EmPlanning your Borneo holidays but don’t know where to start? This post will have everything you need to decide where to go, how to get there and what to do once you’re there! You’ll make your plans in no time!
Contents:
- Why should you choose Borneo holidays?
- What part of Borneo should you head to?
- Are Borneo holidays safe?
- Government Advice
- How to get to Borneo
- Where to stay on your Borneo holidays
- How to get around on your Borneo holidays
- What to do on your Borneo holidays?
Why should you choose Borneo holidays?
Borneo is famous for its diverse nature and the Borneo Big Five. These are: orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, crocodiles and the native bird, hornbills.
There’s also an abundance of other nature, including reptiles and insects, as well as stunning scenery.
Borneo really is a once in a lifetime experience – make sure it’s on your bucket list!
What part of Borneo should you head to?
Slightly confusingly, the island of Borneo is part of three different countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Before planning your Borneo holidays, you’ll need to decide which parts you want to visit and plan accordingly, including your visas. The major tourist sites are in Malaysian Borneo.
Are Borneo holidays safe?
Overall, Borneo is very safe. As a single female traveller, I never felt threatened or unsafe while in Borneo.
Government advice
However, you should note that many governments, including the UK and Irish governments, currently advise against travel to certain parts of Borneo. This is primarily the islands off the coast from Sandakan onwards. This includes the famous diving spots around Seporna (time of writing August 2024). Mainland Sandakan is safe, as is Sepilok.
Always check guidance from your government and make sure this is up to date. For British citizens, this can be found on the FCDO website.
How to get to Borneo
Borneo is a large island in the South China Sea. The only way to arrive for your Borneo holidays is by air.
If you are heading to Malaysian Borneo from Europe, Australia or America to see the major tourist sites, this is likely to include a connection in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Air and Air Asia then have regular flights down to Sandakan (where the animal sanctuaries are). They also fly to Kota Kinabalu (the major city on the island). Firefly, Malaysia Air’s budget arm, also has flights.
If you are heading into Sandakan, the airport is around 20 minutes outside the main town. It’s also 20 minutes in the other direction from Sepilok, where the animal sanctuaries are. You can get Grab (Asia’s version of Uber) from the airport to either of these destinations. There are also as traditional taxis. There isn’t really much public transport in Sandakan, and Grab is very cheap, so this would be my recommendation.
If you are heading to Kota Kinabalu, the same applies. The airport is 10-15 minutes from the centre of the city and the best option is Grab.
Where to stay on your Borneo holidays?
As a tourist, there are two main cities that you might want to visit on your Borneo holidays, both in Malaysian Borneo. The first is Kota Kinabalu, the major city on the island.
KK – a practical stay on your Borneo holidays
Kota Kinabalu, known as KK, is famous for having one of the best beaches to view the sunset in the world (nominated by the Huffington Post). It’s also close to Mount Kinabalu, a famous hiking site. I would recommend staying either in the centre of Kota Kinabalu, where you have easy access to the waterfront. Or f you can afford it, in one of the major resorts with a private beach. Wherever you stay, you’ll be able to navigate the city easily as it’s not big, and Grab is cheap and quick.
I stayed at Capital Express, a small budget hotel that had everything I needed for an excellent stay.
The most famous resort is the Shangri-La.
Sandakan – the jumping off point for nature
If you are heading to the orangutan and sun bear sanctuaries, the nearest town is Sandakan. There are a few hotels in Sandakan, but not too many, so it is worth booking ahead. Sandakan can also be a collection point for the Kinabatangan River Cruises (see below).
Sandakan is about a 40 minute drive from Sepilok, where the sanctuaries are located. For this reason, I think Sandakan is best if you need a cheap hotel the night before or after a flight, or if all Sepilok hotels are booked up – but I would try to stay in Sepilok to visit the sanctuaries.
A few hotel recommendations:
- Sandakan Backpackers – a great budget backpackers hostel by the waterfront. Offers breakfast and some kitchen facilities.
- Aecotel – this is a budget hotel I stayed in twice. It’s very dated, but had everything I needed including being clean and good air con.
- Hotel Sandakan – friends of mine stayed here. It’s slightly higher end than Aecotel, but reviews suggest it’s still quite dated.
- Hotel Elopura – this is the main high end hotel in Sandakan, situated on the waterfront. It’s modern and has a cafe, restaurant and roof terrace.
Sepilok – the highlight of your Borneo holidays!
Sepilok is where you will find the main tourist attractions on your Borneo holidays – the Orangutan Sanctuary, the Sun Bear Conservation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. It’s 20 minutes from Sandakan Airport and 40 minutes from Sandakan town by grab or taxi.
If possible, I would recommend staying here to ensure you maximise your time in Borneo. Many hotels will either be walking distance to the sanctuaries or offer regular shuttle buses. However, note that there aren’t enough hotel rooms here to cope with demand. They are sold out most nights – book in advance. Also, Borneo is extremely hot and humid – I strongly recommend opting for an air con room.
Some options include:
- Sepilok Forest Edge Resort – this highly rated resort is one of the higher end hotels in Sepilok, and one of the nearest to the sanctuaries.
- Borneo Sepilok Rainforest Resort – also highly rated, this is slightly further away but still very walkable to the sanctuaries.
- Sepilok Jungle Resort – This is one of the closest hotels to the two sanctuaries, and has a great pool for chilling out in the afternoon. It also has a popular cafe. However it’s not the most highly rated on Booking.com.
- Paganakan Dii – Highly rated on booking.com, this is set out in the jungle a long walk away from the sanctuaries. The hotel offers a regular shuttle which leaves three times each day, but this can be restrictive. You will also have little choice over where to eat in the evenings (I stayed in their volunteer house, and we often felt very cut off). I would also advise avoiding the dorms, as the houses are wooden and get extremely hot. The dorms only have fans, while the private rooms have aircon. However, it does offer a real jungle experience and stunning views.
How to get around on your Borneo holidays?
If you are planning to travel from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, my recommendation would be the short flight, which takes about 40 minutes. Both airports have good facilities and this will help you make the most of your time.
The alternative is an 8 hour local bus. I haven’t been able to find tickets for this using the usual sites (12Go, RedBus and BusTicketOnline) but have found them via EasyBook. As I haven’t used this site, I can’t vouch for whether it’s reputable or not.
River Junkies also run a shuttle from KK to Sandakan which stops off at a number of places along the way. This can be a good alternative if you have the time, but note that it requires at least two people to run. I wasn’t able to use it as a solo traveller as there were no other bookings on my chosen day.
What to do on your Borneo holidays?
Sepilok
Borneo is most famous for its wildlife. The top thing to do on your Borneo holidays is to visit the Orangutan Sanctuary at Sepilok. This is located next door to the Sun Bear Sanctuary, so they are easy to combine as a day trip. Finally, the Rainforest Discovery Centre is also nearby, making Sepilok a great destination for a couple of days.
- Orangutans
The Orangutan Sanctuary was founded in 1964 and has thrived ever since. It costs RM30 to enter (about £5/6e/$7). It’s best to time your visit for one of the feeds – there is a morning and afternoon feed. Check their websites for the most up to date times. Once you’re inside, there is an outdoor feeding area, and then the nursery area where you can view orangutans from two indoor rooms (one with and one without aircon).
Note that the outdoor feeding station in particular gets crowded during feeding times. Try to arrive a bit early if you want a good spot. Orangutans at Sepilok are not kept in cages and you’re therefore not guaranteed to see them – but you could also see them just roaming around.
- Sun Bears
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is much newer, and less well known. Sun bears are the world’s smallest bears, and only found in Borneo. The centre was founded in 2016 and continues to grow – not least because while it is illegal to keep sun bears as pets in Borneo, many people still keep the babies as pets. They then turn the bears in when they get too big – most bears in the centre are rescued pets.
It costs RM50 (£9/10e/$11.50) to enter the sun bear centre, and you can walk around the elevated walkways to see different bears in their enclosures. There are no set feeding times at the sun bear centre but you are still extremely likely to see the bears.
As full disclosure, I volunteered for two weeks at the sun bear centre and absolutely loved these cute animals. So little is known about sun bears – there has been very little research on them in the past. The Centre is trying to change this, so make sure you create time on your Borneo holidays to go and see this relatively unknown animal and support the work of the centre.
- Rainforest Discovery Centre
The Rainforest Discovery Centre is a bit of a walk from the two sanctuaries, but easily reachable. It offers a number of different hikes, as well as their skywalk through the rainforest canopy. The RDC also offers a night walk – this is excellent if you’re keen to see nocturnal animals such as slow loris and flying squirrels. It costs 30RM (about £5/6e/$7) to enter the Rainforest Discovery Centre, or 50RM for the nightwalk. Numbers for the night walk are limited so make sure to book in advance.
Sandakan
There is relatively little to do in Sandakan town, and I would advise only staying there as a jumping off point for Sepilok, Kinabatangan or the airport. It’s not unsafe, and there are a few nice cafes and restaurants, but there’s very little to occupy your time.
If you are spending time there, try the following:
#1 Roastery – lovely little cafe where they roast their own beans on site
Cafe San Da Gen – another lovely cafe that does excellent lunches and is famous for their Pastel de Nata.
Ba Lin roof terrace – it was raining when I planned to go here, but it has excellent reviews and offers beautiful views out over the sea.
NOTE: many of the hostels and hotels in Sandakan offer trips to the nearby islands including Turtle Island. Many governments, including the UK and Irish governments, currently advise against travel to these islands due to the threat of piracy. While you can make your own decisions about this threat, you should note that your travel insurance won’t be valid if you choose to this on your Borneo holidays.
Kinabatangan River
A trip to the Kinabatangan River is another must-do on your Borneo holidays. You can arrange this from hotels in Sandakan or Sepilok, or book in advance. I used River Junkies and would highly recommend them – not least because it was probably the nicest room I’ve stayed in while travelling.
Practicalities:
Most trips to the river are 3 days and 2 nights, although it’s possible to do a 1 night trip. I wouldn’t personally recommend this unless you’re short on time as it would give you very little time in the jungle (3pm arrival and 9am departure the next morning). You’ll be picked up in your hotel in Sandakan or Sepilok between 12-1pm and embark on a very bumpy trip to Kinabatagan in a minivan. Note that it’s not particularly comfortable! Pick up on your departure morning is early, around 8.30am-9am, and they will drop you back to your hotel in Sandakan or Sepilok, or to the airport. It doesn’t need to be the same place as you left from.
Activities:
You arrive to Kinabatangan around 3pm, and for most providers embark on your first river cruise around 4pm. You’ll be on a small boat (c.12 people) and cruise up or down the river looking for the Borneo big five. The afternoons are best for spotting wildlife such as the proboscis monkey, orangutans and pygmy elephants (although I wasn’t lucky enough to see the elephants). As with other cruises of this nature, guides from the different resorts share information and will take you to the spots where you are most likely to see the wildlife.
You’ll then have dinner. Most providers then offer a night walk in the jungle, or a night cruise (this may cost extra). On our night walk we primarily saw lots of insects, sleeping birds and some snakes. For our night cruise, we were able to spot the gleaming eyes of crocodiles, as well as flying squirrels. Note if you do the night walk that it is very humid, and that you will need lots of insect repellant. I also got bitten through my clothes.
The next morning, you’ll have a dawn river cruise at 6am. This is best for spotting birds as the monkeys aren’t yet awake. My tour agency (River Junkies) then offered a daytime jungle walk, where we saw lots of insects and learned about the recent history of this part of Borneo, including the rise of eco tourism. It’s then lunch and a break before the next river cruise at 4pm again, with the evening offering the same activities as before.
Should you do it?
I cannot recommend this experience highly enough. While I didn’t get to see the elephants, our guide worked really hard to find us as much wildlife as he could. We saw proboscis monkeys, orangutans, hornbills, a couple of baby crocodiles, a lot of macaque monkeys, and lots of different birds. We also spotted fully grown crocs on the night cruise – amazingly, they can be up to 7 metres long!
There are a number of providers all along the river, offering different standards of but more or less the same offer. Make sure to check the reviews for your provider – remember that you are in the middle of the jungle and there’ll be nowhere else to go if e.g. you don’t like the food. I would highly recommend River Junkies, but they book up very fast!
Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is on the other side of the island, a 40/50 minute flight away. You can also get the long distance bus across to Kota Kinabalu if you prefer not to fly.
Mount Kinabalu is a famous hiking spot, near the city of Kota Kinabalu. It’s possible to do day trips to the mountain from the city, but also to stay nearer to the mountain itself.
The mountain is over 4000m high, so while it’s not the most challenging walk you’ll ever do at that altitude, you do need to be prepared for altitude sickness. Treks normally take two days.
I’m far too lazy to have hiked the mountain myself, so I wanted to direct you to this comprehensive guide or this alternative where you can find out everything you need to know. In addition, staying the night before at Kinabalu Park might help you acclimatise.
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinablu, or KK, is the main city on Borneo. It’s primarily a starting point for Mount Kinabalu hikes, but it can be worth spending a couple of days there as well on your Borneo holidays. The main site in the city itself is the floating mosque. This is a stunning building perched on the water at the edge of town. Take a Grab out to here and note that you can hire modest attire if necessary.
The sunset
The main thing to do in KK itself is take in the sunset. Tanjung Aru beach, between the city and the airport, has been voted one of the top sites in the world to enjoy the sunset. In addition, there is also a strip of waterfront restaurants (mainly western) where people gather to take in the views.
Island hopping
During the day, you can head to the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, a group of paradise islands. There are three main islands which tourists visit, and they are also very popular with locals and Malaysian tourists.
To get to the islands, you will need to take a day trip via GetYourGuide, or a ferry. You can buy ferry passes for just one island or for multiple islands, depending on your plans. Ferries are available from the Jesselton Point Quay – the easiest way to get here is to take a Grab. Once you arrive, there will be a variety of providers vying for your business.
The main islands to visit are Manukan, Sapi and Mamutik. Once you’ve chosen your islands and arrived, there are a variety of activities to choose from including snorkelling, parasailing and banana boat riding. The cost of these varies.
I didn’t end up going to the islands as I read such mixed reviews on the quality of the snorkelling, how busy the islands were and the cleanliness/plastic waste in the water. I think this will depend on the time of year you are visiting, so bear that in mind when planning this activity.
Other activities
In addition, in KK you can book a night cruise to see fireflies and proboscis monkeys. I found these quite pricey and chose not to go on one given that I was going to see the monkeys on my River Kinabatangan trip.
I recommend Gaia Coffee in KK if you want a break – this beautiful, chill coffee shop is next to the Art Attic, an artist collective offering gifts from different artists and craftspeople.
Finally, KK has two high end malls. If you are travelling for a long time, these can be a great place to stock up if you need anything (particularly Uniqlo!).
Hopefully you’ve found this guide useful! I can’t recommend Borneo holidays highly enough – there is so much to do, and something for everyone. Let me know if you found this helpful!
Why not combine your trip to Borneo with a trip to Peninsular Malaysia? Check out my blogs about one of my favourite spots – George Town, Penang – to get started on your travel plans:
Wowee Emily ! Such a helpful and informative blog post that will not doubt help us in our planning for Borneo next year !
Thanks Kelly! So glad it was helpful!
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