Explore a land of new opportunities on a tailor-made Borneo holiday
Where do you start with planning a tailor-made holiday in Borneo, an island with truly endless travel opportunities? Whilst the list of options is certainly long and distinguished, things will become a little clearer if you approach your planning in a logical fashion – think about the geography of the country and travelling in one constant flow of direction.
First things first: the basics. Malaysian Borneo is split into two regions, the states of Sarawak and Sabah. It’s fair to say that Sabah is the more popular of the two, due to its wealth of wildlife and opportunities for adventure, as well the fine beaches that border the South China Sea. Sarawak is better known for its cultural interests, particularly Batang Ai, and the Colonial capital of Kuching. However, as always, there are exceptions to every rule, in Sarawak’s case the record-breaking Mulu Caves and Bako National Park. Despite the variety of interests and activities there, many travellers opt to either pass through relatively quickly, selecting a few choice destinations, or simply skip over it altogether.
Whilst there is no right or wrong, it’s very much down to personal choice. Visitors with a limited amount of holiday time, say less than 10-12 days, may want to consider this carefully. Doing less is often doing more: there is a lot to be said for travelling at a more relaxed pace.
The highlight of a holiday in Sarawak for most is the Batang Ai Reservoir area, home to the Iban people and the infamous head-hunters of years gone by. The length of journey time there and back dictates that you’ll need two nights in the region, which can be spent in either a traditional longhouse or a resort (or by splitting your time between the two). Visitors should also factor in at least two nights to get to Kuching, the state capital and the most culturally diverse city in all of Borneo. Close to Kuching is the Bako National Park and Damai Beach.
For those on a longer holiday, elsewhere in the state there are the incredible Mulu Caves, the size of which has not been discovered elsewhere on the planet.
The list of Sabah’s highlights is simply staggering. At times the entire state appears to be one big natural wonder, and it is likely that you will spend at least the majority of your Borneo holiday in this eastern half.
Highlights include the islands of Lankayan and Selingan, where green hawk-billed turtles come ashore to lay their eggs at night, and the rainforests of the Danum Valley and the Kinabatangan River, where you can see Bornean gibbons, orang-utans, macaques, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants and a wide variety of birds in their natural habitat. Near Sandakan is the world renowned Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary, where you can spend a morning or afternoon (or several days) mixing it up with some of the islands most famous inhabitants. There are also the world-renowned dive islands of Sipadan, Kapalai and Mabul, the beaches in and around the capital of Kota Kinabalu and the wide range of adventure and activity options at the Kinabalu National Park, which sits at the foot of Asia’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu.
To assist you in making your decision, take advantage of the vast amounts of information to be found on this website. Our Borneo holiday specialists have travelled extensively in both Sabah and Sarawak, and this website has been written by them rather than a marketing department who have never set foot on the island, which is so often the case with many of the more mainstream operators.
The key page to visit is Borneo Holidays, which will link you though to the majority of relevant travel information. This includes a list of our recommended Borneo holiday itineraries – a great way of getting to know how best to travel, the highlights and how much your Borneo holiday is likely to cost. You’ll also find Borneo Travel Guides, which go into a little more detail on some of the key destinations, from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu and everything that lies in-between.