01 Dec 2019
We had fantastic customer service who responded to our late night texts for more information, helpful driver who is local and was conversant in both English and Malay, and kayak guides who were experienced and clearly knew their stuff.
But I would not be honest if I say this was worth the price tag of RM 285 per person:
Semenggor Orang Utan Sanctuary:
The tour's driver took us to the sanctuary, gave us the tickets and basically left us to our own devices thereafter. I'm not saying that there's more that the driver could've done, but if you have a valid driving licence and could navigate with Google Maps or Waze, there would be no reason for anyone to pay for a tour to see the orang utans. The instructor who did all the explaining about orang utans was from the sanctuary for which the entrance fee was RM 10 each (for foreigners) and RM 5 (for locals).
Anna Rais Longhouse:
Here, our driver doubled as our tour guide. We had some shots of rice wine which was inexpensive (RM 10 - 12 a bottle). Our driver then took us around the longhouse and gave some introduction and took photos for us as we walked. It was a shame that the driver couldn't provide more explanation than the most basic information about the longhouse and the Bidayuh culture that one could easily find from the internet. It felt like we could've simply driven here and did the visit on our own without needing a tour.
Lunch
Our lunch was prepared by our driver's sister and was as simple as it can be i.e. 3 dishes and some curry puffs and that was it. Wasn't even worth the time reviewing.
Kayaking
Absolutely no complaints here. The nature of the activity required experienced guides/instructors who, in our case, did an amazing job looking after us, besides taking plenty of decent photos. Unless you're some kayak veteran or are familiar with the rivers, I would not recommend doing this on your own.
All in all, I would suggest that if you're interested in doing all of the aforementioned activities, you probably don't need to pay for a tour save for the kayaking experience. The tour doesn't add any value to your experiences that if you get there by yourself.