Sticky Rice Travel

Bornean elephants live in matriarchal family groups, led by the oldest and most experienced female. The matriarch guides the herd to water and feeding areas, drawing on her long term memory of the landscape to make decisions that help keep the group safe. Herds regularly gather at rivers to drink, bathe, cool down and socialize.
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The Oriental pied hornbill is one of 8 different species of hornbills found in Borneo. Sometimes called Sunda pied hornbill or Malaysian pied hornbill, they are one of the smallest hornbills found in Asia with a head to tail length of 55-60cm with a bill of about 19cm in males. They have a whitish-yellow bill and “helmet” and are predominately black with a white belly.
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Found only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, orangutans have one of the longest mother offspring relationships in the animal kingdom. Young orangutans stay close to their mothers for around 6–8 years, learning the skills they’ll need to survive on their own, which foods are safe to eat, where to find them, how to move through the forest canopy and even how to build a new sleeping nest each night.
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The white-bellied sea eagle, also known as the white-bellied fish eagle, is an impressive raptor native to the coastal areas of South and Southeast Asia. With a wingspan reaching up to 2.2 meters, this species boasts powerful talons and a distinctive hooked beak, ranking among the largest eagles in its habitat. True to their name, fish do make up a majority of their diet however they are opportunistic predators and also feed on small animals such as water birds, carrion, and reptiles. ⁠
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The Blue-eared Barbet also known as the Blue-cheeked Barbet is found in tropical and subtropical forests in South and Southeast Asia. It feeds primarily on fruits, berries, and insects. Its strong, stout bill is adapted for breaking open fruits and nuts. The Blue-eared Barbet is known for its loud, repetitive calls, often heard echoing through the forest canopy. It nests in tree holes, where it lays eggs and raises its young.
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While perched, a Helmeted Hornbill is easy to ID by its bare throat pouch, but in flight their long trailing central tail feathers easily distinguish it from any other hornbill. Extending up to 50 cm beyond the rest of the tail, they are an impressive sight. They’re also the only hornbill with a solid casque which can make up around 10% of the bird’s body weight.
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The North Bornean gibbon is native to northern Borneo. Weighing around 5–6kg they are among the smaller of the gibbons. They are highly arboreal primates and spend most of their lives in the forest canopy, using their exceptionally long arms to swing between branches. Gibbons are territorial and well known for their loud, complex calls, with pairs often calling together in the early morning.
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The Kinabalu Island Thrush is a subspecies of thrush (sometimes called mountain blackbird) found only in the cloud forests of Mount Kinabalu, Tambayukon, and Trus Madi typically 2,100m and upward.⁠ Though endemic to these remote montane zones, once there, especially Mount Kinabalu, they are quite easy to spot and photograph. ⁠
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The Asian water monitor is one of Southeast Asia’s largest lizards. Closely associated with water, it inhabits lowland forests, rivers, mangroves and other freshwater and brackish wetlands, and is also very adaptable to human modified environments. Adult males can reach around 2 metres in length and commonly weigh up to 19 kg, making this one of the world’s largest living lizards, second only to the Komodo dragon in size.
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