only had 2 pairs of one style left, so I could have been up a creek. If possible, order some before you go. You need them. I brought a proper rain poncho and definitely needed it a couple of times. When it rains, it comes on suddenly and is torrential! I made the mistake of setting out my clothes in the dorm the night before and they were damp the next morning. It is so humid that as the temperature drops, you get a dew effect. Your only sun to dry things is in the afternoon when you arrive at camp, but if it is overcast or wet, that can be a problem, so be sure to have extra clothing. You need to bring all clothing/ personal items, body towel, head torch, and a light blanket for the bed. Dorm huts are very basic. Like many places in developing Asia, squat toilets and bidets are common, so be sure to bring loo paper (and deposit in the bin not in the toilet) if that's important to you. There was opportunity in 1st two huts to share chargers on one strip but no power was available in last hut, so a charged up power bank was good to have. There's no cell coverage though, so just put the phone on airplane mode and save the battery for photos. The showers are cold water - almost too cold after being so hot outside - and I basically just did a big rinse vs a full soap up. You can leave a suitcase at the research center; I left mine at my hotel in Tawau, and it saved me maybe 45 minutes at the end. When you exit the trail, you can choose (in advance) to be picked up at the last lodge to go directly back to Tawau or to detour to research center for luggage and/or shower. The drive to Tawau is a good 4 hours though and you exit the jungle in early afternoon, so take that into consideration. The transport was lovely comfy aircon cars.
If you are an experienced hiker looking for a unique adventure, this is truly special. It is a long trek to get here and not something many people would experience. I was very glad I did it.

We drove to Maliau Basin in Jan 2022. We were fascinated with the field centre. The accomodation is off the ground and all the walkways are connected which means you are at eye level with trees . It gave us a great opportunity to observe wildlife. The canopy walk is also worth a visit. We did 2 trails which were very nice. We saw Gibbons, read leaf monkeys, long tail macaque, marble cat, leopard cat, deer, civets, squirrels, lots of insects and birds, lizards etc etc. The list is long. Accomodation and food is good.

We stayed at Maliau Basin for 2 days of trekking which isn't really enough to see all there is to see but if you are not used to spending nights in lodges and camps in the middle of nowhere this may just be enough. From the Conservation Centre - which offers rather Basic rooms but nice views and a good night drive - we hiked up to the Nepenthes camp. The hike is around 7,5 km and around rather steep for 2,5km. The path is well kept so with decent shoes and some experience not really a big deal but in the humid heat it can be quite exhausting.

Bring Leech socks. Seriously! We removed around 80 of These from our shoes in 5 hours. You can buy them in KK for around 8€ per pair and we would have gone crazy without them. Also bring plenty of insect Repellent, sleeping bags and a lot of water.
Apart from these inconveniences the trip was really great. Didn't see that many animals on the trek but lots of plants and not a single other tourist. Nepenthes camp could be somewhat improved I guess but it was fine for one night. The toilet facilities .. well .. get use to squatting toilets. We did finally see some Civet cats in the evening and plenty of birds in the morning. Hiked back down to the Centre having gained an experience that is hard to compare but it was surely a great one!

Thanks to Tom and the AAB (Adventure Alternative Borneo) team, the Maliau Basin Trek was an experience of a lifetime ! Our guides Don and Chun made the experience extra special - they were so knowledgable and so lovely ! And the facilties were simple but comfortable - the cooks at each camp served us the most wholesome and delicious food. I was so worried about my fitness before the trek but with average fitness and despite the humid conditions, every day was full of wonder and amazement!

And Maliau Basin, pristine and protected, is simply a magical place. I don’t think our brains and eyes can conceive of the extent of biodiversity that one experiences in such a place! Every step you take, between tree roots and carpets of leaves, a zillion living organisms buzz and hum and just be. Frogs of a myriad colours and hues and some that sounded like birds, orchids hiding their grace amidst ferns and mosses of infinite kinds, cicadas that filled the forest with haunting sounds, fungi that infected giant forest ants and made them into “zombie ants” that did their bidding, climbed up and died at the edge of a leaf so that the fungus could disperse its spores, worms that secreted gastric juices to dissolve and consume a moth 3 times bigger than itself! And hundreds and hundreds of pitcher plants patiently waiting for their prey! Highly reccomend the full trek - you won't regret it !

Maliau Basin is the only location I've visited in Sabah where there weren't any oil palm plantations nearby. Great for wildlife and conservation.