Borneo- you’ve seen it on Animal Planet and National Geographic on repeat for its famously silly, hairy, and rare primate: the Bornean orangutan. (If you’re looking for the best Borneo travel guide, you’re in the right place!).
As 1 of just 2 impossibly remote places left in the world where you can see a wild orangutan (the other being Borneo’s neighboring island, Sumatra) Borneo is a bucketlist destination. It’s Earth’s oldest tropical rainforest– twice as old as the Amazon rainforest– and is a nature lover’s dream! Aside from orangutans, I was over the moon at the idea of seeing a Borneo elephant (also called the pygmy elephant), which is a MINI elephant species. You read that right- tiny elephants!! 🐘🥹
Interestingly, Borneo is also the only island in the world divided politically by 3 countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
But as uniquely biodiverse and thoroughly filmed as Borneo is, visiting Borneo in the Malaysian state of Sabah isn’t without its icks, dangers, and challenges (tourist kidnapping for ransom, malaria, Filipino pirates, giant jungle leeches- we’ll unpack it all later in this guide!).
In September, I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience on river safari on the Kinabatangan River in Borneo in search of the Borneo Big 5. Literally– I’ve dreamed of doing this since I was a little girl and saw this mysterious jungle on Nat Geo! I’m dying to spill all the details!!
In this Borneo travel guide, I’ll answer all your questions about traveling to Borneo! We’re talking all things wildlife adventures, when to visit Borneo, the best Borneo travel itinerary, how much a trip to Borneo costs, if Borneo is safe, what to pack for Borneo, and more!
BEST Borneo travel guide for 2025!
What are the Borneo Big 5? How likely are you to see all of them?
The Borneo Big 5 are the 5 most iconic species you can spot in Borneo. They are:
- Bornean Orangutan
- Proboscis monkey
- Pygmy elephant
- Rhinoceros hornbill
- Estuarine crocodile
No matter what you book for your trip to Borneo, you’re not guaranteed to see all of the Big 5. But I think that part of the fun of wildlife spotting is the serendipity, that you may or may not see something at any moment! That said, I was REALLY lucky to see all of the big 5 on my 4-day, 3-night jungle cruise!
Actually, within 5 minutes of leaving the dock of the remote riverside lodge I was staying in (Hornbill Lodge), we spotted our first member of the Big 5: an 18-20 foot croc sunning on the river bank! And 20 minutes after that, we spotted our first troop of proboscis monkeys- a bachelor troop hanging out (literally) in a tree above the water.
Over the 4 days I spent on the river, it took until the second to last cruise on the last night to spot a single orangutan in the pouring rain. We had an “almost” sighting on day 2, but could really only see leaves moving and a hairy, orange hand grasping at colorful figs on a tree far away.
The local guide said it’s become harder and harder to spot orangutans over the last few years. In fact, all 3 species of orangutans are endangered or critically endangered, and orangutan habitat has been reduced by at least 55% in the last 20 years due to deforestation, agricultural plantations, and infrastructure projects.
How to get to Borneo
Most people get to Malaysian Borneo by flying through the Kota Kinabalu or Kuala Lumpur airports to the Sandakan airport. There aren’t a ton of flights into Sandakan, so I actually slept 2 nights in the airport in Kota Kinabalu on my way to and from Sandakan.
After a flight into Sandakan, if your destination is the Kinabatangan River, you’ll overland 2-3 hours after the flight.
Best Borneo travel itinerary (what to do in Borneo!)
The best Borneo travel itinerary for you depends on what exactly you want to do and see, where in Borneo you want to go, how long you have, and your budget!
The most common wildlife-centric Borneo travel itinerary usually involves one or a combination of the following:
- Kinabatangan River
- Danum Valley
- Tabin Wildlife Reserve
I wanted to tailor my trip to the meat and potatoes of natural wildlife viewing in Sabah, but if you have a few extra days and want to explore outside of the conservation area, I recommend the following:
These 3 spots can be visited on the same day and are located fairly close to the Sandakan airport:
- Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, where you can learn about orangutan conservation efforts and see the care that goes into raising orphaned orangutans
- Visit the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)
- Spend time at the Rainforest Discovery Centre
Separate day:
- Turtle Island Borneo, where endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles have a nesting site! From a respectful distance, you can observe the turtles laying eggs, the tagging of mother turtles for conservation, and the releasing baby turtles to the sea.
How much does a trip to Borneo cost? What’s the best Borneo all-inclusive package?
My all-inclusive experience was with River Junkie, and it was nothing short of phenomenal!! Every aspect of this trip was smooth, from airport pickup to the hearty food to the stories from our local guides, born and raised in Borneo’s jungle villages. River Junkie has different packages to suit nearly any budget, and I highly recommend you check them out!
I booked the 3D2N Kinabatangan River Safari without Sepilok was perfect for a tight budget, and I added an extra day and night because I was nervous 3 days wouldn’t be enough time to spot all of the Borneo big 5 (and I was right! I didn’t see an orangutan until day 4!).
The package included:
- Comfortable, air conditioned lodging
- 3 excellent buffet meals and a snack every day
- Transfer to and from the airport
- 2 cruises + 1 jungle trek a day
I also rented binoculars from the lodge, which I 100% recommend unless you bring your own, and purchased a poncho worthy to stand up to the jungle rains (every now and then it would DOWNPOUR while we were out on the uncovered boats!).
Total, I paid $419 for the entire experience staying in a fantastic, air conditioned dorm at the lodge. For a little more, you can stay in a private chalet, but your girl is on a budget.
This was all inclusive for 4 days and 3 nights, and was also high season pricing. You truly can’t beat this price for the experience!
Is Borneo safe to visit?
Safety is personal and subjective, but if you want to visit a jungle, there are challenges that you need to fully embrace: long, difficult travel days to get somewhere so remote, massive jungle leeches, giant saltwater crocs, mosquitoes and their diseases (particularly dengue fever and malaria). These are the risks you accept if you’re traveling somewhere like Borneo!
What some people may not expect is the threat of tourist kidnappings for ransom, territorial invasions by Filippino pirates, and human trafficking and terrorist activity. Depending on where you’re planning on going during your trip to Borneo, it’s sensible to keep the following in mind:
- Kidnapping risk exists where the southern edge of the Philippines meets coastal areas of Sabah, particularly the islands close to the Sulu Archipelago or in the Sulu Sea.
- The stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra has been known for piracy and kidnapping.
- Lahad Datu on Borneo still has reports of speed boats armed with machine guns, so stick to the land if traveling in a small group or alone. Lahad is flooded with tourist resorts, which makes it a target.
During my trip to Sabah, I was picked up from the Sandakan Airport by my safari crew and overlanded to the riverside lodge in the Lower Kinabatangan Conservation Area, which is remote and isolated, and therefore felt super safe even as a female solo traveler.
I didn’t have time to venture to other parts of Borneo, so didn’t personally experience any of the dicey areas listed above. As with any travel, my best recommendation is just to exercise common sense and be aware of your surroundings, and not to let a fantastical media headline scare you away from traveling to a place without doing your research.
What’s the best time to visit Borneo?
The best months to visit Borneo are during high season, from May to September, when days are dry and warm. The wet months in Borneo are between November and February, which also means mosquitos are worse, weather is more humid, and conditions are generally less ideal for wildlife viewing (many animals hunker down and hide during the rain)!
What to pack for a trip to Borneo
When you visit Borneo, you need some specific items for the unique jungle conditions and activities!
- Bug spray with deet (I love the idea of natural, but with dengue and malaria, deet is absolutely necessary)
- Sunscreen
- Sun hat (the boats I went out on were not covered with any kind of shade structure, so this is a must have! I didn’t see any boats with shade on the river)
- Binoculars (these can be rented from the lodge, but I recommend bringing you own if you have them)
- Poncho or sturdy, long raincoat for tropical downpours
- Sunglasses
- Leech socks for jungle treks (these were able to be purchased at the lodge, but it may be cheaper to bring your own)
- Long pants and long sleeves for jungle treks
- Hat with basic mosquito net- I wouldn’t recommend participating in the jungle treks without this for comfort. People have different tolerances for bugs in their face, but I personally needed it.
- Camera
I hope this Borneo travel guide was helpful! If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. And if you’re looking for more Asia travel guides and bucket list experiences, I’ve got you!
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