This “planned” Borneo motorcycle tour route, would involve logging trails, muddy trails, rocky trails, single track trails & a bit of tarmac here and there on the way back to civilization.
December, January & February, tend to be the rainiest months on the north coast of Borneo, so we needed to treat this new route with some respect.
Bikes were all prep’d, saddlebags intelligently mounted, they just need dry bags in each, with all your gear and you’re ready to go. You want small bikes for this kind of riding, ideally low, light, to deal with the wet, muddy sections.
IMG_1111_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Saddle bags always make things easy. You can throw your leg over the bike and the weight down low. These ones have been modified and work really well
First couple of days should be pretty easy. Just have to find the turn for Long Sheriden off the main logging dirt trail and we’ll be down by the Sheriden River
In and out of of border crossings and time to hit the big trails
IMG_1113_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
The absence of anything but rain forest makes this magical riding
IMG_1117_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
They’d been some major flooding in Borneo in December 2014, a lot of bridges had been washed away, we were pretty nervous that this might spoil are planned route
IMG_1118_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
So far so good
Logging roads deal pretty well with the rain, its a stone base that gets ground by the huge logging trucks into a powder
IMG_1121_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1122_edited1 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1123_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
The trail to Long Sheriden was looking good, until we got here, this wasnt good, we’d have to turn back and find another way through. This wasn’t good news, we didnt have much of a cushion of daylight time, you wouldnt want to be riding around out here in the dark
Fuel can be found in most logging camps and most of the local villages which normally are on a river
IMG_1125_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
We’d had a bunch of rain, this guy had capsized his canoe in the fast flowing river and dunked his outboard. Air hose to try and dry it out and it should run again.
Delicious noodles in the logging camp, then it was time to plough on
IMG_1127_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
This wasnt the right way out but was fun
IMG_1128_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
A bit of a shower and things get a little slippy in the powder paste
A local off hunting. We managed to get some local knowledge from him about which bridges had vanished
IMG_1133_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Looking a bit rainy ahead, this was a bit of a worry too
IMG_1134_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
They dont call this the rain forest for nothing at 4 degrees north of the equator
IMG_1135_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Starting top get wet and slippy again, pace becomes slow and tiring
IMG_1136_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
We finally get to the Sheriden River and its still real boggy from the previous floods, almost unridable
IMG_1137_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
With the rain, the river level has risen significantly, there’s no way we can ride across this with the depth and the speed of the current
IMG_1138_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Rain was just starting too, very common here in the late afternoons
Lots of shouting to the other side did nothing. So the only option was to wade across and try get a canoe for the bikes
IMG_1141_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
This boatman then came in a very small canoe, looks like it will be one by one
IMG_1142_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Pouring with rain now, we manage to get all of our gear and us across in the canoe
IMG_1144_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
About 6 of the locals then rallied together to figure out how to get the bikes over
IMG_1145_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1146_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Quite a wide river with the rain
IMG_1147_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
One by one, with a stick through the wheels to lift, they got them in the canoes
IMG_1149_edited1 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1150_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1151_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1152_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
They’d done this with scooters before many times for sure
IMG_1153_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Then walk them across
IMG_1154_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1161_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1162_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Big smiles at the other side
IMG_1165_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1166_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Stick through the wheels and another one comes across
IMG_1170_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1171_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1172_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1174_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
I wonder how many times he’s seen this?
IMG_1177_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
IMG_1175_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
GOPR0052_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Wet and soggy we make the Long Sheriden GH, which is run by some really nice people, a fantastic, unusual, stop for the night
IMG_1182_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
You can even get topped up with fuel there
IMG_1181_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
The Long Sheriden airport runway is 20 meters from the houses
IMG_1184_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Now is time for the the most technical riding day. The ride into the Mulu Rain Forest & hopefully we can get a boat to the Luxurious, Royal Mulu Resort
It starts off pretty easy on a hard packed road, good to warm up on
IMG_1185_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
The KLX is running well so far
IMG_1186_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
More locals are telling us of bridges gone, especially on the trail to Long Bedian. This is the way we are headed and could be a major problem
IMG_1187_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
This guy says the same thing
IMG_1189_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
& these guys
IMG_1190_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Down towards the river and no bridge in sight, is this the end of the road?
IMG_1191_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
There’s a bridge still there with the railings hanging off, we’re in luck so far
IMG_1192_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Lots of logging trucks in a queue on the road, this is very unusual
IMG_1193_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
The bridge is gone, thats why they’re there, this is very bad news, we dont have much spare time built in
IMG_1194_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
More logging trucks waiting, they are saying 3 days before the bridge is repaired
20150205_130644_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Closer inspection, we can believe them its a disaster
‘
20150205_130830_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
This was very very bad. We had about 4 hours of daylight left, 3 days for the bridge would be fixed and we had boats waiting for us. We asked the digger driver if he could lift the bikes over one-by-one with the digger. He called his boss on the radio and the answer was no.
GOPR0073_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Jesse and Greg walked down to the digger and could see a rope bridge across the river inside the logging HQ. At first the answer was no, then Greg did some serious sweet talking and the boss said we could try bringing the bikes across, all was not lost (we hoped).
The suspension bridge on the far side had steps to exit, this hadnt been used for bikes before, could be interesting
20150205_134841_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
It wasnt so bad, there was a rhythmic swing but not too bad
20150205_135503_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Getting the bikes up the far side was a bitch
GOPR0075_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
That headache over with, there would still a good chance we could make our destination before dark, we’d have to click our heals
GOPR0078_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
All looking good, a few bike drama’s just to make things more complicated and we make the cliff-like hill down to Long Iman
GOPR0089_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Its the nastiest hill i’ve ever been down, you can see the locals giving us a hand in the back ground
GOPR0100_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
GOPR0098_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
GOPR0096_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Im down and im knackered
GOPR0095_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Now to scramble around and find a boat that can take us to the Royal Mulu Resort. It’s getting dark, with the fast flowing river they might not want to head down the river.
We manage to persuade a boat driver to take us, looks like we’ll have a nice, soft bead for the night
GOPR0106_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Last bunch of photo’s are by Jesse
Never understood why we have to always do 80km/h down the river, it feels a “little” uneasy
GOPR0146_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Covered in mud, smelly, sweaty, we make a mess of the beautiful, polished, wooden floors in the Royal Mulu Resort. That first beer at dusk was worth a million dollars
GOPR0150_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
After a couple of days of pretty intense off-road riding, this place is like heaven. You can ONLY get there by airplane or boat, they have done everything they can to keep the Mulu rain forest eco. system in tact
Rooms are sublime, the softest beds you can find, i could sleep for 48 hours solid there after a couple of days in the jungle
Some great caving options ar Mulu, we were all too knackered and wanted a day of rest to heal instead.
A big boat for a big trip down the Tutoh River was needed, some previous contacts responded and said they could get a boat ready – looks like this new route is going to work after all
A 50ft / 15 meter, steel canoe showed up and we got the bikes loaded
GOPR0155_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Being long and thin, it doesnt maneuver to well, these guys have to know what they’re doing
GOPR0156_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Time to load up
GOPR0159_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
GOPR0160_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Two outboard engines and 400 liters of petrol and we head off down the Tutoh River, petrol driven bilge pump keeping us afloat below
GOPR0172_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
A few hours on this beautiful river is pretty cool. You’ve got a bit of everything – rapids, rocks, wildlife, jungle, its all there
WP_20150207_10_58_59_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
WP_20150207_09_59_28_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Even the driver’s are loving it, note the 55 gallon drum full of petrol
WP_20150207_09_21_33_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Now time to try the new trail to Marudi, a first for us
WP_20150207_11_10_31_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Just need to not drop them in the water
WP_20150207_11_10_11_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
With the boat bouncing at speed, you want to get the bikes as far aft in the boat as possible
WP_20150207_11_10_42_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
WP_20150207_11_19_34_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
We’d had a lot of locals saying that the trail to Marudi wasnt in good shape, which had us a little concerned. It had dried out considerably and was better than expected
WP_20150207_12_00_19_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
There were lots of new trails that wernt on any maps
WP_20150207_12_44_38_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
With the dirt road better than expected, we made Marudi by 3pm
WP_20150208_10_05_51_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
A great little, old trading town, Marudi, right on the Baram River. This town had been the administrative HQ all the way back to when the “White Rajahs” (The Brooke’s Family) .
From 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Englishman James Brooke. As a reward for helping the Sultanate of Brunei fight piracy and insurgency among the indigenous peoples, he was granted the landmass of Sarawak in 1841 and received independent kingdom status.
White Rajahs – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Want some of the best noodles you’ll find anywhere? Go to this place on the town square in Marudi, we all agreed
WP_20150207_15_06_04_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Still a bustling trading town today, with its network of deep rivers making for easy distribution of cargo
WP_20150208_10_51_51_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
WP_20150208_11_10_34_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Ferry network makes it simple to get back to the villages, sloppy wet trails arnt any issue for the locals
WP_20150208_11_09_37_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Ferries have a shallow draft and are steel, long and thin
WP_20150208_11_10_17_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Long Lama seemed to be a popular destination
WP_20150208_11_10_30_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Marudi is a real surprise and a very fun evening town. A pretty easy day the next day NW to Miri
WP_20150209_10_28_26_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
The ferry back to civilization & tarmac
WP_20150208_11_27_13_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
GOPR0200_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
GOPR0197_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Ferry seemed pretty safe, good job once we saw this sign
WP_20150208_11_11_12_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Then off to Miri. A deforested area with palm oil seedlings starting to grow in their place
WP_20150208_12_02_50_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Nice easy day with some ridgline riding, into Miri for a late lunch
WP_20150208_13_09_18_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
John’s KTM 620, really nicely set up
Plenty of daylight left, with Miri being on the South China Sea, go check out the waterfront area
WP_20150208_13_56_36_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Non-tourist beaches in Asia are always deserted. They don’t like the sun, the class structure of keeping your skin white is of high importance and most can swim, so no-ones there
WP_20150208_13_57_55_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Boat Club does an excellent lunch, highly recommended
Want some more of the best noodles in the world? Find this place in Miri, real special
WP_20150209_09_47_50_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Delicious
WP_20150209_09_55_16_Pro by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
That’s about it. Great trip, lots of boats and great trails, this is a fun packed ride.
You can see more of our Borneo motorcycle tour photo’s by clicking this link
A map of the fantastic route where you need several boats to complete the loop. In fact Immigration said they’ve never seen this done before and were questioning our border stamps!!
Borneo track L sheriden by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
Below is a packing list if you plan to head int the Borneo rain forest on a bike with saddlebags:
1. 2 x 40 liter roll top dry bags, one for each saddle bag. they can be pulled out and taken to the hotel every night
2. Small shampoo container for the long house homestays
3. Small towel
4. Rain jacket
5. Hiking shoes if you plan to do caves
6. Bivi sack for sleeping in case of a bike problem or blocked road
7. Neck scalf to stop the sun
8. Wrist covers to stop sunburn
9. Waterproof everything important in ziplock bags. When it rains it rains
10. British style plug adapter
11. Headlight – Many places only generators
12. Flip flops
13. Toilet roll/ wet wipes
14. Immodium/ pain killers
15. Quick dry clothes, jeans not advisable
16. Hydration powder
17. Body armor
We are the only tour company offering this Virgin Rain Forest, Borneo Motorcycle Tour (it’s special!)
If you are interested in one of our motorcycle tours in Borneo then click on the link below:
