Malaysia, Borneo & Singapore: Wildlife, Heritage & City

Private transfer from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to your 4-star hotel in the KLCC district, a short, level walk from the Petronas Towers. James meets you for a relaxed orientation and an early welcome dinner before an unhurried first night to recover from the flight.

A pre-booked Petronas Towers Skybridge visit in the cool of the morning, followed by the colonial heritage core — Merdeka Square, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and the serene Islamic Arts Museum, with its beautifully air-conditioned galleries. A relaxed lunch and a free afternoon at your own pace.

An early visit to the Batu Caves (admired from the base, or climbed by those who wish — there are 272 steps, entirely optional), then dim sum in Chinatown before an afternoon flight to Penang. Transfer to your George Town heritage hotel and a gentle evening orientation stroll with James along the lantern-lit streets of the UNESCO zone.

A morning heritage walk with James through the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Zone: the Khoo Kongsi clan house, the Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion, Kapitan Keling Mosque and the Goddess of Mercy Temple, with the famous street-art murals along the way. The pace is gentle, with frequent shade and café stops. Afternoon free to rest.

A morning devoted to George Town's legendary hawker food, with James curating a relaxed tasting trail — char kway teow, assam laksa, cendol — at the stalls he rates most highly. Later, the Penang Hill funicular climbs to a cool 830-metre summit with panoramic island views. A free evening to enjoy the hotel's heritage bar.

A morning flight via Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, where Sarah Ooi meets you. Transfer to a rainforest lodge at the edge of the Sepilok forest reserve — simpler than your city hotels but comfortable, well-run and beautifully positioned at the jungle's edge. An afternoon to settle in, with the sounds of the forest your evening soundtrack.

The morning feeding at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, where rehabilitated orangutans descend from the canopy to the feeding platform — one of the most moving wildlife encounters in the world, reached along flat forest boardwalks. The adjacent Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre follows, then an afternoon at leisure at the lodge.

A scenic transfer inland to the Kinabatangan River, the richest wildlife corridor in Southeast Asia, and your riverside lodge. The afternoon brings your first boat safari — a gentle, seated cruise along the river as the day cools: proboscis monkeys settling in the riverside trees, kingfishers, hornbills and, with luck, the first wild orangutan.

The definitive wildlife day, gently structured. A dawn boat safari when the river is at its most active — mist on the water, the forest waking, proboscis monkeys on the move — followed by a long mid-morning rest. An optional short riparian forest walk with Sarah for the keen, and a final golden-hour cruise in the evening.

A final, gentle morning excursion to an oxbow lake near the lodge — quiet water rich in birdlife and, often, otters and macaques — before a relaxed transfer back to Sandakan. An afternoon visit to the moving Sandakan Memorial Park, and a comfortable night back in a town hotel after the simplicity of the lodges.

A morning flight via Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, the most polished and accessible city in Asia. James rejoins you and transfers you to your hotel near Marina Bay. An easy evening: a stroll along the waterfront promenade and the nightly light show across Marina Bay Sands, with dinner at your own pace.

A morning at Gardens by the Bay, including the cool, fully accessible Cloud Forest and Flower Dome conservatories. Later, the colonial heart — the Padang, the National Gallery — and a quintessential afternoon Singapore Sling beneath the ceiling fans of the Long Bar at Raffles. A free evening to dine as you please.

A gentle exploration of Singapore's cultural quarters with James — the temples and shophouses of Chinatown, the spice-scented lanes of Little India, the Sultan Mosque and the boutiques of Kampong Glam — woven together with a relaxed hawker-centre lunch. The afternoon is free for the hotel pool, a spa treatment, or a nap.

A full, unstructured day to enjoy Singapore your way: the Botanic Gardens and its National Orchid Garden, the shops of Orchard Road, a river cruise on the Singapore River, or simply the hotel pool and a long lunch. This evening, a farewell dinner with James to mark the end of the journey.

A final, unhurried breakfast before your private transfer to Singapore Changi Airport — itself an attraction, with the Jewel rainforest vortex worth arriving early to see — for your flight home to the UK.