Cattail

I need some expert advice:

1. Would three weeks be enough time to do say, 10-12 days of volunteer work and sightseeing in Thailand and /or Cambodia, with the remainder of the time spent in Borneo?

2. What two or three areas of Borneo would you concentrate on? We are looking to see wildlife and experience nature, moderate-priced lodging.

3. Are there regular connections between Bangkok and Borneo, and are they very pricey?

Thanks, All!

Kathie

Choose one or the other. Three weeks is a nice amount of time to visit Thailand and Cambodia and do some volunteer work. Are you volunteering with the PLF in Cambodia? For this trip, you'd want three stops, since 10 days of volunteering takes half of your time. SO in addition to Siem Reap, you'd want time in Bangkok and one other Thai locations, either to northern Thailand or to a beach area. Transport within this area is easy, and with Air Asia now flying the Bangkok-Siem Reap route, flights are well-priced.

We loved our time in Borneo, but it takes time, mostly because of travel time. There are regular air connections via Air Asia. You have to fly to Kuala Lumpur and connect there to a flight to either Kota Kinabalu or Kuching. If wildlife is your primary focus, you would want to spend most of your time in Sabah. From Kota Kinabalu, you would fly to Lahad Datu to access places in the Danum Valley or to Sandakan. Note that there are places to visit that call themselves rehab centers for orangutans. You will be assured of seeing orangutans this way, but they will be at feeding stations. The rehab centers do not re-introduce the animals to the wild, the animals have become dependent upon the feeding stations. If you go to a lodge in a conservation area, all the animals you see will be wild, but of course there are no guarantees what you will see. There are places to stay along the Kintabagan River where you see animals from a boat.

If you opt to go to Borneo, you'll want to visit Sarawak as well. You can fly from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching. Kuching itself is a charming small city. There is also a major park nearby that you can visit as a day trip or you can stay overnight.

You would likely want two weeks in Malaysian Borneo, though it would be easy to spend three weeks in this fascinating area. Other options in the area include climbing Mt. Kinabalu, or just visiting the park. You can also visit local communities living in traditional ways in Sarawak.

Note that it is more difficult to visit Kalimantin (Indonesian Borneo) as the travel infrastructure is not well-developed.

You will have a wonderful trip, no matter which one you choose.

Cattail

Kathie, thank you so much for your detailed response; it is a great help! We are considering a volunteer elephant project in Cambodia that is partially run by the Elephant Nature Camp in Thailand, which we visited a couple of years ago. I think if we choose to do this, we won't have a full two weeks in Borneo, unless we extend our trip. Choices, grrr! What is the PLF?

I appreciate the heads-up about the orangutan rehab centers.

Kathie

The Elephant Nature Camp is a very reputable organization.

Take a look here for info on the PLF, started by a Fodorite. It's a charity aimed at helping Cambodian children get an education. Lots of folks who post here have volunteered for the PLF or given money to it. www.theplf.org

Tough decision. Think of the decision as being what you will do this year... there is always next year.

Cattail

I just looked them up - The PLF appears to be an excellent, if controversial, organization. It has a bed and breakfast in Siem Reap that looks very good to me.

Our trip to Thailand was our first to Asia, and we want to go back. It's a long, expensive trip from the states, so we want to hone in on what we really want to see and do. I find that we're much happier allowing time to truly experience something, than rushing around, so I'm going to take your advice and pick an areas - thanks, Kathie!