Our favorite Borneo tours and excursions

From multi-day rainforest treks to tribal longhouse stays, Borneo offers some of the most unforgettable travel experiences on the planet.

You don’t come to Borneo to do things by halves. You want the very best guides, in the very best locations, with the very best range of activities, or nothing. In the world’s greatest wildlife destination, why settle for anything less?

By its very wild and untamed nature, much of Borneo impossible to explore without a guide – and we’re only interested in working with the very best. You can always spot them: they’re the ones who’ve never stopped being enthused about the sheer magnitude of the forest, and the ones who are as excited by a big cat’s pawprint as by the tiniest rare spider, even after years of guiding. Those are the people we want to show you Borneo.

Borneo isn’t just an untouched rainforest paradise. It’s a living, breathing island full of culture and contradictions, with street-food markets to explore, mountains to climb, coral reefs to marvel at, conservation challenges to face, and scores of different indigenous groups with whom to share an evening and a little tuak rice wine. These are the experiences that’ll get you beneath the surface.

Meeting the Iban people

Borneo’s Iban people may have abandoned their former practice of headhunting, but thankfully their traditional culture survives in many other forms.

Iban live in longhouses with up to 30 families under one roof, and in the evenings, these houses are filled with drinking, dancing and general merriment. Spend the night and be prepared to be plied with tuak rice wine and roped into a dance or two, to the inevitable amusement of your hosts! The Iban way of life may not have all the mod cons (or privacy) you’re used to, but it affords a sense of community that’s long faded from Western culture, and for us it’s one of the highlights of a trip to Borneo.

Whitewater rafting

Whitewater rafting is one of the most exhilarating ways to see the Bornean jungle, whether you want heart-pounding drops and tricky maneuvers, or a more relaxed ride through the forest.

If you’re after something family-friendly, the Kiulu River offers 15 km of gentle rafting with plenty of chances to soak up the magnificent jungle scenery. To get the adrenaline pumping, there’s the more challenging Padas River – where you can bounce over waves, tumble down drops, and battle your way through rapids with names like “Head Hunter” and “Washing Machine”. Whichever you choose, expect an unforgettable day out.

Trekking in Tabin Wildlife Reserve

Malaysia’s largest wildlife reserve covers well over 1,000 sq km in the far east of Borneo yet is home to just one wildlife resort.

To really appreciate the range of wildlife that calls Tabin home, you need to experience it at every time of day – so the best way to uncover its secrets is with a series of short hikes with an expert nature guide. Hike to a continuously erupting mud volcano to look for animal tracks and spot pygmy elephants making the most of the salt lick. After dark, go in search of sambar deer, bearded pigs, and tembadau (wild cattle). At dawn, ascend a birdwatching tower to spot spidercatchers, bristleheads and flowerpeckers.This is what Borneo is all about.

Trekking in the Pinnacles in Mulu National Park

Trekking the Headhunter's Trail & Mulu Pinnacles

Challenge yourself with this guided five-day expedition into Mulu National Park, combining cave exploration with two of our favorite treks.

Start by following a trail once used by fearsome Kayan headhunting parties, who paddled up the Melinau River to the gorge and dragged their longboats for three kilometers to launch raids against the Limbang. Then comes the real challenge (should you choose to accept it): the 45-meter-high, razor-sharp limestone Pinnacles. Though only 2.5 km in length, the path to the Pinnacles ascends some 1,200 meters in altitude, emerging onto a rocky outcrop with magnificent views. It’s a tricky climb with an even trickier descent – but don’t worry, it’s optional.

Rural Sabah by bike

Leave the urban sprawl of Kota Kinabalu behind and journey through fruit orchards and paddy fields on a guided cycle trip into rural Sabah.

Whether a half-day ride or a multi-day exploration, you’ll pedal through fields of pineapple and ginger, learn to “tap” latex at a rubber plantation, cross wood-plank suspension bridges over rushing rivers, and stop at minority villages to chat to the locals and try some traditional snacks. It may not be as dramatic as the rainforest, but exploring the subtler charms of the Sabahan countryside is wonderful in its own way – and it’s the best way to connect with the people who call this island home.

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center

Established in 1964, this sanctuary (the first of its kind in Borneo) rescues baby orangutans orphaned by logging or the illegal pet trade and rehabilitates them so that they can be released back into the wild.

It’s a process that can take up to seven years, and at the SORC you can see them at every stage of development – from youngsters being cared for in indoor nurseries through to adolescence and release. After release, the orangutans might still come back to the center for bananas and sugarcane (although the meal is kept monotonous to encourage them to find their own food), so keep your eyes peeled to see them playing in the branches and swinging down from the trees.