Semenggoh & Ulu Bengoh
per person
Telang Usan Travel & Tours is collaborating with several Bidayuh communities in different regions and arranges exciting overnight stays to immerse into the daily life of Sarawak’s native Land-Dayaks.
During our tours you get to explore a Bidayuh village and its surroundings, learn about their culture and taste the native food. Local homestays in the villages provide accommodation as well as delicious home-cooked meals. You will also have the opportunity to join the villagers in daily activities like craft-making and/or farming or learn about the local cuisine while preparing meals for the family together with your host.
Kuching – Semenggoh – Ulu Bengoh
You will be picked up in the early morning for a drive of about 30 – 40 minutes to the orang utan center of Semenggoh Nature Reserve.
Borneo is one out of two places in the world where orang utans exist in the wild. At Semenggoh Nature Reserve you get the rare chance to see some semi-wild orang utans that had been rescued as orphans or confiscated from illegal pet trade and underwent rehabilitation training in order to have a chance at life in the jungle again. Observe the impressive big apes at feeding time as they come swinging high up in the trees towards the feeding platform to grab a meal of fruits. However, please note that the animals roam free in the nature reserve and are not in cages and therefore sightings cannot be guaranteed.
After this fascinating experience, you will hit the road again and continue your drive for another 40 minutes to the Bengoh dam. This dam was built to create a water reservoir for the city of Kuching. Take a boat ride of about 20-30 minutes across the man-made lake to reach the Dayak village called Kampung Nyegol.
The area of Ulu Bengoh is the native land of the ethnic groups referred to as Bidayuhs. The word “Ulu” means “upriver” in the local language and refers to the interior. Many of the inhabitants have left their native lands in Ulu Bengoh as the area is only accessible by boat and moved to areas where road access provides better connectivity. However, some of the families decided to stay and take care of their ancestral lands.
Your guide will stroll with you around the village and show you the community farm to introduce you to the locally grown crops. Besides rice as well as a few vegetables for their own consumption, the Bidayuhs here grow pepper and fruits such as pineapple and durian (stink fruit) for sale. You will also visit a local family to get a better insight into the culture of the Bidayuhs, one of the native ethnic groups of Borneo. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, while listening to the stories about their traditions and beliefs. A typical local lunch is included as well.
After getting to know the village and the locals, take another boat ride of about 10-15 minutes to a nice little lodge, surrounded by lush green rainforest. The lodge is called Ngapuh Lodge. The word Ngapuh has several meanings in the native language of the Ulu Bengoh area. One of the meanings is “Anything is possible!” and it’s this meaning that the community had in mind when they chose the name. It’s the vision of the local community to establish a more sustainable form of community-based tourism, which would enable them to keep protecting their ancestral lands and its natural surroundings.
Check-in at Ngapuh Lodge and enjoy a delicious dinner.
After dinner you may choose to venture on a night walk in search of nocturnal creatures.
Overnight at Ngapuh Lodge (private room with attached shower/WC).
Ulu Bengoh
Enjoy the special morning atmosphere when the mist starts rising from the surrounding hills, while you enjoy your breakfast.
Today you will get an introduction to “bush craft”! Learn how the forests of Borneo provides the Dayaks with all their daily needs. For the native people, the forests are:
- a “supermarket”, as they gather edible plants and hunt or fish,
- a “pharmacy”, as they can find plants with medicinal value in the forest, as well as
- a “hardware shop”, as they use natural materials for tool-making, construction and many other purposes.
Your guide will bring you on a jungle walk and show you some of the plants being used by the Bidayuh people. Depending on the season, you will collect some edible plants along the way, such as jungle fern or bamboo shoots. At a riverbank, your guide will demonstrate to you how ‘bubu’ fishing works. ‘Bubu’ is the name for a fish trap, skilfully made from rattan or other natural vines. Next, your guide will teach you how to cook a meal in the forest without a stove or pots. After starting a camp fire, the guide will use bamboo to cook rice, vegetables and even meat or fish in it. Enjoy a special lunch in the jungle!
After lunch return to the lodge and get ready for some bamboo rafting fun! Together with your guide you will paddle along the slow-flowing river. Navigating along the bends of the river might just sound easier than it is!
Dinner & overnight at Ngapuh Lodge (private room with attached shower/WC).
Ulu Bengoh – Kuching
After breakfast you will embark on a trek to a waterfall. The area boasts several waterfalls with beautiful scenery. One of the waterfalls in particular is often referred to as Jurassic Park, due to the huge rock boulders and ancient looking vegetation around it. The guide will choose which waterfall to visit, depending on your fitness level and the trail conditions. Don’t forget your swimming gear for a dip in the refreshing water! Lunch will be either be provided as packed lunch or served back at the lodge.
Before leaving the Ngapuh Lodge and Ulu Bengoh, you will participate in a tree planting initiative by the local community, which aims at reforesting areas that have been degraded by farming. This is a great opportunity for you to take lots of great memories home, while leaving a positive impact at the same time.
Mid-afternon you will make your way back to your hotel in Kuching’s city centre.
- Destination : Land of Bidayuh
- Departure Time/Return Tim: 7.30 am (Day 1) / 4.00 pm (Day 3)
- Included: Hotel pick-up and drop-off (Kuching city centre), Transport by air-conditioned vehicle, Boat Transport, English-speaking guide, Semenggoh Reserve Entrance Fees, Meals as mentioned in the itinerary, 02 nights Basic Lodge accommodation, Community fees.
- Not included: Meals or drinks or than mentioned in the itinerary, Personal Travel Insurance (recommended), Tips.
- Items to bring: Hiking shoes, Slippers, Sun protection (sun block & hat/cap), rain coat, Refillable water bottle, Swimsuit & Towel, Change of clothes, Toiletries.
Spend two nights in an authentic Iban longhouse to immerse yourself in the communal lifestyle and embark on a challenging trek to the summit of the mystical mountain of Bukit Sadok.
