Each year ASIAN MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES offers a few lucky bikers an extended motorcycle expedition to a region or country dreamt of, but never before attainable. A few years ago it was BORNEO in its entirety! We plan on repeating this motorcycle expedition again in 2007.

    This expedition will last for 26 days, cover over 3100 miles (5000 km), will cross the equator twice, and traverse six provinces and three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Borneo is larger than Texas, and approximately 50% of the TRANS-BORNEO EXPEDITION motorcycle tour will be on unsealed roads so pillion riders will not be permitted to participate. 

    This also means participants must have a moderate amount of off-road riding experience and be in decent physical condition. A significant portion of the sealed roads are in poor condition making for slow progress even on some of the better segments. 
    The TRANS-BORNEO EXPEDITION motorcycle tour is set for August, historically Borneo’s driest month. But it’s highly unlikely we’ll experience zero rain since our route transects many rainforested areas and the micro-climates in those regions are usually moist with varying amounts of daily percipitation likely. 

    For those bikers needing the security of a fixed itinerary and schedule, this tour is not for you. Our routing is pre-determined, but because of the vagaries of road and weather conditions, our arrival and departure schedule must be left open and flexible.

     We stay in Western-standard hotels in the major towns and cities along the way. Throughout Sabah, Brunei, and Sarawak our hotels are quite comfortable and sometimes even luxurious. Same holds true for the larger Kalimantan cities.  Many of the smaller towns and villages in Kalimantan, however, only have basic lodging and food facilities.  Called losmans, room fans are considered an extravagence; in-room toilets a rarity.

   The emphasis on this motorcycle tour is on the indigenous cultures.  With over 40 ethnic groups speaking 65 languages and dialects, Borneo is a living ethnological museum. Welcoming ceremonies for us by many Dyak and Iban tribes will be a daily occurrence. As we enter their localities our convoy will have to ask each group’s permission to cross their homelands in a ceremony leaning more towards fun than seriousness. These interior  precincts do not get many visitors and we become their excuse for throwing a good party, with us as the guests of honor. 

    Knowledgeable guides will accompany our tour all the way around the world's 3rd largest island, explaining the indigenous lifestyles, histories, and the Bornean environment. 


    Borneo’s lifeblood is water. Surrounded by such romantic sounding seas, like the South China, the Java, the Sulu, and Suluwasi Seas, the Makasar and Karimata Straits, a lot of attention on this tour will be directed oceanwards as we skirt this giant of an isle. One of our rest-day stops will be Mabul Island where sea turtles daily lay their eggs practically beneath our bungalows. And we can probably catch the mass scuttle of the hatchlings each night as they race pell-mell towards the surf.  A lot of this expedition also criss-crosses the interior, and Borneo rivers are countless.  Many days will be spent following their lazy courses, crossing over them time and again, watching commerce and the daily chores of the people take place on the river banks.

    The TRANS-BORNEO EXPEDITION motorcycle tour starts and ends in Kota Kinabalu. The first two days we spend in the award winning BORNEO RAINFOREST LODGE in the protected Danum Valley. Then we head for Tawau where a chartered ocean-going vessel lands us in Tarakan, East Kalimantan. Indonesia. Traveling south on decent roads we visit Tanjungredeb and the booming oil towns of Samarinda and Balikpapan. 

    Crossing into South Kalimantan we head to Benjarmasin, “the Venice of the Orient” and the most interesting town on the Kalimantan side. We spend an extra day here sightseeing and exploring the diamond and gemstone fields, visit a floating market, and watch the construction of old- fashioned but still in--service Bugis schooners.

    The roads get sloppy across Central and West Kalimantan. We feel our way to Palangkaraya, Sampit, Pangkalanbum, and then pop out of West Kalimantan at Sandai. Depending on our progress through these parts, this will determine how long we can roam through Sarawak, Brunei, and Sabah.  If we have made good time across the bottom of Borneo we can duplicate most of the stops in our EAST MALAYSIA TOUR (please read the itinerary details in this section).  If our progress was slow we will have to omit some planned stops in East Malaysia.

    This is surely a trip you'll be telling your grandchildren about way into old age.  This expedition is the essence of motorcycle adventure. 


    For more details about this amazing motorcycle tour, please contact AMA. Space is limited.

Click for BORNEO map.

Next TRANS-BORNEO MOTORCYCLE EXPEDITION is scheduled for August, 2008. However, custom tours can be organized in Borneo for private groups at any time upon request.  Please contact A.M.A. for further details: info@asianbiketour.com
 

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