Palace Tours − Luxury Tours Collection Into the Heart of Borneo Into the Heart of Borneo Join Palace Tours on an unforgettable 9−day cruise journey on the Rajang River into the lush rainforests of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Though the name is familiar to many from Redmon O’Hanlon’s classic Into the Heart of Borneo, there is very little tourism here due to the river’s remoteness and lack of facilities. There is much to do and see upriver, whether just gazing at the amazing scenery or visiting traditional and modern Iban long houses. In these river towns, you can explore the architectural vestiges of the Brooke Raj, and experience jungle treks and longboat trips as your journey continues to the Pelagus Rapids. Wildlife is in abundance and crocodiles, monitor lizards and the hornbill (national bird of Sarawak) are common sights. Downriver, the prosperous Chinese city of Sibu with its old shop houses, markets and friendly inhabitants, is a calm reflection of old China. At Sareiki, enjoy visits to pepper farms and exotic fruit plantations, and experience textile production at the sea port of Thanjung Manis. ITINERARY • Day 1 − Arrive in Sibu and board your cruise ship You are met upon arrival at the airport in Sibu, a bustling Malaysian port city set close to local markets and temples. Transfer to the cruise ship and settle in to your comfortable cabin. The afternoon is yours at leisure to explore the town on foot with its attractive streets of old Chinese shop houses, redolent of Malacca or Penang but without the tourists. Return to the cruise ship for dinner and overnight. • Day 2 − Visit Fort Emma and take a boat ride up the Kanowit River Cast off at dawn and proceed up the mighty Rajang River. Enjoy a morning stop to visit rattan workshops, where the river here is still wide and dominated by the shipping industry. At the river station of Kanowit, visit the Brooke Raj Fort Emma, which is constructed of wood remains amazingly intact after over 150 years. Explore deeper inland by long boat up the Kanowit River. Adventurous types may wish to opt for the voluntary jungle trek back to the vessel, moored at Kanowit. • Day 3 − Explore Fort Sylvia and an original Iban longhouse Alight the cruise ship in Kapit, the upriver capital of Kapit District, which has an even more impressive Brooke Raj fort called Fort Sylvia with the adjacent tattoo museum showing traditional Iban designs and techniques. Journey further to visit an original Iban longhouse, a rare sight as most have been rebuilt in a modern style. • Day 4 − Set sail on the Batang Baleh and stop overnight at Nagamujong village Just above Kapit, the ship turns up the main tributary of the Rajang, the Batang Baleh, navigable for another day’s sail. Along the river we see a number of logging camps and fine new long houses. Logging is strictly controlled by the Sarawak government, who have a strict replanting program. Visit a logging camp and stop overnight at Nagamujong village with its long house, school, clinic and church. You may also see loading points for coal coming from mines deep in 1 the jungle. • Day 5 − Rejoin the Rajang River towards the Pelagus Rapids Return down the Batang Baleh to rejoin the Rajang and proceed another 40km towards the Pelagus Rapids. This section of the river is incredibly beautiful with thousands of islands, reefs and shoals. Navigation here can be difficult depending on water levels and it may be necessary to transfer to long boats to continue our journey. At Pelagus, take a short trek to the Pelagus Resort Hotel for afternoon tea and stupendous views of the rapids. • Day 6 − Trekking adventure around Pelagus Rapids Today you have the opportunity to trek in and around the Pelagus Resort in this beautiful rain forest, so rich in fauna and flora. After lunch, rejoin the cruise ship and return downstream past Kapit. • Day 7 − Enjoy a boat trip up the Katibas River Today, depart the ship to visit Song, a small river station between Kanowit and Kapit. Enjoy a boat trip up the Katibas River to see long houses and you also have the opportunity to trek part of the way back to Song. Continue the relaxing downstream cruise through the evening. • Day 8 − Visit a deer farm and pepper plantations in Sarikei We now enter the Rajang Delta area with its rich agricultural life. At Sarikei, enjoy excursions to a deer farm and pepper plantations. On the coast, the modern city of Thanjung Manis is the main seaport and gateway to the Rajang. A short drive away, village workshops specialize in songkat weaving. Rejoin the ship and return upstream, stopping to moor overnight at Bintangor. • Day 9 − Disembark the cruise ship in Sibu Dock at Sibu early this morning. Bid farewell to the cruise ship and transfer to the airport for your departure flight home or to your next exotic destination. DESTINATION INFORMATION • Balleh River Balleh River is a river in Sarawak state, Malaysia. It is a tributary of the Rajang River. 2 • Bintangor Bintangor is a town, and the capital of the Meradong District in Sarikei Division, of Sarawak, East Malaysia situated along the Rejang River. There were express boat services connecting between Bintangor, Sarikei and Sibu town in the 70s and 80s. Now road connections between these towns have become a faster mode of transport. The town is known for it gastronomy, including the "Limau Bintangor" fruit and "Bintangor Ganagpua". • Kanowit Kanowit is a town and the capital of a district of the same name. It is located within the Sibu Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. It is built on the mouth of Kanowit River at the bank of Rajang River, approximately 174 kilometers from the coast of South China Sea. The town takes its name from the Kanowit, a minor ethnic group (ISO 639−3: kxn) related to the Iban. The language is now extinct, having been absorbed into Iban. • Kapit Kapit is a town in Sarawak, east Malaysia on the south bank of the Rajang River. The district comprises 15,595.6 square kilometers. Rajah Charles Brooke founded Fort Kapit in 1880 as a garrison town, primarily to prevent the Iban from migrating up−river and attacking Orang Ulu settlements. The fort was later renamed Fort Sylvia, after the wife of Rajah Vyner Brooke, but the town retained the name of Kapit. Initially settled by Hoklo (Hokkien) Chinese in 1880, additional Ka Chinese immigrants arrived in 1906, and Fuzhou Chinese in 1919. The Chinese grew rubber and pepper and traded treated rubber sheet and forest products. In 1941, at the time of the Japanese occupation, Kapit only had two rows of 37 shop houses. The town was completely destroyed by allied bombing during the war. Kapit today remain as a busy but compact with a few streets running parallel to the river. Although accessible only by boat (slightly more than 2 hours from Sibu by express boat) or light aircraft, it is the vibrant commercial and social center for the middle Rajang River catering to the longhouse communities and timber camps. It is an excellent base for exploring nearby longhouses or for arranging trips to the Upper Rejang and Balleh Rivers. • Pelagus Rapids Pelagus Rapids, a series of ferocious rapids between Kapit and Belaga, are located at 32km upriver Batang Rejang from Kapit town. They consist of seven rapids extending as far as 12.8km (eight miles). The most notorious ones are 1.6km of fast turbulent water with sharp−rock outcrops near Pelagus Resort. The rapids are known among the locals 3 as mythical. • Sarikei Sarikei is a town, and the capital of the Sarikei District (985 square kilometers) in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. It is located on the Rajang River, near where the river empties into the South China Sea. The population is culturally mixed, with mostly Iban, Melanau, Malay and Chinese predominating. The economy of the town is primarily agricultural, and Sarikei is famed for its pineapples and its pepper. The center of town has many old Chinese shop houses from the 1930s. It is also a major transportation hub for traffic on both the Pan Borneo Highway and the Rajang River. Anybody traveling by road or express boat from Kuching to Sibu must pass through Sarikei. The most distinctive feature of the bustling waterfront is a 3.6 m high pineapple statue. The town itself consists of a main road, Repok Road which is bisected by another road leading to the new development in Kampung Seberang. • Sibu Sibu is a town in Sarawak, east Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Rajang and Igan Rivers, some 60 kilometers from the ocean. The population is dominated by Chinese especially the Fuzhou as well as indigenous Melanau, Malay, and Iban. Sibu now boasts the largest town square in Malaysia, and the tallest building in Sarawak − the Sanyan Tower ("Wisma Sanyan" in the official Malay language), a newly refurbished waterfront, and a large number of public parks. The interesting landmarks in Sibu are Wisma Sanyan, Tua Pek Kong Temple and the Central Market. The Civic Centre Museum has a display of Sibu's history, and Melanau, Iban, Malay, and Chinese artifacts. • Song Song is a town, and the capital of the Song District (3,935.2 square kilometers) in Kapit Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. The district population (year 2000 census) was 20,700. Song is situated by the banks of the Katibas River. Price Chart All prices quoted in U.S.