jeairas

I'm going to Bangkok on February 17th, my plan is to travel via bus, train, etc down to Singapore where I fly out of on March 12th. I was doing some research and saw that flights within South-East Asia are very affordable through AirAsia and was considering spending a few days in Bornea by catching an AirAsia flight.
Does anyone know what part of Borneo is the best? I would primarily like to go trekking with a group in the jungle, and have as much of an adventure as possible. Where should I fly in to? Any suggested itineraries? With roughly 3 weeks in South-East Asia and traveling from Bangkok to Singapore do I have enough time to carve out a 3-5 day Borneo trip within the trip? If there isn't enough time could someone perhaps suggest a similar area where I could have the same adventure in Thailand or Malaysia that would be more on my route?

Thanks in advance!

Kathie

Borneo is a wonderful destination, but it takes time to get there. You can cross Brunei off your list, and cross off Kalimantin (Indonesian Borneo) as transport is complicated. If you want tropical rainforest and the opportunity to see orangutans in the wild, you want Sabah, which is part of Malaysian Borneo. Staying in a jungle lodge is a fabulous experience, but expensive. We stayed at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge which was wonderful. The Danum Valley is the place you are most likely to see orangutans in the wild.

To get to where you want to go, you would fly to Kota Kinabalu (fly Bangkok to KL first). From there you need to fly to Lahad Datu or Sandakan on Malaysian Air. So from Bangkok, at the end of your first day of travel, you would be in Kota Kinabalu. The next morning you could fly to the rainforest. If you spend two days there (that means three nights), it would be day 5 when you fly back to Kota Kinabalu to fly on to Singapore. So it is possible to do, but involves lots of flights. Another less interesting option IMO would be to fly to Kota Kinabalu and go from there to Kinabalu Park. Having seen the pristine rainforest in Danum Valley, it seemed very degraded to me, but it you haven't seen toe Danum Valley, you will enjoy it. You can climb Mt. Kinabalu if you wish.

Another option would be to fly to Kuching (in Sarawak, the other half of Malaysian Borneo). From there you can visit stilt villages. This involves more transport by boat then trekking, but could be very interesting if you use a local company to take you to a less visited village, as there are some that have been over-run by tourists.

Do some research and see what appeals to you. Note that Borneo is not really a budget destination, so if money is a major concern, you may want to go elsewhere.

jeairas

Thanks so much Kathie, money isn't a major concern, it's more to get the most out of these 3 weeks and get the most authentic experience as possible. Being that there are tons of things to see from Bangkok to Singapore, do you think the proposed 5 day trip is worth it, i.e. should I allocate more time for Borneo on a future trip as opposed to cutting it this close this trip?

Thanks!

jeairas

Thanks so much Kathie, money isn't a major concern, it's more to get the most out of these 3 weeks and get the most authentic experience as possible. Being that there are tons of things to see from Bangkok to Singapore, do you think the proposed 5 day trip is worth it, i.e. should I allocate more time for Borneo on a future trip as opposed to cutting it this close this trip?

Thanks!

FromDC

We're going to Borneo in late May/early June, departing from Singapore after our trans-Pacific flights. If you book early enough, the fares into Kota Kinabalu (BKI) aren't too bad. If you are OK with spending a lot of $ but don't have a lot of time, spend the night in Kota Kinabalu, fly early in the morning to Lahad Datu and then get the transport to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge for 2 or 3 nights (no other place gets such good reviews). On the way back, you must go Lahad Datu to Kota Kinabalu and from there either to Singapore or KUL. The dates that we originally wanted at BRL were booked so we had to rearrange our schedule but it might not be bad in early March. As Kathie said, you could also go through Sandakan but I think it is a longer car ride and probably not too comfortable.

Kathie

To be honest with you, Borneo is MUCH more interesting than an overland trip from Bangkok to Singapore. If it were me, I'd spend my time on Borneo rather than traveling from bangkok to Singapore overland.

jeairas

Who/What company did you book the Borneo Rainforest Lodge though? I see so many companies, not sure who is reputable...

Thanks!

mareeS55

Borneo is a large island divided between Indonesian Kalimantan, Malaysian Sarawak/Kota Kinabalu/Sabah, and the Sultanate of Bunei.

Very accessible from Kuala Lumpur to everywhere in the Malaysian territories by Air Asia (Malaysian Airlines). Not so easy to Kalimantan territory.

We have been to Kuching several times for work, it's one of the cities in Asia that is still under the radar. Mostly Chinese, and quietly prosperous. And if you want orang-utans or river people, they are also still fairly left alone. Sibu is a good port for travel up the Rajang River. Places in the mountains towards the Indonesian border are also beautiful.

Brunei is different. You can smuggle in booze (and I do mean smuggle, it will be confiscated if found), officially alcohol is banned and never to be seen in public, but...the concierge at the Sheraton always has a quiet word about a place or three in walking distance. Otherwise, don't bother with Brunei. Not worth the airfare, even to see the mosque.

Kota Kinabalu, backpackers, mountain, backpackers, some islands, backpackers...

Sabah has all sorts of places that are hard to get to that really surprised us, including around Sandakan some of the largest island and swamp settlements of illegal immigrants that we have seen anywhere in Indochina. These people from the northern parts of Indonesia and from the Philippines have been living in conditions you would not keep a dog in. and have been there for decades. Forget orang-utans, this is a bigger story.

However, there's always scenery.

welltraveledbrit

FYI Check the weather, we were looking to go to Kuching in this time period but it looked pretty wet, the area round Kota Kinabalu had much better weather at this time of year.

Kathie

jeairas, I didn't book through an agency when I went, I booked directly with BRL. But I understand you do have to book via an agency now. I'd look for an agency in Kota Kinabalu. If you book through an agency in the US, you will pay a lot more.