Malaysia is two countries for a bird photographer. Peninsular Malaysia has the Titiwangsa mountains draped in montane forest, lowland rainforest below and mangroves on the coast, with pittas, broadbills, trogons, laughingthrushes and the Mountain Peacock-Pheasant at established hides. Sabah, on Borneo, has more than fifty island endemics, including the three Whitehead's birds, Bulwer's Pheasant and Bornean Peacock-Pheasant, and the great hornbills of the Kinabatangan.
We run one twelve-day tour in each, back to back at the end of March and the start of April, for one to four photographers. Together they make the most complete Malaysian bird photography trip available.
The hides. Peninsular Malaysia's forest hides at Jerantut, Raub and Bentong are among the most productive in Asia for broadbills, pittas and the shy ground birds, and the lowland and mangrove sites around Kuala Selangor and Perak add owls, kingfishers and the Western Hooded Pitta at close range. In Sabah, the highland hides of Tambunan and the Kinabalu area have made Crimson-headed and Red-breasted Partridge, Bulwer's Pheasant, Whitehead's Trogon and Whitehead's Broadbill photographable birds rather than glimpses, and the Kinabatangan river gives the hornbills, Storm's Stork and Large Frogmouth from a boat.
Both tours are graded easy: lodges close to the sites, short drives, and no hiking.
February to April, at the end of the northeast monsoon and before the wettest months: forest trails are dry, the birds are breeding and calling, and the hides are at their most productive. Our two tours run in the last week of March and the first two weeks of April. October to December is the wettest period on both sides of the South China Sea.
Malaysia: West (Peninsula) – 24 March to 4 April 2027, 12 days · Easy · Liew
Kuala Lumpur for Black-and-Yellow Broadbill, Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher, Black-thighed Falconet and Blyth's Frogmouth; Kuala Selangor for Dusky Eagle Owl and the mangrove kingfishers; Perak for Western Hooded Pitta, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Chestnut-naped Forktail and Spotted Wood Owl; Jerantut for Garnet Pitta and the four lowland broadbills; Raub for Red-headed and Orange-breasted Trogon, Malayan Partridge and the three laughingthrushes; Bentong for Mountain Peacock-Pheasant and Red-bearded Bee-eater. Eighteen photography sessions. US$8,900 (2027), single supplement US$900.
Malaysia: East (Sabah, Borneo) – 1 to 12 April 2027, 12 days · Easy · Nick
Kota Kinabalu, then Tambunan for Crimson-headed and Red-breasted Partridge, Bulwer's Pheasant and Bornean Banded Pitta; Ranau for Whitehead's Trogon, Whitehead's Broadbill, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Fruit-hunter, Everett's Thrush and Bornean Green Magpie; Telupid for Bornean Peacock-Pheasant and Bornean Crested Fireback; the Kinabatangan for Rhinoceros, White-crowned and Wrinkled Hornbill, Storm's Stork, Large Frogmouth, Oriental Bay Owl and the kingfishers. Twenty photography sessions. US$8,900 (2027), single supplement US$900.
Both include guiding, ground transport, domestic flights, accommodation, meals, entrance and hide fees; 2028 and 2029 prices are on the departure pages. Booked together they run 24 March to 12 April with a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu in between.
February to April. Our Peninsula tour runs 24 March to 4 April, the Sabah tour 1-12 April.
On the Peninsula: the four broadbills, Garnet and Western Hooded Pitta, both trogons, the laughingthrushes and Mountain Peacock-Pheasant are reliable at the hides. In Sabah: the partridges, Bulwer's Pheasant, Whitehead's Trogon and Broadbill, the hornbills and Large Frogmouth are the regulars; Bornean Peacock-Pheasant is the prize.
Four at most. Private trips are possible from February to April on either side; solo travellers on a private trip pay a single-participant surcharge.
Yes, most sessions on both tours are from hides. 400-600 mm is ideal; 300 mm is often enough at the bait stations. A shorter lens for the hornbills from the boat.
Easy. Short walks to hides, early starts, moderate drives, a boat on the Kinabatangan.
Guiding, ground transport, domestic flights, accommodation, meals, entrance and hide fees. Not included: international flights, visa, travel insurance, tips for local guides, personal items.
Ask about these tours · Peninsular Malaysia: dates and prices · Sabah, Borneo: dates and prices
: West
