Cats of Borneo Photo Tour

Cats of Borneo Photo Tour

Cats of Borneo Photo Tour
Dates: July 19th – August 3rd, 2019
Location: Malaysian Borneo
Price: $7425 ($975 single supplement)
Participants: 4 (SOLD OUT)
Wild Cat Difficulty:
Leopard Cat – Medium
Marbled Cat – Difficult
Flat-headed Cat – Difficult
Sunda Clouded Leopard – Difficult
Borneo Bay Cat – Extremely Difficult

 

Leopard cat, marbled cat, borneo bay cat, flat-headed cat, and Sunda clouded leopard will be the five target species of wild cat during this Cats of Borneo Photo Tour. We will spend two weeks in the prime locations of Malaysian Borneo to give ourselves the best chances of seeing these elusive forest dwelling felines.

 

Leopard cats have a difficulty rating of medium, this means that for the duration of the trip, we expect to definitely see a leopard cat, and have at least one, but probably multiple encounters, with good photographic opportunities. Marbled cat, flat-headed cat, and Sunda clouded leopard have a difficulty rating of difficult, this means that for the duration of the trip, our goal will be to have one encounter with each of these species with good photographic opportunities. The Borneo bay cat has a difficulty rating of extremely difficult. This means that if we encounter a bay cat, whether a good photo opportunity or not, we consider ourselves beyond lucky.*

What to Bring
Photo Equipment: We recommend bringing one SLR camera (or more), a telephoto lens at least 300mm long, an external flash, better beamer, and a tripod or monopod.
Clothing: Borneo is a very hot and humid place. To be the most comfortable, you want to wear lightweight, quick-drying clothes. I personally prefer to wear long pants, with a short sleeve shirt. Long sleeve shirts are a good idea for the night drives we will be doing. Finally, we recommend bringing rain jacket and pants, a hat, and swim wear.
Shoes: Lightweight running shoes (big hiking boots become bricks with all the mud and water). Bring sandals for relaxing.

Travel: Fly into Sandakan Airport (SDK) on the morning of the 19th of July. You will be picked up from the airport.

Accommodations: Are included in the workshop fee and include lodges, chalets, and a B&B. Detailed descriptions of the accommodations are available upon request.

Food: Food is included in the workshop fee, however, alcohol at meals is not.

Transportation: Transportation to and from the airport and within the country is included in the workshop fee.

Schedule for the Cats of Borneo Photo Tour:

Day 1. July 19th. Arrive at SDK. Visit Sepilok Nature Reserve and go for night walk.
Day 2. July 20th. We will spend our time looking for cats on 4×4 vehicles and on foot in Deramakot Forest Reserve.
Day 3. July 21st. Same as the previous day.
Day 4. July 22nd. Same as the previous day.
Day 5. July 23rd. Same as the previous day.
Day 6. July 24th. Same as the previous day.
Day 7. July 25th. Same as the previous day.
Day 8. July 26th. Same as the previous day.
Day 9. July 27th. Same as the previous day. Transfer to Kinabatangan River.
Day 10. July 28th. We will look for wild cats along the Kinabatangan River, both from boats and on small treks.
Day 11. July 29th. Same as the previous day.
Day 12. July 30th. Look for cats on 4×4 vehicles and on foot in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, or Danum Valley, depending on recent sightings.
Day 13. July 31st. Same as the previous day.
Day 14. August 1st. Same as the previous day.
Day 15. August 2nd. Same as previous day.
Day 16. August 3rd. Depart via Lahad Datu.

Physical Requirements: You need to be in reasonable shape for this photography tour. We may hike up to three miles per day to look for the cats. The terrain can be steep, slippery, and uneven.

Deposit: $1900 will secure your spot in the photo tour. I will ask for this after you sign-up, or if you contact me directly.

What’s included in the price: Accommodations, transportation to and from the airport and between shooting locations, meals (except alcohol), guide services.

What’s not included in the price: International flights and domestic departing flight, and anything not listed in the “What’s included in the price” list above.

*Wild Cat Difficulty: Wild cats can be very hard to photograph subjects, they require a lot of patience and dedication. This means spending significant amounts of time searching for them, hours and possibly days without a sighting. Leopard cats have a difficulty rating of medium, this means that for the duration of the trip, we expect to definitely see a leopard cat, and have at least one, but probably multiple encounters, with good photographic opportunities. Marbled cat, flat-headed cat, and Sunda clouded leopard have a difficulty rating of difficult, this means that for the duration of the trip, our goal will be to have one encounter with each of these species with good photographic opportunities. The Borneo bay cat has a difficulty rating of extremely difficult. This means that if we encounter a bay cat, whether a good photo opportunity or not, we consider ourselves beyond lucky. Please do know that we have organized the cats of Borneo photo tour to maximize our chances to encounter and photograph all of these incredible felines.

[contact-form-7 id=”2046″ title=”Workshop Signup”]

Other Possible Species to Photograph (underlined species are the most commonly seen):
Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Red Leaf Monkey (Presbytis rubicunda)
Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus)
Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis)
Sambar (Cervus unicolor)
Malayan Civet (Viverra tangalunga)
Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)
Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura)

Terms and Conditions