Maliau Basin / Packages & Prices

Updated August 2026

Maliau Basin packages and prices

Q: What are the camps like on the Maliau Basin trek?

Dormitory style. Nepenthes Camp sits at 945 metres and Ginseng Camp at 645 metres. Both provide a bed and a pillow only, with no blanket, towel, power or hot water.

Four ways into the basin, with the actual numbers. Malaysian and international rates differ by several hundred ringgit per person, and almost no site shows you both — so this page does.

Read this first

How Maliau Basin pricing actually works

Three things move the number, and understanding them makes every quote you receive readable.

Residency. Malaysians and permanent residents pay less than international visitors on the Studies Centre packages. The gap is roughly RM360 to RM600 per person. You will need a valid identity card at check-in to claim the Malaysian rate.

Room grade. Studies Centre stays come as Standard Resthouse or Deluxe Resthouse. The difference is about RM100 per person across the whole trip, which is one of the cheaper upgrades in Sabah tourism.

Group size. Two people is the minimum for a scheduled departure. Prices quoted are per person on that basis.

The mistake most people make. They compare a Malaysian Standard rate on one site against an international Deluxe rate on another, conclude one operator is expensive, and book on bad information. Check which rate you are being shown before comparing anything.

The four packages

Every Maliau Basin package, with 2026 prices

Two are based at the Maliau Basin Studies Centre with day walks. Two take you into the interior camps on foot. Prices below are operated by Remarkable Borneo Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, a licensed Sabah operator.

Studies Centre · Easiest

3D2N — Maliau Basin Studies Centre

The shortest realistic trip. Based at the Studies Centre with the EE Trail, Sky Bridge, Wildlife Trail and Observation Tower, plus a guided night walk. You see the basin without walking into it.

RB-3D2N-MB
Min 2 pax

Observation Tower at sunset, Studies Centre

Malaysian rate

Accommodation	Code	Price / pax
Standard Resthouse	RB-3D2N-MB-STD	RM3,500
Deluxe Resthouse	RB-3D2N-MB-DLX	RM3,600

International rate

Accommodation	Code	Price / pax
Standard Resthouse	RB-3D2N-MB-STD	RM3,860
Deluxe Resthouse	RB-3D2N-MB-DLX	RM3,920

Full itinerary

Arrival, Nature Gallery, night walk

Arrive Maliau Gate around 2pm. Welcome at the Shell Building, Information Gallery and Maliau Cafe. Check in at the Studies Centre, visit the Nature Gallery, dinner at Dalit Dining Hall, MBCA introduction video, then a guided night walk.

Meals D
Stay MBSC

EE Trail, Sky Bridge, Observation Tower

EE Trail in the morning, then the Sky Bridge for panoramic views. Down to the river, where the water runs tea-coloured from dissolved tannins. Afternoon on the Wildlife Trail, then the Observation Tower for sunset. Optional Maliau Safari night drive, replaced by a dawn drive if the weather turns.

Meals B, L, D
Stay MBSC

Bird watching and departure

Optional guided morning walk, breakfast at 7am, free time, then depart.

Meals B

Best for a first visit, limited time, or mixed fitness within a group. Check dates

Studies Centre · More time

4D3N — Maliau Basin Studies Centre

The same base, one more day, and access to trails the 3D2N cannot fit: Manggaris and Avian, plus the lagoon. Two night drives instead of one. If you want wildlife rather than a checklist, this is the better centre-based option.

RB-4D3N-MB
Min 2 pax

Avian Trail and lagoon at the Studies Centre

Malaysian rate

Accommodation	Code	Price / pax
Standard Resthouse	RB-4D3N-MB-STD	RM4,050
Deluxe Resthouse	RB-4D3N-MB-DLX	RM4,150

International rate

Accommodation	Code	Price / pax
Standard Resthouse	RB-4D3N-MB-STD	RM4,650
Deluxe Resthouse	RB-4D3N-MB-DLX	RM4,750

Full itinerary

Arrival, Nature Gallery, night walk

Arrive Maliau Gate around 2pm and transfer to the Studies Centre. Check in, MBCA introduction video and briefing, Nature Gallery. Dinner at 7pm, then a guided night walk. Lights out around 11pm.

Meals D
Stay MBSC

Wildlife Trail, EE Trail, Sky Bridge

Wildlife and EE Trails through forest plants and fungi, then the Sky Bridge. Evening night drive available as an optional add-on.

Meals B, L, D
Stay MBSC

Manggaris Trail, Avian Trail, Observation Tower

Manggaris Trail in the morning. After lunch, a guided evening walk along the Avian Trail and the lagoon area for wildlife, then the Observation Tower at sunset. Second optional night drive.

Meals B, L, D
Stay MBSC

Morning walk and departure

Optional guided morning walk, breakfast at 7am, free time, depart.

Meals B

The RM550 step up from the 3D2N buys two extra trails and a second night drive. Check dates

Trekking · Compressed loop

4D3N Maliau Basin Trekking

Into the camps, reaching Maliau Falls, Giluk Falls and Ginseng Falls. One flat price with no residency split. Read the warning below before assuming this is the gentler trek.

RB-4D3N-MBT
Min 2 pax

All visitors

Package	Code	Price / pax
4D3N Trekking	RB-4D3N-MBT	RM4,990

Full itinerary

Arrival and Studies Centre

Arrive Maliau Gate at 2pm, welcome drink at the Shell Building. Check in at the Studies Centre by 3.30pm, Nature Gallery at 5pm, dinner at 7pm, MBCA briefing at 8pm. Optional Maliau Safari night drive, arranged and paid directly at Maliau Basin.

Meals L, D
Stay Deluxe Resthouse

Agathis to Nepenthes, plus Giluk Falls

Depart 8am for Agathis Camp, the trailhead. 7.5 km on foot across the southern basin rim through steep hills, mixed dipterocarp forest giving way to lower montane. At least six pitcher plant species along the route, with rhododendrons and wild orchids. Arrive Nepenthes Camp at 945 m, formerly Camel Trophy Camp. Afternoon 3 km side trek to Giluk Falls.

Distance 7.5 km + 6 km
Difficulty Challenging
Stay Nepenthes, dorm

Nepenthes to Maliau Falls to Ginseng

The big day. 10 km and about seven hours to the seven-tiered Maliau Falls, which Murut tradition holds is home to a mythical water dragon. Arrive around 2.30pm, then continue to Ginseng Camp at 645 m, reaching it by about 5.30pm.

Distance 10 km
On foot ~7 hrs
Stay Ginseng, dorm

Ginseng Falls, then out to Agathis

Short walk to Ginseng Waterfall before breakfast is done, then pack and begin the 9 km return trek to Agathis Camp. Arrive around 1pm, check out at the Shell Building, depart 2pm.

Distance 9 km
Meals B, L

Camps are dormitory style. Bed and pillow provided; no blanket, no towel, no power. Check dates

Trekking · Full loop

5D4N Maliau Basin Trekking

The complete loop with the same ground spread across an extra day, and a Maliau Falls day that is out-and-back rather than a through-push. Includes the option of Takob Akob Falls, the tallest in the basin at 38 m.

RB-5D4N-MBT
Min 2 pax

All visitors

Package	Code	Price / pax
5D4N Trekking	RB-5D4N-MBT	On request

Full itinerary

Kota Kinabalu to Studies Centre

Pickup around 7am, 5 to 6 hours through the Crocker Range with a supply stop at Keningau. Register at the gate, then 30 to 40 minutes to the Studies Centre. Orientation walk, then a night walk or night drive.

Meals L, D
Stay MBSC Deluxe

Agathis to Nepenthes

Transfer to Agathis and begin the loop with a steep ascent, the hardest single section of the trek. Optional 2 to 3 hour return walk to Takob Akob Falls.

Distance 7.5 km
On foot ~5 hrs
Stay Nepenthes

Nepenthes to Ginseng

The most varied day and the least punishing. Lower dipterocarp into lower montane and heath forest. Pitcher plants, occasional rafflesia, Bornean gibbons and red-leaf monkeys. Ginseng Falls is swimmable and close to camp.

Distance 7 km
On foot ~5 hrs
Stay Ginseng

Maliau Falls, out and back

Packed lunch and a guided trek to the falls, 4.5 km each way, with a steep rope-assisted final section. Long stop at the falls, then back to Ginseng.

Distance 9 km return
On foot 2–3 hrs each way
Stay Ginseng

Ginseng to Agathis to Kota Kinabalu

9 km back out to Agathis where the driver waits, then the 5 to 6 hour road journey. Back in Kota Kinabalu around 7pm. Drop-offs at Semporna or Tawau on request.

Distance 9 km
Meals B, L

The published schedule runs from Kota Kinabalu, with drop-offs at Semporna or Tawau on request. Request a quote

Choosing between the treks

The 4D3N trek is not the easy version of the 5D4N

This is the single most useful thing on this page, and nobody says it plainly.

It is natural to read 4D3N and 5D4N as a short trek and a long trek, and to assume the shorter one is gentler. It is the other way round. Both cover the same interior. The 4D3N compresses it into fewer walking days.

On the 4D3N, day three is a 10 kilometre push of roughly seven hours that takes you from Nepenthes Camp over Maliau Falls and on to Ginseng Camp, with the operator rating it moderate to challenging. Day two adds a 3 kilometre each-way side trek to Giluk Falls on top of the 7.5 kilometre trail day.

On the 5D4N, that same ground is split. Nepenthes to Ginseng is its own day at 7 km. Maliau Falls is a separate out-and-back the following day, 4.5 km each way, with an unhurried stop at the falls and no pack to carry the whole distance.

Rule of thumb. Take the 4D3N if you are a strong walker short on time and you want Giluk Falls in the mix. Take the 5D4N if you want to enjoy Maliau Falls rather than arrive at it exhausted, or if anyone in the group is uncertain about back-to-back long days.

If the group is genuinely mixed, neither trek is the answer. Book the 4D3N Studies Centre package instead.

Elevation, for reference

Nepenthes Camp sits at 945 metres and Ginseng Camp at 645 metres. That 300 metre drop is why the Nepenthes to Ginseng leg feels easier than the climb up from Agathis, and it is also why the return leg on the final day is more work than the distance suggests.

Side by side

Comparing all four Maliau Basin packages

	3D2N Centre	4D3N Centre	4D3N Trek	5D4N Trek
Malaysian, from	RM3,500	RM4,050	RM4,990	On request
International, from	RM3,860	RM4,650	RM4,990	On request
Nights	2	3	3	4
Total on foot	Day walks	Day walks	~32 km	~33 km
Hardest day	—	—	10 km / 7 hrs	9 km
Accommodation	Resthouse	Resthouse	Resthouse + dorm	Resthouse + camps
Reaches Maliau Falls	No	No	Yes	Yes
Giluk Falls	No	No	Yes	No
Takob Akob Falls	No	No	No	Optional
Sky Bridge	Yes	Yes	No	No
Observation Tower	Yes	Yes	No	No
Fitness needed	Low	Low	High	Moderate to good

Note that the trekking packages skip the Sky Bridge and Observation Tower entirely. If you want both the canopy structures and the interior camps, you are looking at a longer custom itinerary rather than one of these four.

The fine print

What is included, and what catches people out

Inclusions are consistent across all four packages.

Included

Accommodation for the nights stated
Conservation fee
All land transfers to the destination
Meals as listed in the itinerary
Non-DSLR camera fee
Guided jungle trekking

Not included

Tourism tax, RM10 per room per night
Beverages
Personal travel insurance
Airfares and airport departure taxes
Tips
Optional night and dawn drives on some itineraries
Anything personal not listed above

The DSLR charge

Read that inclusion carefully: the non-DSLR camera fee is covered. Bringing a DSLR into the conservation area attracts a separate charge that is not in your package price. If you are travelling to Maliau specifically to photograph it, budget for this and confirm the current amount when you book.

Tourism tax

RM10 per room per night, payable at check-in, and it applies to foreign visitors only. Malaysians and permanent residents are exempt but must show a valid identity card to qualify. On a three-night stay this is RM30 per room, so it is a rounding error rather than a real cost, but it is one more reason to have your IC accessible.

Optional activities paid on site

On the 4D3N trekking itinerary the Maliau Safari night drive is an add-on arranged and paid directly at Maliau Basin. If the weather does not permit it, it is replaced by a dawn drive the following morning, as early as 5am. On the Studies Centre itineraries the night drive is listed as an optional activity.

Booking

How far ahead to book Maliau Basin

Permits are issued in advance by Yayasan Sabah and camp space is capped by design. Popular months in the March to October window fill first, and 2026 departures have been open for booking since the start of the year.

Several months of lead time is normal. For peak dry-season dates it is the minimum sensible. If your dates are fixed and close, ask anyway, but be prepared to take a centre-based itinerary if the camps are full.

What you cannot do

You cannot book Maliau Basin independently, turn up at the gate, or self-drive in. Permission from Yayasan Sabah, a registered guide and an approved itinerary are all mandatory. The permits page covers this in full.

Solo travellers

Two pax is the published minimum. Solo travellers can often join an existing departure rather than pay a single-occupancy premium, but that depends entirely on what is already on the calendar. Another argument for asking early.

Common questions

Maliau Basin package questions

How much does a Maliau Basin trip cost?

Malaysian rates start at RM3,500 per person for the 3D2N Studies Centre package and RM4,050 for the 4D3N. International rates for the same trips are RM3,860 and RM4,650. The 4D3N trekking package is RM4,990 per person for all visitors, and the 5D4N full loop is quoted on request. All prices assume a minimum of two people.

Why do Malaysians pay less than international visitors?

Tiered pricing for residents is standard across Malaysian conservation areas and national parks. At Maliau the gap runs from about RM360 on the 3D2N to RM600 on the 4D3N Studies Centre package. A valid identity card is required at check-in. The trekking packages are priced the same for everyone.

What is the difference between Standard and Deluxe Resthouse?

Room grade at the Maliau Basin Studies Centre. The price difference is RM60 to RM100 per person across the whole trip depending on package and residency, which makes it one of the cheaper upgrades available in Sabah.

Is the 4D3N trek easier than the 5D4N?

No. Both cover the same interior, and the 4D3N compresses it into fewer days. Its third day is a 10 kilometre push of around seven hours from Nepenthes Camp over Maliau Falls to Ginseng Camp. The 5D4N splits that same ground across two days and treats Maliau Falls as an out-and-back. Per day, the 4D3N is the harder trip.

Do the trekking packages include the Sky Bridge?

No. The Sky Bridge and Observation Tower appear on the Studies Centre itineraries only. The trekking packages head straight for Agathis Camp and the interior. If you want both, you need a longer custom itinerary.

What is not included in the package price?

Tourism tax at RM10 per room per night for foreign visitors, beverages, personal travel insurance, airfares and airport taxes, tips, and personal expenses. Note also that only the non-DSLR camera fee is included, so bringing a DSLR attracts a separate charge.

Can one person book a Maliau Basin package?

The published minimum is two people. Solo travellers can often join an existing scheduled departure instead of paying a single-occupancy premium, but this depends on what is already booked, so ask as early as possible.

What are the camps like on the trekking packages?

Dormitory style. Nepenthes Camp, formerly Camel Trophy Camp, sits at 945 metres, and Ginseng Camp at 645 metres. Both provide a bed and a pillow only. No blanket, no towel, no power and no hot water, so you carry a sleeping bag and a quick-dry towel.

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