Whenever I travel to an unfamiliar destination (such as Sarawak) I prefer to book a private tour, to get an in-depth and personal insight into the destination. I selected Backyard Tours for this reason, and was so glad I did.

From the very first interaction, I had the most positive impression. I organised two day-tours just 48 hours before I flew to Kuching with my family. My emails were answered immediately (within just a few minutes) by Abbie, and within a couple of hours everything was organised and confirmed. Really great pre-trip service.

Now to the tours themselves. I was travelling with my family (wife and two children aged 8 and 4). The first day we visited the Serikin border market, fairy caves and wind caves. The children loved the cave experience, particularly seeing the thousands of resident bats! We then did a cruise of the Bau lake.

The second day was the real highlight. After visiting the Semenggoh Orang Utan reserve first thing in the morning, we travelled to a remote village in the border region. Upon arrival at the village we picked up a local guide and trekked about 30-40 minutes through the jungle to a remote waterfall. Amazing scenery and experience all round. At the waterfall our children loved swimming in the natural pool. It was a real paradise location, completely unspoilt and free of tourists, with lush jungle vegetation and fruit growing in profusion.

Whilst we swam, a fantastic local lunch in tribal style was cooked, comprising chicken, catfish, local vegetables and rice, which all of us enjoyed, even our youngest son who has been known to be rather picky!

The service and guiding by Abbie and her fiance was of the highest standard, and throughout they took the best care of us. Their vehicle, a Land Cruiser, was perfect for comfortable travel.

On this holiday we travelled widely around Malaysia, and I can confidently say that the time spent with Backyard Tours was the undoubted highlight. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Backyard Tour surprised us with a refreshing and magnificent waterfall after a short trekking through forest with the guide from Lawrence, Simon and Dawson. There we got a chance to get wet ourselves and enjoy an alfresco meal of the best grilled fish, chicken soup cooked in bamboo and delicious local vegetable. It stunned our eyes when Lawrence and Simon jumped from the top of the waterfall bravely. Then, we went and visited Annah Rais Long House, Padawan with a very warm welcome from Bidayuh people who offered homemade drink. After the visit, we travelled to Kampung Giam and got a short tour around the village by Phyllis who is Bidayuh. She introduced the plants, bridges, school and people in the village to us. It is very fascinating to see the beauty of flowers and scenery such as mountain. To her, it is very important to preserve and share with others the culture of Bidayuh. So, after getting laksa, BBQ chicken and sausage as dinner, we had an opportunity to see a cultural performance done by some children. We even got involved and knew more about Bidayuh dances. After a good night sleep and rest in Giam Homestay, we prepared ourselves for the adventure to Penot Cave by sampan through Sarawak River with the guide from Poona and Robly. Another jungle trekking brought us to the cave. It was awesome to see the natural cave structure and bats flying all over our heads, even a small river in the cave. Next, we enjoyed local fruit which looks like mango and put ourselves into the cool water of the river. Overall, it is simple but fascinating!