Travelling with Tribal Tracks is a wonderful experience. They take care of everything and you don't have to worry about anything!
Gordon G
Location
Difficulty
Accommodation and Meals
Hotel, Guesthouse, Village Homestay, Lodge, Mountain Hut/Gite
Duration
13 days
Meeting Point
Kota Kinabalu
Annual Leave
9 days
Group Size
Up to 14
Seasons
March to October
Walking Distance
Approximately 145km
Kate is an Army Officer and despite all that entails, works for Tribal Tracks in her spare time. She is a wonderful leader and one of our most popular.
Trek over 130km of the historic route Death March, learning from an expert about the brave, heroic and ultimately tragic Australian and British Prisoners of War, captured by the Japanese in World War II.
Pay homage to them, and to all who serve today, by digging deep to summit Mount Trusmadi, Borneo's second highest mountain, and arguably a tougher summit than Mount Kinabalu.
Learn about the wonderful jungle flora and fauna as you trek, from expert jungle guides.
Understand local culture and sample delicious food. We have carefully selected accommodation that will directly benefit local communities.
Culminate this challenge with a tough summit of Mount Trusmadi.
All the info you need
Trip Details
This very special trek has two distinct phases. In the first part, we follow the echoes of the past, trekking in the footsteps of the brave, heroic and ultimately tragic Australian and British Prisoners of War, captured by the Japanese in World War II. We then pay homage to them, and to all who serve today, by digging deep to summit Mount Trusmadi.
Phase 1 - The Death March Trek (the extended version)
Sandakan was a POW camp, located on Sabah’s north-east coast. Following the fall of Singapore, the Japanese transferred the 2700 strong Allied Contingent to this camp. Australian and British POWs were incarcerated there, tasked with constructing a military airfield using not much more than their bare hands. Initially, conditions were not too bad, but after the discovery of a radio, conditions were drastically tightened. Starved, and living in filthy conditions, in January 1945, the Japanese decided to move 455 of the fittest prisoners to Jessleton (now Kota Kinabalu) where they would be put to use as labourers. Forcing them to march through remote, inhospitable jungle terrain, the first group was halted at Ranau due to Allied air activity on the coast. A second enforced march took place at the end of May, with the third following on in mid-June. There was no medical assistance and little food. Anyone who could not keep up was ‘disposed of’. Despite this, about half the prisoners completed the march, only to die at Ranau from illness, malnutrition and ill-treatment by their captors. Two Australians managed to escape in the early stages of the second march with the help of villagers, and four more successfully escaped from Ranau into the jungle, where they were cared for by local people.
Despite this, the prisoners never gave up. Their heroism, their determination and their indomitable spirit are testimony to the strength of the human spirit and an inspiration to all. Of the 2434 prisoners incarcerated at Sandakan, 1787 were Australian. The remaining 641 were British. The six Australians who escaped were the sole survivors.
The track cut for the death marches soon became completely overgrown and for sixty years defied all efforts to locate it. However, in August 2005, Australian investigative writer and historian, Lynette Silver, author of the internationally acclaimed book Sandakan – A Conspiracy of Silence, and Tham Yau Kong, highly respected, expert jungle trekker, combined their considerable talents to identify the path taken by the prisoners of war.
On this trek, we will have the honour of being accompanied by Tham Yau Kong who will share the history of the marches as we go, giving us a unique insight. We cannot trek the full route, but our expert guides have selected the most appropriate sections for us, bringing the march's history to life. This is a longer trek than our original Death March Route. The trek is through tough jungle terrain, and involves some wading through shallow rivers, but gives us an inkling of what the POWs went through so many years before.
Phase 2 - Mount Trusmadi
Standing at 2642m, Mount Trusmadi is the second-highest mountain in Malaysia and is located in the Trusmadi Forest reserve. The terrain is challenging and some argue a tougher climb than Mt Kinabalu, the highest mountain, but is a much more interesting mountain. house where the team will stay overnight. This is a physically demanding and steep summit trek, with the steeper sections having ladders and ropes.
Throughout the adventure, we will stay in accommodation that benefits the local communities directly.
Trip Details
This itinerary has been designed to follow the Death March route. Due to road developments over the last 75 years we have avoided parts of the route that follow busy highways, for safety reasons this does mean we have to take private transfers at the start and finish of some of the trek days, see the itinerary for details.
The trek will be through a variety of terrain such as plantations, dirt roads, jungles, rivers, swing bridges, farmlands and grasslands. The jungle routes often get overgrown, your local jungle guides will have machetes to cut paths if necessary. There will be river crossings along your route, if the levels are too high we have the option of using swinging bridges to cross.
'Kg' means village.
Departing London in the afternoon, we arrive into Kota Kinabalu the following day.
On arrival we will be met at the airport transferred to our hotel. We will have a briefing before supper on what lies ahead.
Accommodation and Meals
Overnight 3* Star Hotel Kota Kinabalu, dinner.
Sandakan and WW2 POW tour.
We depart on a domestic flight to Sandakan to tour some of the WW2 POWs pertinent sites to set the scene for the Death March Trek.
This consists of the following:
Padan Mardeka - the actual assembly area of 1500 POWs transferred from Singapore to Sandakan on 18 July 1942. In early 1943, a further 641 British POWs were also brought to the same assembly area.
The Parish of St. Michael & All Angels Church, Sandakan - 1500 Australian POWs who arrived at Padan Mardek were accommodated inside this church for the first night before they were transferred to the Sandakan POW camp.
Sandakan Memorial Park (POW camp) - A Japanese POW camp which was heavily guarded. POWs were kept in very poor conditions. This is where the Sandakan-Ranau Death March began.
Accommodation and Meals
Overnight 3* Star Hotel Sandakan. BLD
Kg Manduring to Kg Toninting - 20km
We have an early morning 2 hour transfer to the start of the trek at Kg Manduring. Today we will trek a total of 20km to Kg Toninting along plantation roads and through traditional villages.We will be hosted by the local people of Kg Toninting and overnight in a local community hall.
Accommodation and Meals
Overnight in tents (inside) the Community Hall in Kg Toninting, BLD
Kg Toninting to Telupid - 30km
Breakfast will be served early by the local community, we will leave promptly by 7.30am, trekking the Death March route via off-road plantation tracks to Kiabau junction, crossing through hilly countryside towards the Sandakan main road junction. Upon reaching the main road junction, we meet our bus and take a private 45 minute transfer to IPS Resthouse in Telupid for check-in (twin-sharing rooms). (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Accommodation and Meals
IPS Resthouse (twin share rooms) BLD
Kg Bauto and Tawai Forest Reserve - 21km
After breakfast, we transfer to the start of today's trek, Kg Bauto (taking around 30minutes).
We trek up Bauto Hill and follow the path into Tawai forest reserve, deep jungle terrain, and onto Gambaron range. We will need to pack river shoes for the crossings. We return to the same Resthouse for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation and Meals
IPS Resthouse (twin share rooms) BLD
Kg Maliau to Kg Kopuron - 22km
After breakfast, we transfer 10 mins to Kg Maliau. Today's route follows undulating hills through plantation areas, crossing several small streams and hills to reach Kg Kopuron. We will see the ambitious Pan Borneo highway construction en route. Tonight we will stay in the Community Hall and will be hosted by the local villagers.
Accommodation and Meals
Overnight in tents (inside) the Community Hall in Kg Kopuron, BLD
Kg Kopuron to Taviu Hilltop and Nunuk Ragang - 20km
After breakfast, we have a short (10 min)transfer to Kg Kopuron, from where you will walk through hilly plantation roads, then upstream and into dense forest to Taviu Hilltop (about 15 kilometres). We then transfer to Padre Thompson Hill and walk a further 5km through plantation paths to Nunuk Ragang, from here we will have a 30min transfer to Kg Paginatan. We will enjoy another night in a local Community Hall and be hosted by the Paginatan people.
Accommodation and Meals
Overnight in tents (inside) in Community Hall in Paginatan (in church), BLD
Kg Nabutan, Kg Nalapak, Kg Muruk, and Kg Marakau - 26km
After an early breakfast, we will depart at around 8am for Kg Nabutan, approximately a 30min drive. Our trek takes us along farm paths, through orchards and villages to Kg Nalapak, then over hilly ranges to Kg Muruk, another former Japanese staging camp. The route continues over Marakau Hill to Kg Marakau. We will meet our transfer and drive 30mins to Sabah Tea Plantation where we will stay overnight.
Accommodation and Meals
Sabah Tea Plantation, BLD
Transfer to Tambunan and Trek to Midway Resthouse - 3km
We have a more relaxed morning today, departing at 1000hrs for a long transfer to Tambunan (approximately 2.5 hours), where we will have lunch. We drive for a further hour where we will register for our trek then transfer by 4WD to the trek's start point, it a a 3km trek along the boardwalk to Midway Camp where we will stay overnight.
Accommodation and Meals
Resthouse - dorm rooms, BLD
Departing at 0230-0300hrs we start our ascent with our headtorches on.
The summit route is physically demanding and there will be large vines and tree roots to climb over.
Departing before sunrise we start our ascent, there will be large vines and tree roots to climb over and there will be some scrambling. There are ladders and fixed ropes to help negotiate the steeper sections of the trek. Our aim is to reach the reach summit at sunrise so we can enjoy the 360 stunning views. We retrace our steps and descend to Midway Camp and onto Tambunan where we will meet our transport and head to Kota Kinabalu to enjoy our final night celebration.
Accommodation and Meals
Hotel Promenade, full board including celebration dinner. BLD
Relax or explore in Kota Kinabalu
After a tough trek, you have the day at leisure to relax around the pool or explore. You have the option to take the ferry from Jessleton Jetty to explore the surrounding islands
Accommodation and Meals
Breakfast (L&D at own cost)
Transfer to airport for flight home.
After breakfast, we say a fond farewell to Borneo. We will arrange an airport transfer depending on your flight time.
Accommodation and Meals
Breakfast in the hotel.
Trip Details
Trip Details
In a nutshell, almost everything!
This is what you will need to buy/source yourself.
Please inform us of any dietary requirements or allergies before you travel, and preferably at the time of booking and no later than 4 weeks prior to departure. We can cater to almost any diet, but only if we know about it beforehand.
For up-to-date vaccination information, please visit Travel Health Pro to see the most recent recommendations for your itinerary.
Although we are travel experts, we are not medical specialists, so we cannot explicitly recommend what vaccinations you should or shouldn't have. Always seek the advice of a medical professional if you are unsure. They will likely want to see a copy of your itinerary, and can then best advise whether they think an advised or 'to consider' vaccination is appropriate for you.
Please note that information on vaccinations can change at short notice.
It is a requirement of Tribal Tracks booking terms and conditions that each supporter must hold their own travel insurance, which covers the trip and the activities they are doing. Read more here.
We advise you to put insurance in place as soon as possible, ideally on booking so you are covered immediately. There have been instances where someone has signed up, broken their leg a few weeks later, and been deemed unfit to travel. If travel insurance were in place, the non-refundable deposit could be claimed back from the insurance policy. Without this, your money is lost.
Your insurance must be valid and in date, covering the entire period that you are travelling for, including the return journey home. It must cover medical and personal accident risks, and should include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services, where appropriate.
We will need to know the travel insurance provider, your policy number and the 24 hour medical/emergency assistance number.
It is important that you read the itinerary carefully, and take account of the rating we have given it.
Although our challenges are not technical, they do require a good degree of physical fitness. The conditions will require stamina and strength, which you should recognise and train for. This will be a much better experience if you are fit and prepared. You should feel comfortable walking 6-8 hours per day.
In setting the maximum size of our groups, we take a number of factors into account.
Altitude, degree of difficulty, the terrain, the climate and time of year, all determine the maximum group size. Sometimes it will be 20, sometimes it will be 8-14, but safety is always our priority.
You will be accompanied by a Tribal Tracks UK Leader, Mountain Leader qualified, as well as supported by our local, in-country guides.
Tribal Tracks has 100% Financial Protection and has a trust account with the Protected Trust Service, member number 5566.
This means that all client monies paid to Tribal Tracks are held in our dedicated trust account, which is supervised by an independent trustee. This means that in the very unlikely event that Tribal Tracks ceases to trade, your money is safe. For more information, please visit this link. Any flights booked for you by Tribal Tracks will be ATOL-protected under our own ATOL certificate.
Tribal Tracks considers the safety of all of its participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have thorough safety systems in place.
In the event of an injury, we have an evacuation plan in place for all elements of the trek route. We do ask that you look after yourself during the trek in the following way, as this will help avoid unnecessary problems:
We know that the unexpected can happen.
While you are away, things can happen at home and people may need to get in contact with you. This can be tricky when you are in remote areas. So, shortly before departure, we provide you with an Emergency Procedure document to distribute to your nearest and dearest. This sets out how to contact Tribal Tracks and the steps Tribal Tracks will then take to get in contact with you.
It is really important that you are well prepared for your physical challenge and that you are confident that you will be able to fully participate.
Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely partake in the trek, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to step out of the trek. Although this is a very rare occurrence, by booking this trip you agree to section 11 of our Booking Conditions which clearly states that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these circumstances, we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred.
At Tribal Tracks, Responsible Travel is enormously important to us, and our commitment to responsible travel is evidenced in every itinerary that we prepare.
Core to our business is the belief that holidays can and should be enjoyable to the traveller but should be conducted in a socially, environmentally and economically responsible manner which brings benefit to local communities. This is implemented through a variety of measures which can be found in our Responsible Travel policy. We encourage you to read this and to play your own part in travelling responsibly.
If you're not happy with something, please talk to the Tribal Tracks Leader. They are there to ensure your experience is as enjoyable as possible. They can only act on what they know, so please don’t be afraid to raise anything that needs addressing with them and certainly don’t wait until the end of the trip. If you’re travelling with a charity, someone from there will be on the trek too, if you’d feel more comfortable liaising through them.
If you are feeling unwell on this trek, tell your leaders and listen to their advice, they are professionals who will know the best course of action for you. If you need to be taken off the trek, or if there is an emergency, our experienced leaders and local guides carry phones and can call for help. No one will be left unaccompanied. If necessary, we hold details of your next of kin and travel insurance and will help organise next steps and onward arrangements.
If your flights are included in the trip price you will automatically be booked on to the same flights as everyone else in the team, unless you let us know before or on booking. If you want to book your own flights, you need to ensure that you coordinate your arrival and departure times with the trip’s itinerary. If your dates/timings don’t align with the itinerary, you will be responsible for costs incurred for additional airport transfers or accommodation arrangements.
Tribal Tracks can book alternative flights for you (for example, from a different departure airport) but this may incur an extra charge. We will liaise with you about costs before booking to ensure you’re happy to proceed.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) monitors all overseas destinations and offers advice to British citizens. In order to be fully informed of safety issues, crime rates, political stability and local customs you can view the advice here. We monitor FCDO advice carefully and may, on occasion, be required to cancel trips, reroute itineraries, or make other changes to trips based on the FCDO advice. Any decision will always be made in the interests of your safety and security and will be fully communicated to you.
If travelling with a child and only one parent is present, please be aware that you must have the permission of everyone with parental responsibility before that child can be taken abroad. You automatically have parental responsibility if you’re the child’s mother, but you still need the permission of anyone else with parental responsibility before you take the child abroad. A letter from the person with parental responsibility for the child is usually enough to show you’ve got permission to take them abroad. You might be asked for the letter at a UK or foreign border. The letter should include the other person’s contact details and details about the trip. If you are travelling with a child who has a surname different to your own, for example you are a single parent, you are advised to travel with evidence of your relationship (eg a birth certificate) and a divorce or marriage certificate if applicable. In other scenarios, for example, you are a grandparent taking your grandchild on a trip, or you are taking your child’s friend on a trip, you should be able to provide evidence that you have permission from the child’s parents to do this. You should also check the requirements of the country you are travelling to, as they may have additional specific requirements and the age limit up to which a person is considered a child may vary.
Trip Details
Trip Details
The trek is a challenge. We will be walking for a long time over sometimes challenging terrain with steep ascents and descents.
The best way to build endurance fitness is to start with some gentle walks and gradually build up both the distance and duration over the next few months. In the last 2 months, we would recommend to go out and do long days, ideally in the hills, to build up the strength in your legs. About a week before the trek, limit any training to short walks – you want to have fresh legs at the start!
For the trek you should be comfortable trekking between 6 - 8 hours per day, but remember we have all day to achieve the distances and will not be going at racing snake pace. It may sound obvious, but make sure that you are walking properly, hitting the ground with your heel first, then rolling onto your toe, which pushes you onto the next step (this will help reduce the risk of shin splints and tendon pulls). Walk with your head up, eyes forward and shoulders level.
It is a good idea to develop a level of cardiovascular fitness (exercising and strengthening your heart and lungs). This comes from running, cycling or swimming for between 20 minutes and an hour, and will really help develop your endurance fitness. Three sessions a week is normally advised, increasing time and distance over time.
Replicate conditions in training i.e., use all the kit you will be using and try your walking poles if you want to use them.
It is important to pack so that you know where everything is. Here at Tribal Tracks, we are big fans of separating kit into different packing cubes (compression ones are great), or even just individual plastic bags can really help with this.
You can pack by item (e.g., socks and pants in one cube, tops in another, waterproofs in another etc.) or by day, putting your entire outfit for that day together in one place. We recommend taking an extra bag or cube to separate the dirty kit from your fresh clothes, too.
You will have two bags on the trip - your main bag and your back pack.
You should operate on the basis that you will not have access to your main bag during the day and while you are trekking. This means that it is important to have everything you need in your back pack. Waterproofs should go in the bottom, together with an extra layer, sunscreen and sunglasses, plus hat and gloves (if you are in a colder climate). You should also have your water bottles, and any specific snacks, medicines or first aid items you want to take, such as zinc tape and blister plasters. Baby wipes/toilet roll and nappy sacks are also essential for going to the toilet while you are trekking - we will explain more in the pre-departure briefing!
In the event of an injury, we have an evacuation plan in place for all elements of the trek route. We do ask that you look after yourself during the trek in the following way, as this will help avoid unnecessary problems:
We will brief you in the pre-departure briefing as to the catering specifically for your trip. However, as a guide, each morning you will be provided with a very filling local breakfast, usually accompanied by tea or coffee. Lunch will be during your trek and will be prepared by the team of cooks or we will utilise local restaurants or teahouses. Food will always be ample and tasty. If wild camping, dinner will be in the dining tent and will be traditional, freshly prepared food. If you are staying in a hotel or teahouse, dinner will be served there. Water, tea and coffee will be served and alcohol will usually not be available, although there will be some exceptions. We will provide 4 litres of drinking water per person per day. You will need to fill up 2 litres at breakfast and another 2 litres at lunchtime.
Please ensure that you have notified us before departure if you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies as we can cater for most things as long as we know about them!
You will sleep in shared tents (unless a single supplement has been requested). Mattresses are provided, which makes it much more comfortable! There will be a central dining tent available with rugs and lights where the group can get together in the evening, share stories and enjoy meals. There will also be an open fire wherever it is possible.
Sleeping bags are designed to work by trapping your body heat in the down surrounding you. If you wear lots of layers, your body heat will not escape as effectively, and you will be cold. Wearing a thin thermal layer is ideal. It does sound counterintuitive, but we promise that it works!
Putting your clothes for the next day in the bottom of your sleeping bag will also help with warmth, as it will fill up any spare space around your feet, and it will mean your clothes are nicely warmed up in the morning.
If you find it difficult to sleep without a pillow, we recommend taking a travel pillow and a regular pillowcase with you. Put your pillow in the pillow case, and use your down jacket/layers to fill out the pillowcase. You will end up with a pretty decent pillow!
And as for stuff or roll when it comes to packing your bag away? We are very much in the stuff camp! Read more here.
There will be early morning starts, typically around 0600 - 0700hrs, so that the team can set off on the trek in good time. It is important that you pack up your kit before breakfast and leave your bag outside your tent or accommodation so that the crew can load them onto the jeeps and/or mules. There will be a freshly cooked lunch provided on your trek route. The aim is to get into camp before sunset if possible, when you can enjoy a hot drink and snacks. It is important that you change into your thermals and put layers on when you get into camp as the temperatures can drop sharply and you need to keep warm.
In many tropical countries, mosquitoes can spread diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile Virus, Malaria, Yellow Fever, and Zika virus. It is essential that you seek medical advice prior to travel, and especially if you are pregnant or have an underlying medical condition. Whilst travelling there are several simple measures you can take to reduce your risk of infections spread by mosquitoes: wear suitable clothing and cover up at times of day when mosquitoes are active, use insect repellent on exposed skin (containing 20% to 30% DEET), and use a mosquito net if sleeping in unscreened accommodation. It is important to seek prompt medical attention if you have a fever or display any other symptoms. If you become unwell on your return, make sure you tell your doctor about any trips abroad you have taken in the past year.
In the morning, the Tribal Tracks leader will wake up the group. When you hear the call, please begin to get ready, and pack all your kit away in your 'main bag' before breakfast. Put this bag outside your tent or accommodation as the crew can then begin to break down the tents/load the luggage. Ensure that you have all that you need in your backpack for the day, as you will not have access to your main bag until the next camp (see 'What do I put in my backpack?).
When you arrive into camp, it is important to get changed into different clothes, usually the ones that you will be wearing the next day. Even if you have had dry weather, you will have been sweating, and your clothes will be damp. As the sun sets and the air cools, you will quickly feel cold. Before this, you will want to freshen up and we recommend the 'baby wipe bath'. As there are no showers while on the trek, having a freshen up with a baby wipe will help keep you clean and will make you feel much better, before you put your clean clothes on. Unpack your sleeping bag and get everything out that you need for nighttime, such as your warm hat, jacket, head torch and book. Sort out your back pack for the next day by removing rubbish and replenishing snacks etc.
Doing this before dinner will mean you can get into your sleeping bag quickly, when it is likely to feel cold.
There will be a toilet tent and water supplied for washing in the morning where we can. There are no shower facilities provided during the trek and there will be no toilets either, but there will be a toilet tent in camp in the evenings and mornings. In the pre-departure briefing, we will tell you all that you need to know about how to deal with this.
We recommend that you bring a multi-region adapter plug with you. There will be no facility to recharge electrical items on the trek, so we recommend you bring a power bank to top up the charge. We also recommend putting your phone on Airplane mode during the day to save on power.
Using your mobile overseas can sometimes attract unwelcome, very high tariffs. We recommend that you check with your network provider before you travel, but if in doubt, keep your phone switched to Airplane mode and use it only when there is WiFi. Reception can also be patchy, and unreliable, particularly in remote areas, which is why we carry a satellite phone with us. Please let your nearest and dearest know about this, and warn them that you may not be able to be in regular contact.
We ask that your luggage is kept to the absolute minimum. We will tell you the weights that you should not exceed, but usually (depending on the airline), your main bag should not exceed 23kgs in weight.
It is important that you wear your trekking boots or take them in your hand luggage on the flight, as they are vital for the trek and cannot be replaced if your luggage is lost.
We recommend leaving behind items such as high-value jewelry, watches, etc. Your passport and money should always be kept on your person.
Trip Details
Borneo is a wonderful place to explore and there are amazing animal sanctuaries where you can view some of the wildlife unique to this huge island. If you want to explore further, please contact us for a bespoke extension package.
Have a question? Get in touch, our small team will be delighted to help.
