ANZAC & SANDAKAN DAY TOURS/TREKS

IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS

PREMIUM ANZAC DAY AND SANDAKAN DAY PILGRIMAGE/TREK TOURS TO SANDAKAN

IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS TOURS TO SANDAKAN

Lynette Silver organises and escorts a tour group to Malaysian Borneo from 22 April-5 May for Anzac Day on 25 April and 12-25 August for Sandakan Day on 15 August.  She has been doing this in a non-profit capacity since 1999 for families of prisoners of war and others who have a special interest in wartime events in Borneo. The Premium Pilgrimage/Trek Tours allow participants to choose which option they prefer. The tours are geared to individually honour each traveller’s POW. Emphasis is on the prisoner of war experience, but not exclusively so, with cultural interaction and sightseeing playing an important part. No other tour offers the wartime expertise and personalised input that Lynette can provide after 30 years of intensive research, for which she has been recognised by the Australian and British governments.

The tour’s carefully designed and very comprehensive  ‘In Their Footsteps’ itinerary of 14 days and 13 nights incorporates some very interesting places that are off the normal tourist track, as well as every POW site pertinent to the Sandakan story.

The tour follows the POWs from Australia by air to Borneo, arriving at Sandakan airport, early afternoon on Day 1.  Accommodation for the next five nights (pilgrimage option) or three nights (trekking option) is in a well-appointed hotel in Sandakan’s old town, allowing travellers to absorb local colour. Highlights for both pilgrims and trekkers include a private visit to the POW Memorial Park (the site of the 8 Mile POW Camp); an entire day devoted to wildlife, which can be seen at close quarters at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, and at Labuk Bay, home to the amazing proboscis monkeys; and a poignant visit to St Michael’s Church, the only building in the world that has any connection to the Sandakan POWs and where many of the prisoners spent the night before marching to their final captivity.  An important part of this visit is to view the magnificent stained glass Windows of Remembrance and Friendship Windows, as well as the special POW Chapel with its Memorial books inscribed with the names of every POW. Both groups also attend the Anzac Day or Sandakan Day service held at the POW Park. After the trekking group departs to begin their walk, the pilgrimage guests spend an extra two days at Sandakan, with a boat trip to Berhala Island and a fishing village and an excursion to a beautiful island that has wartime connections and a turtle hatchery. 

Accommodation for the trekking party while walking is at a Forestry Rest house and in a purpose built Rungus Longhouse, with comfortable but basic facilities. When not walking, trekkers are in the same accommodation as the pilgrimage group.

From Sandakan, pilgrimage travellers continue to trace the footsteps of the POWs with a two-day leisurely drive that follows, more or less, the route of the death march track towards Ranau, with stops at key points, and overnight stays at a Forestry Rest House and in well-appointed cottages in the beautiful Sabah Tea Gardens, where the group is reunited with the trekking party. While the trekking group walks to Ranau, the pilgrimage party has the opportunity to participate in a short optional short walk along part of the death march track, before moving on to Ranau by bus to meet the trekkers and to visit the site of the Number 1 POW Camp and the Last Camp, 8 kilometres south of the town. After spending the night in a hotel at Kundasang with panoramic views of Mt Kinabalau, travellers attend a special private service at the nearby War Memorial Gardens, before heading south along the non-tourist trail to Tenom, a lovely agricultural town famous for its coffee. The groups spends the night  at Tenom’s only tourist hotel before continuing to Beaufort, via the historic narrow gauge railway that passes through the picturesque Padas Gorge. From Beaufort, it is a short drive to a local port to board a motor launch for the island of Labuan and a two-night stay at the Dorsett Grand, a five-star luxury hotel on the waterfront. A special service of honour is held at the Labuan War Cemetery with plenty of time to visit the POW graves. Leaving Labuan, the final leg of the journey follows a coastal route to the five star Hyatt Regency Hotel, in Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu.  Travellers have the option of returning home the next day or staying a while longer to experience Sabah’s hospitality and to see some of the local sights.

Private commemorative services honouring individual POWs are also held at Sandakan and Ranau and at places along the death march route, as required. 

Expert commentary is provided by Lynette for the entire trip, with special and exclusive touches designed to enhance the overall experience. These extras are not offered by any other tour.

In Their Footsteps Tour is 14 days and 13 nights, excluding travel time to and from Australia. 

 

SOME OF THE SIGHTS ALONG THE WAY:

 

COST for either option:
A$3,745 per person, twin share (single supplement $970)

This price, which is wholesale, includes all breakfasts and a substantial number of meals, accommodation at the best hotels available (3-5 star), all ground and water transportation while on tour, all excursions, entry fees, the services of expert local jungle guides, memorial services where applicable and historical input by the group’s honorary historical consultant, Lynette Silver, personalised to cater for the various members of the party. 

Airfares are not included. Travellers organise their own flights with their preferred airline, allowing them to use frequent flyer points.  The ground is the very experienced Tham Yau Kong, of TYK Adventure Tours, who conducts all the treks along the death march track

NOTE: For travellers interested in a shorter, more basic trek, see Standard Treks on the www.sandakandeathmarch.com website, under ‘Tours’.

 

HOW TO BOOK YOUR ANZAC DAY or SANDAKAN DAY PREMIUM TOUR: