Taking an incredible and historic journey through the jungles of Borneo Steve Tomas retraces the routes of the infamous Sandakan death marches of the Second World War

We’d stopped off at a stall in a small, near anonymous vil­lage in the north of Sabah, Borneo. We were loosely following the routes of the horrific Sandakan death marches of the Second World War, and were in a spot that was used as an impromptu stop off during the marches, where thousands of Allied prisoners of war were force-marched to their deaths by the occupying Japanese. I was told the story of a local man who had recently passed away, he was enforced as a cook for the Japanese captors, and told the tale of how he was once forced to cook two prisoners for the soldiers to eat. By this stage they were so malnourished that there was no flesh on their bones, so he was told to take out and cook the intestines, it just beggared belief, but it was true and documented along with so many other atrocities.

Our ride was around 250km and three days in all, along a mix of jungle jeep roads, palm plantation trails and some hard core. This was more or less along the lines used in the marches, although many things have changed since then, so conditions are nowhere near as harsh today, and we also chose to skip the impenetrable jungle scrambles, which were near impassable with a bike, and also to skip some of the road sections where logging trucks make conditions treacherous.

The port of Sandakan is situated on the north coast of Borneo, and was used by the Japanese during the war. It was where they shipped in and initially held the POW’s. All in all there were some 2600 POW’s shipped to Sandakan between 1942-43, mostly all Australians, and a fair amount of Brits. They had mostly been captured during the fall of Singapore, and others from the Philippines. This made the town the obvious starting point for the route, and we literally rode out from the remains of the POW camp, where many were to meet their end.

Maybe you wonder why we did this ride! Well, it had not been followed by bike before, and had a real sense of purpose. There were just six survivors from the marches, all of whom escaped to safety, and it was the worst atroc­ity ever in Australian military history, and one of the worse crimes of the war.

Our initial section was a long slog from Sandakan to Teluipid. This is relatively fat country, so not too demanding. We wound our way along miles and miles of sweet palm plantation trails, great for cruising and clocking up distance, but back then this was primary jungle, and no easy slog for the prisoners.

The Japanese saw great shame in surrender so showed little respect for their captives, or for the Geneva Convention. The war was nearing its end, and they knew it, and the allies were bombing the ports heavily, so they decided to move the prisoners inland to force them to work on a new airfield, and to slowly kill them off.

We had the full luxury of a support vehicle and supplies, and a nice clean shower and bed waiting at the end of the day – the prisoners had none of this. It was tough enough just riding easy in the intense heat, which was getting up towards 40 degrees at times. The soldiers were given little or no food or medical supplies, many didn’t even have footwear, and they were literally marched until they died, or were executed along the way – beheaded, shot, or simply kicked to death when they were too weak to continue, no mercy was shown.

Day one had been a hot and humbling day, but in real terms our ride, and the tale of the marches had only just reached the opening chapter. This is where the going starts to get tough, seriously hilly and hot, and through dense and humid jungles.

We were heading for Tampias, a small village used as a stop of point during the marches. The scenery  is  truly spectacular here, especially during early morning, when  the mist rises  from the jungle, like a magic carpet. The noises of the jungle can be deafening when you choose to listen, although the climbing ensured we had little time to do anything but concentrate on getting through the day.

We eventually came out above the Tovud River, a major crossing point during the marches. Bellow us I could see the river, in the time of war this was a serious torrent, and the weakened solders were forced to try and cross, many were too weak and were swept away to their deaths. Those that survived were faced with a two hour dense jungle scramble out of the gorge, while Japanese soldiers kicked them back down the gorge, shooting those who did not have the strength to try and climb again, for us it was time to rest up and contemplate what had happened.

Our final day dawned, and we were headed for Ranau, the ending point of the marches, where those that did survive were finally slaughtered. Many locals also risked, and lost their lives trying to aid the prisoners. There was a little old lady living in one village we passed through who is known as the ring lady – when she was a young girl she used to sneak the waste food for the pigs and feed the prisoners.

It started with one, and became six – then one morning she returned to feed them and found seven rings in a tin, wedding rings belonging to the soldiers, they had gone, and had lef a small thank you for her.

That last day in the saddle was long, hard, and hot. As we drew closer and closer to our destination so the riding got tougher, and the heat seemingly hotter. Crossing in towards Ranau we entered the final section, and an evil climb from Muruk to Ranau, passing through numerous paddy fields. This 30km out and back slog is where the surviving prisoners were  forced to carry sacks of rice from camp to camp, until they finally died. For us it was just a hard day in the saddle, nothing by comparison.

Death March Cycling

With or without the death march element this is a classic ride. The going is tough, hilly, the scenery amazing, but it’s the history that gives it some meaning, and no matter what your beliefs you cannot help but become absorbed.

From the end of this ride you can extend to make a whole  two week trans Sabah epic adventure, by following dirt roads, logging tracks and some road sections – to eventually arrive in Tenom, in the deep south – a section which has its own eerie war tales, and is a fantastic ride.

On the whole the riding is hilly and demanding, although not technical. At certain times it can be wet and muddy, but with the heat things soon dry out.

Without a doubt you need some local support for such a trio, both for route finding and for back up. The undoubted local experts are Borneo Bikers, by far the best set up and most experienced bike and adventure tour providers in Sabah, check out www.borneobikers.com and for general info www.sabahtourism.com.

Other Sabah biking adventures

Once you get away from the traffic and turmoil of Kota Kinabalu you’ll find some great cycling and mountain biking in Sabah – but finding it isn’t easy, which is why it’s best to arrange something with an experienced operator in advance.

To the far north, from Kota Belud to Kudat are many fat “kampung” – village – roads, which lead to dirt roads stretching to the tip of Borneo. In the southwest you will find sleepy kampung dirt and coastal trails around Kuala Penyu – while inland it’s possible to traverse  the very spine of the Croker Mountain Range, from Sipitang to Mount Kinabalu, an epic adventure – but to avoid the logging traffic you will need a guide.

Check out the organised and bespoke options at www.borneobikers.com.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu

The majestic and imposing Mount Kinabalu is the iconic Southeast Asian mountain, and at 4100 meters tall is the highest in Southeast Asia. Climbing the peak is a tough, but none technical, accomplishment, and the memory of a Borneo sunrise will live forever in your mind.

But, don’t just rack up and expect to climb – permits and overnight mountain hut spaces are severely rationed, and you need  to arrange well in advance with an agent for all of this and hire an obligatory guide.

Borneo Bikers can add this to your biking package, but best leave it till last – you will certainly feel the effects on your body!

Sabah

Sabah is one of the two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, the other being Sarawak. In between the two you have Brunei, while the rest of the island is made up of Indonesian Kalimantan.

The weather here is typically equatorial – hot, humid, and often rainy. No special visas are required to enter Sabah, and it’s a fairly easy going and a safe destination, although obviously not as well facilitated as western countries.

Getting  to Sabah  is via Kota Kinabalu, which  is well connected via Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Brunei, and many other regional destinations.