Borneo & Penang Golf Tour Feb 27 - Mar 15, 2018 UNIQUE GOLF VACATIONS
Golfing in the wild of the tropical rainforest. It has been described as Asia s Best Kept Secret. Sabah & Sarawak are the destinations in Borneo for history, mystery, romance and exotic golf adventures. The land of the fabled White Rajahs, the hornbill and the orang utan. Its rainforest, the size of Austria, houses the world s richest and most diverse ecosystem. Its variety of golf courses range from a course built around swampland to remote mountain hideaway located atop a jungle-clad plateau. Penang, situated along the north-western coast of the peninsula, Penang is Malaysia s only island state. Locals are fondly known as Penangites, many of whom will proudly tell you that the state comprising a population of approximately 2 million, is a close-knit community of diverse ethnicities, cultures and dialects.
Feb. 27 PENANG ARRIVAL Arrive into Penang and after clearing airport formalities, transfer to Hard Rock Hotel Penang (http:// penang.hardrockhotels.net/). Feb. 28 PENANG Full day Penang Grand Tour. Start the morning by visiting the Batik Cottage industry where you learn how wax on fabric is done. A stop at the fruit stall for pictures and refreshment where you will be introduced to Rubber Tapping. Continue the journey and visit the Malay Village and then the famous Snake Temple. Drive along the coastline into George Town and stop for lunch. From the British Fort to Chinese Clan Jetties, you will also visit the State Museum and the Burmese & Thai Buddhist Temple. As you go around the city, you will get to see many beautiful Colonial & Heritage Building. Grab the opportunity to take some photograph of the popular Street Arts that can be found scatter around the city. Mar. 01 PENANG Golf Morning round of golf at Bukit Jawi Golf Club (http://www.bukitjawi.com.my/golf.htm), a 36 hole championship golf resort. Lunch Mar. 02 PENANG Golf Morning round of golf at Bukit Jawi Golf Club. Mar. 03 PENANG Half day Penang Hill and Temple Tour. Kek Lok Si Temple is the largest Buddhist temples in South- East Asia. It is also known as the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddha s. The 7-Tier Pagoda of 10,000 Buddha which dominates the temple, is influenced by the architecture styles of the Thais, Burmese and Chinese. A beautiful Bronze Statue of the Goddess of Mercy overlooks the temple. Next, take the funicular train ride up Penang Hill and elevation of 833m above sea level, a cool hill retreat from the tropical heat below for a Panoramic View of George Town and experience the flora and fauna. Mar. 04 PENANG Golf Morning round of golf at Penang Golf Club (http://www.penanggolfclub.com.my/index-eng.html), a Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed course.
Mar. 05 PENANG KOTA KINABALU Transfer to airport for our flights into Kota Kinabalu. Meet our guide and transfer to our hotel, Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu (http://www.lemeridienkotakinabalu.com/). Balance of day free to relax. Mar. 06 KOTA KINABALU Golf Our first round of golf at Sutera Harbour Golf & Country Club (http://www.suteraharbour.com/golf-club). This magnificent 27 hole championship course was designed by Graham Marsh and comprises the Lake (3140m), Heritage (3176m) and Garden (3176m) Nines. A masterpiece that combines nature with ingenious architecture to create a first-class course. The course features rolling terrain, waterways and strategically-placed bunkers and its fairways are covered with Bermuda 419 and the greens, Bermuda Tidwarf. This evening board a double decker boat and cruise to the nearby Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and enjoy the beautiful sunset. Dinner on board. Mar. 07 KOTA KINABALU Golf Lunch This morning, we visit the Mari Mari Cultural Village. Upon arrival, briefing with your village guides, cross over the hanging bridge to arrive at the entrance of the village. Here, you will be ushered to the warmth of different homes of the ethnicities of Sabah. Each home was built by descendants of the tribes they represent such as the ethnic tribes, namely the Bajau, Kadazan, Rungus, Muruts and others. It offers you a truly genuine experience seeing everything in and around the village lends to its magical prowess of taking you back in time. Not only does this village portray these tribes through the architectural genius of their traditional houses, but also through a range of simulated lives of the olden epoch by the residents of the village. Acquaint yourself with each tribe as they let you come into their house and their simple yet intricate lives. Dinner
As you traverse the village, you will find demonstration huts along the main houses in which daily activities of old times come into life. For example, the making of blowpipe, starting a fire (from bamboo tree you will learn the steps of making fire without the help of a lighter), tattoo-making (and its symbolisms) and more. Later, proceed to see the cultural show performed by the village guides and you will be welcomed to join in the performance. Enjoy delectable traditional and fusion cuisines before the end of the tour. Late this afternoon, we play another round of golf, experiencing night golf at the Sutera Harbour Golf club with our tee times starting at 4:30PM. Mar. 08 KOTA KINABALU Free day to explore Kota Kinabalu or relax by the pool. Mar. 09 KINABATANGAN WETLANDS Lunch Dinner Early morning departure from our hotel for the airport for our flight into Sandakan to begin our tropical rainforest explorations! Arriving at Sandakan Airport and continue journey for 45 minutes to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. Upon arrival, proceed for an experience - a close encounter with the Wildman of Borneo. See how tamed Orang Utans that are being rehabilitated into the wild. Walk 10 minutes through the rainforest on wooden boardwalks. A boardwalk leads you to a viewing gallery and feeding platform where the apes are fed milk and bananas twice a day at 10.00am and 3.00pm by rangers. Watch the scheduled video documentary showing the Rehabilitation Process and Programs for the Orang Utans in Sepilok Centre and its threats to survival. Visit the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation center to see the amazing sun bears and learn about their conservation program. Lunch at local restaurant.
Proceed to Sandakan Yacht Club Jetty and transfer by boat to Abai, Kinabatangan. The cruise shall bypass Berhala Island. The prominent sandstone cliffs are a historical site during the World War II. The journey also offers chances to observe and views of the different types of vegetation found along Sabah s mighty Kinabatangan River. We will be on a lookout for the mangrove specials. This is where the mangrove forest of the coast merges into the more familiar riverine forest of the Kinabatangan River. Abai borders one of the most important wildlife refuges, the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Check-in at the Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort (http://kwrborneo.com/), a newly established resort nestled in the pristine mangrove and fresh water forest, secluded at the edge of the RAMSAR site. Check-in and be briefed about the lodging and the activities. 4.30pm-7.00pm set off for the afternoon cruise in search of the mangrove specials, river sceneries, village landscapes and more wildlife. On good weather, we may even get to see firefly colonies which are found at certain parts of the river. Cruise back to KWR for dinner at the common area. 8.30pm After dinner, take a walk along the boardwalks with your headlamps or torch and look for nocturnal wildlife Mar. 10 KINABATANGAN WETLANDS Lunch Dinner Early morning cruise to observed more wildlife and birdlife. We shall cruise to the nearby Oxbow Lake, Danau Pitas to explore the area. Continue on to visit the local fishing village, Kampung Abai. Interact with local Orang Sungai from river people and observe the daily activities in this tiny fishing village. 10.00am Return to Resort for breakfast. We embark on another river cruising late afternoon and night cruise after dinner. While having your meal at the communal area, look out for multitude of wild birds, small and big mammals
or primates that may take their way pass the area, bearing in mind you are now in the middle of the most wildlife-rich mangrove wetland and rainforest area in the island of Borneo. Mar. 11 KOTA KINABALU Check-out and return to Sandakan by boat. The 1.5 hours cruise shall pass fishing villages along the coast. Also a good chance to photograph Sandakan town from the seafront. Proceed for a brief city tour of Sandakan and visit the Puh Jih Shih Buddhist Temple at 300 meters above sea level, offers a panoramic view of Sandakan Bay. Followed by a set lunch at the charming English Tea House Restaurant, a former Colonial Residence. The restaurant has a panoramic view of the city of Sandakan. Then, transfer to Sandakan airport for flight to Kota Kinabalu and check in at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu Lunch Mar. 12 KOTA KINABALU Day free to explore Kota Kinabalu on your own. Mar. 13 KOTA KINABALU Golf Our next round of golf this morning at Sabah Golf & Country Club, one of the Sabah s oldest 18-hole golf course which opened for play in 1976. This challenging par 72, 6,335m championship course was designed by Robert Muir Graves and acknowledged as one of South East Asia s toughest course. Mar. 14 KOTA KINABALU Golf Today s golf will be at Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club. Bordered by the Tambalang and Mengkabong rivers with a stunning vista of Mount Kinabalu in the distance, Dalit Bay s superb 18-hole championship course designed by Ted Parslow, provides the challenger with stimulating playing experience, and was designed with the sensitivity to the natural beauty and the character of Sabah. Mar. 15 KOTA KINABLU HOME Transfer to airport for our flights home.
PRICE (land only) : C$ 4977.00 per person, twin sharing. Non golfer credit: C$ 690.00 Single supplement: C$ 1597.00 Price Includes: All hotel accommodations as specified Daily buffet breakfasts and other meals as indicated All transfers & sightseeing tours by private coach with English speaking guides 7 rounds of golf including transfers, green fees, power carts (sharing ) & caddy fees (sharing) Domestic economy airfares within Malaysia www.uniquegolfvacations.com Phone: 403.269.2122 Toll free: 1.877.277.2122 email: michael@uniquegolf.net