Package Tours? Are they all they are cracked up to be? Review of TripaDeal Borneo 2-for-1 Deal

While the memories may not be quite as fresh as they were, recollections of our Borneo trip in March this year are very happy ones. I suspect that, like us, you would normally rather run a mile that sign up for a guided tour, but I thought it might be useful to share the pros and cons from the perspective of an equally independent traveller.

So, are guided and package tours of Borneo a good option for you?

Read on…

As a bit of background, we never actually planned to travel to Borneo, or not so soon and definitely not on a package tour. This trip was a hangover from the dreaded Covid19 pandemic which impacted so many of our travel plans back in 2020. We were all set to fly to Kathmandu, Nepal to walk the breath-taking path to Everest Base Camp when Covid shut down the World.

After a number of stops and starts, we were left with a sizeable travel credit with the TripaDeal travel company. As the borders weren’t opening anytime soon and deadlines were looming to reallocate the credit, we used part of it for an amazing trip to Karijini National Park in Western Australia.

The World then righted itself, or slightly anyway, and we opted for the Borneo trip to use up the remainder of the travel credit. Anytime is a great time to visit orangutans after all.

What Did It Include?

• An 11-day tour, bearing in mind you lose the best part of 3-4 days getting to your destination and home again.
• Return flights to Sydney and all land and water transport.
• All accommodation in mostly 4-star hotels.
• 95% of meals.
• Entrance to all attractions.
• A very knowledgeable guide.
• For the cost of AUD$4,498.00 for two people (currently on sale for $3,999 for 9 days)

What Did I Think Of It?

• Borneo, and Sabah in particular, is a beautiful country, interesting and safe.
• It was very good value for money. The all-inclusive nature of the tour meant that we didn’t have to worry about forking out extra cash every day all day and we also didn’t have the hassle of finding places to eat, worrying about whether the food would be good or safe etc.
• Again, the all-inclusive nature of the tour meant that it was a very low stress trip. Just turn up, put your brain in neutral and off you go.
• The tour was well-paced. Yes, it was busy and we were on-the-go for most of every day, but it was all manageable and you could opt out of some meals and activities if you wanted to.
• There were a good variety of sights and places to visit for a wide range of interests.
• We were very lucky with our group make-up and size (18 people). Everyone was pleasant and very punctual. We did not have to wait for one person, ever. That, I believe, is a genuine unicorn of a group tour!

When to Go?

• This tour operates regularly throughout the year. We travelled in early March which was at the end of their monsoon season. Yes, it was quite hot and humid, only to be expected for a Asian tropical destination.
• Travelling during this ‘shoulder’ season meant we avoided the worst of the crowds. We were frequently warned about the tsunami of Chinese and Korean visitors which would hit Sabah at the end of March.

Who’s it For?

• While rather a sweeping statement, I would recommend this trip to anyone with even the most basic level of fitness. There is not a lot of physical exertion required although there are some steps and stairs at many of the places you visit, and a fair bit of standing around on hard surfaces. You need to be mobile enough to get in and out of buses and boats.
• Children would enjoy this trip as the days are full and busy. Plus, there seemed to be quite a few other children about at some of the places we stayed. There are a couple of biggish days  on the bus to get from Point A to B (more related to time than distance) and they do try to break these up with frequent comfort stops, ice cream stops and leg stretches.

What to Pack?

• Binoculars: A small pair of travel binoculars would be ideal for wildlife spotting.
• Leeches: When walking in the jungle, there is a small risk of attracting a leech freeloader. Pack long, knee-length socks and heavy-duty bug spray to act as a deterrent. I sprayed my legs and shoes, and didn’t have a problem.
• Adaptors: Sabah power points/sockets are the same style as those in the UK.
• Travel Mug: If you like your cuppa, pack a travel mug and fill up at the hotel before you leave each day. Good coffee is scarce in Sabah and decaf coffee even scarcer. Tea is plentiful and the local Sabah Tea brand is very tasty.
• Water Bottle: If you are a lousy camel or want to minimise your plastic consumption, pack a refillable water bottle. Drinking the water out of the tap is not recommended everywhere and some hotels do provide filtered water dispensers to refill bottles.
• Rain Gear: An umbrella and good raincoat or poncho are compulsory. You are in the tropics and storms can happen at any time.
• Tissues/Toilet Paper: This is not always supplied or may be of the thinnest quality. Be prepared.
• Electrolyte Tablets: If you are a glower, perspirer or sweater, you may benefit from bringing some electrolyte tablets. It is incredibly hot and humid, and you get sweaty just strolling about.

Highlights:

• Jungle Experiences: The boat rides along the jungle rivers and animal spotting were absolute thrills.
• Orangutans: Two long visits to the orangutan sanctuary filled my orangutan cup to the very brim and overflowed. They are pure orange joy.
• Food Markets: We had a couple of good strolls through local food markets. I am no foodie, but I love learning about all the different fruit, vegetables and fish. Make sure you ask your guide to take you through the markets as it may not be on your official itinerary.
• Fish Spa: A simple, but hilarious experience. Not for the ticklish!
• Sandakan Memorial Park: Every Australian should visit this site at least once. So much beauty overlaying savagery and a lesson to all nations everywhere.

Lowlights:

• Accommodation: Overall, the hotels we stayed in ranged from very comfortable to excellent. The notable exception was the Perkasa Hotel near Kundasang which would have been right at home in that TV series, Fawlty Towers, but with added dirt and mould. Thank goodness it was only for one night.
• Sites/Sights: I could have skipped the Mt Kinabalu Botanic Gardens and the Rainforest Discovery Centre at Sandakan. My botany knowledge and interest level were not high enough to make the most of these destinations and to treat them as anything other than a chance to stretch my legs. Maybe others loved them and each to their own.
• Missing Sites/Sights: We missed a couple of places on our itinerary including a jungle walk (where others had seen orangutans in the wild) and some caves. Apparently there had been a rock fall in the caves and they were considered unstable. Yep, I get it. Better safe than sorry.
• Flights: The significant downside of a package trip is that you can’t choose your flights. We were definitely on the ‘red eye’ overnight, both ways. Yes, First World problems.

Other Tips:

• Stay Flexible: Just go with the flow as your itinerary may change at short notice in response to local conditions such as weather or collapsing caves. The upside was that we got two visits to the orangutans, not just the planned single visit.
• Laundromats: Laundromats are plentiful in the big cities if you prefer to wash and wear. Bring your own washing powder/capsules or buy them onsite. A 10kg load costs around R5 and the same for a drying cycle. That equates to around AUD$4 in total. Cheap as chips.

Overall:

• We really enjoyed the tour and felt happy, and relaxed on our return. To me, that’s the sign of a good holiday.
• I wouldn’t travel on a package tour for every trip, but this was a really enjoyable experience, a great introduction to Sabah and good preparation for an independent return exploration at a later date.

Happy trails and travel to you!

For more detail on a few places we visited, check out:

• Manukan Island – HERE
• Mt Kinabalu Botanic Gardens – HERE
• Luanti Fish Spa – HERE
• War Memorials – HERE
• Animal Spotting in the Jungle – HERE
• Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary – HERE
• Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre – HERE
• Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre – HERE

#sabah #guidedtours #travelinspo #nationalparks #vitaminsea #packagetours #value4money #jungles #Borneo #wildlife #orangutans #easytravel