One of the best places we visited
From a personal view, Borneo was a special visit for both of us for the following reasons…..
Borneo was the recognised home of the endangered Orangutans’ and these we really needed to see, along with lots of other wildlife which exist here and are very rarely seen anywhere else in the world. This country has intrigued me since flicking through pages of National Geographical at the age of 10 in the classroom during a maths lesson. There I would read an article on species that belong in Borneo and that I never believed I would ever be able to see. It literally was, at that age, “only a dream” that one day I could visit, so understandably I was very excited to incorporate this into my travels some 50 years later and make this dream a reality.
So often, places and things don’t live up to your expectations but Borneo, I’m pleased to say really did. What an amazing country and although a little bit awkward from a transportation perspective, once you’re there, it becomes very apparent why it is talked and written about so much.

We became familiar with the poverty and diversity that the port of Kota Kinabalu offered, the stunning beach and scenery at the most northerly tip of the island, Kudat – where there is only 1 taxi driver serving all who visit in his 30 year old car, to the very special North East regions of Sepilok and Sandakan where the great work of the Orangutan and Sun Bear sanctuaries was evidenced.
Not because it is favoured, as we’re not at all keen on arranged or guided tours, more because a stay with guides on the Kinabatangan River is essential if you are to enjoy and be thrilled by the wildlife that inhabits the River and its expansive banks. This is an experience we would highly recommend.
12 days here was not long enough and we will be back for certain. We were thrilled to see Orangutans both in the sanctuaries that are helping to rehabilitate the orphans, but also those that live freely in the reserve. The gorgeous Sun Bears, Crocs on the river, Hornbills, Flying Squirrels, Tarantulas, Bats, Proboscis Monkeys all also came out to play.
Accommodation in Borneo was also very diverse – a hostel, a converted Australian air force warehouse, a converted freight shipping container and then to the lodges in the forest….. one very special visit.