Borneo Travel Forum

Hi,
We are a middle aged couple who will be traveling to Borneo for
7 days starting April 8th. So far, we have only our first 2 nights booked in KK.
We would like to see some wildlife - proboscis monkeys, orangutans etc. We would also like to do
some snorkeling and a jungle cruise. Would flying over to Sandakan be a viable option or would we be just as well to stay in and around KK? ( we have our flight back to BKK booked from KK on Sunday April 15 th.) We would welcome any suggestions for a seven day itinerary.
We look forward to your suggestions.
Thank you.

Hi,

We will visit Borneo in 1 week and I'd like to know what kind of dangerous species we can find over there:

- Fauna: Snakes and spiders mainly, but insects, scorpions, caterpillars, etc.
- Flora: Dangerously stinging plants leaves and stems.

Thank you
+++

Hi all, still putting the finishing touches to our 2012 holidays in March. We will be in Borneo late February 2012 and are considering visiting the islands around Sipidan and staying on one of them for a couple of nights. We want to experience pristine white sand beaches, good snorkelling (no diving lthough we understand this area to be the finest in the worl, and good dining at the chosen resort. The Islands we are looking at are Mabul,,,Mataking,,,,,Kapalai,,,,and Pom Pom,
Any comments on these islands or other suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
We will be staying at Tawau for a couple of nights before going to the Islands.
OR
are there any better islands to visit but not from Kota Kinabalu as we visited there earlier this year.....
Many thanks for your help
POEPAT

Hi

Can anyone advice me about communication options in the main towns in Borneo and Brunei? Are there many internet cafes? Is Wi-fi available? does a smart phone work?

thanks

A good friend of mine is over in Asia right now and about to fly to Borneo. She's somewhat overwhelmed with what to do there so I offered to post a number of her questions to my knowledgeable friends here on VT. If you can answer any of these questions, it would be much appreciated:

1) We are going to fly into Kuching on July 14th. We donīt really have a plan and are overwhelmed with the "tours" ... Of course we would love to do a jungle tour. But we are not sure if it is necessary to book those in advance or if we can just find travel agencies in Kuching and book right in the office?

2) We are budget travelers and still hope to get the best out of our budget. In light of that, what suggestions do you have?

3) Our "research" found you have to fly from city to city. It seems hard to get around there. Is that true?

4) How would you recommend organizing our 2 weeks in Sarawak?

5) Where are the nice and cheap beaches to stay? Perhaps typical 'pole houses' on the water?

Just wondered if anyone knew any wildlife centres in Sandakan or Kinabalu where i could do a bit of voluntary work with orangutans or turtles i have limited time so just want to do a few days somewhere, and wondered if anywhere would let you do this. Thanks in advance

Hi All,

My husband and I are considering the Sabah region of Borneo for 1 week, but I am reading concerning safety warnings online regarding armed robbery, violent crimes and kidnapping - targeted at Western travelers. We would love to visit this island and experience all the wildlife areas, but safety is a concern.

I would appreciate input from anyone that has been there and spent time in this area. Are there specific areas to avoid? Are we safer if we book a private tour with private driver, etc?

Thank you!

we (2 people) are in Borneo from January 29 (arrive in morning) and leave on Feb 6 noonish.

looking at flights, there is a lot of wasted time in airports, and hopping from town to town via plane is a poor way to se ethign si find. We really want to get out there and see stuff, stopping along the road etc.

So we are thinking about renting a car/jeep whatever for the whole time and making a loop from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, down to Tawao...and woops looking at a map no loop, so there turn back. We will be stopping at turtle islands which takes away 2 days.

What we are really wondering is road conditions. We have traveled some places where roads are really just trails and didnt turn out so great, but are there drivable roads around Sabah? about how many hours is it from say Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan by car? Some maps i see say there is a circle route around Sabah, others dont show it.
And do you think a loop with a 2 day stop on turtle islands can be done in 8 days?

We (my husband and I) would like to take a trip to Borneo with our 5 year old son in December for two weeks. I am a bit worried about food, since he has extreme allergy to nuts. Can anyone offer any insights since this would be the first time for us taking him to SEA. Also, would you recommend just flights or flights with hotel prebooked? My husband and I like the freedom to chose, however, this would be the first time adventure travel with the kid and not sure what would be better. We'd like to visit a lot of places suggested, orangutan reserve, trip down the river, jungle cruise....could they all be day trips? We are coming from LAX. Any info much appreciated. Thank you in advance!

My partner & I are hoping to travel to Borneo from the UK (probably Sabah) but it will have to be during peak UK travel season as I am a teacher.

Can anyone help us as to where to start planning as we don't want to get any more ripped off than absolutely necessary.
We usually do the self management thing, but it would be OK to have everything done for us and to book a bog standard package with a few days spare for our own choices.
We only have about three weeks (just under to get there and back as well as the holiday, so the itinerary would need to be quite tight.

Any of you experienced travelers got your usual jewels of advice to help us on our way?
Jane.

Hiya,

Planning to visit islands Sapilok, Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo for 5 days and would like to enjoy some of the wildlife safari, any suggestions ???

Are all these islands near by or would have to stay in each overnight, and take a plane to move from one island to another ?

Please let me have your suggestions.

Thanks

Hi. We are travelling to Borneo at the end of October & staying in the Nexus Resort. I was wondering where is the best place to eat outside of the resort as I imagine it will be more expensive & less authentic inside the resort. Also we plan to travel to the orangutan sanctury & wonered if anyone has any tips on arranging this. We would be garteful for any advice you can offer. Thank you

Hi. I'm 16 at the mo and am taking part in a month long world challenge expedition to Borneo in July next year. I was just wondering if any of you have climbed Mt Kinabalu and what was it like?

Im doing it for sure and we will try to make the summit for sunrise, sounds amazing!

Cheers

Hi Folks

I'll be traveling alone in July to Borneo. I really want to do the 4D/3N Mulu tour that a lot of tour operators offer. However most only take booking for a minimum of 2 people. Some will charge the rate of two people for one person booking. Does anyone know of any tour operators that offer this package for single travelers at a reasonable price?

Thanks

I would like to hire a driver to travel around Sabah with my wife and 2 children in Sept 09.
What is the best way to hire a driver - can it be done from Australia or should I organise it when we arrive?
Are there any safety issues I should be awre of?
What is the approximate cost - say for 10 days?
Is it recommended or would you suggest an alternative?
Appreciate any assistance with this - cheers.
Geoff

Does anyone know if there is a budget private accommodation (around 50 MYR per room/hut per night) anywhere in the mountains of Borneo to stay for medium term (1-2 months)? Thanks.

Hi all,
I need an important advise. I am going to the Borneo region in 1 month. Planned trips include: a cruise on the Garama river, Tunku Abdul Rahman and mountain Kinabalau. I have been proposed a trip to Sepilok to see the Orangus sanctuary. Given that this costs a lot of money since an airplane flight is involved, can you tell me whether it is a must?
Many thanks for helping me,
Tiziana

Hi,my partner and i are planning a stay in borneo for 2 about 2 weeks in Febuary,We want to stay in a few different places and need some advice!!!We are planning the first 5 nights in the shangri la, and then we are not sure ,we want to stay in nice places where you can go out for meals and markets etc!! I also like to dive but my partner does'nt ,i just want to be able to hire some equipment and go some short dives so not leaving her!iI dont really want to book a dive package!!Advice would be much appreacited!!thankyou,tom

Hi there. I need to have some tips here. Am from kuala lumpur travelling to tawau-semporna on 15 july. Thought of going to Lahad Datu- Danum Valley, maybe spending a night there. number of people - 2 adults and 1 kid. the questions is,
1.is there any cab/bus to and fro services to danum valley from semporna and back to semporna?
2.Guiding services in Danum Valley
3.What's the hostel/dorm rate in Danum Valley?

thanks

Hi,
I am planning a 20 day trip to Malaysia with wife and thinking if I should go to Borneo as it is quite far from KL:

A couple of questions:
1. What are absolute must DOs in Borneo?
2. Will I miss out if I don't go to Borneo?
3. Best/Cheap transport from Tioman or KL to Borneo?

THANKS

Hi,

Can anyone please recommend good+cheap hotels in Borneo? I am looking for a hotel in central location so I can commute to Kota Kinabalu and other locations nearby - should I stay in Borneo or do you recommend separate hotels in different areas such as KK

There are loads to choose from but if you can share your experience, that would be great. I am looking to spend up to 200MYR per night - could spend a bit more if the hotel is really really good

THANKS A LOT
Shan

Just booked a to fly to Kula lumpar in November. my trip is for 9 days, and i plan to pretty much fly straight down to borneo. However, as a backpacker, in need of escaping the madding crowd that is tourism, any reccommendations? thoughts? any advice on where to go???

Neil

Hi,

We have planned a trip to borneo in the first week of January - hoping to stay at the shangri la hotel at kota kinabalu. We have 2 kids aged 3 and 5 and were hoping for a bit of beach, sun, swimming - canopy walks, orang utans, turtles and diving (not much really) However, we have just found out that this is pretty much the worst time to go because of the rainy season - just about to cancel and stay in Malaysia - does anyone think we are making a big mistake ?

Hi all,
well I only have 10 days this time to visit Borneo for the first time. A tentative plan is to fly into Kuching and make my way up north to Kota Kinabalu and subsequently fly out from there.
I try to keep off the beaten path when I can and am more interested in trekking/diving/climbing (thus KK is a must) and discovering the wildlife.

The question is - am I crazy to try and fit in discovering things along the way and is it more logical to just hang around Kuching first- then fly to KK? (I'm also planning to a visit to Uncle Tan's somewhere in there too)

Thanks in advance,
Olga =)

Hi I'll be going to Sabah and Sarawak in 12th dec to 19th january with my b.friend. I wanted to ask if there is any possibility of seeing the turtles lay their eggs or watch the small ones on their first journey to the sea in this period anywhere in this area?
In Sabah we were thinking of organising a tour from KK as I was told you could get a better deal and its more practical. Can anyone recommend a particular company that is reliable and flexible re. tours?
Sarawak is easier to travel around solo I think. We are very much into wild life & diving ... any places we should not miss? Also any dangers we should watch out for :) & I don't mean only under water :)
Thanks
Chris

We are considering a tour to Borneo in June next year. Could you please tell me what the weather will be like and if a trip at that time would be advisable

How much does it actually rain during the rainy season? Are we talking frequent showers interspersed with sun, or non-stop rain. I'm planning a trip in December and wonder if I'm crazy to do that.

we are soon to book our honeymoon to Borneo next month for August next year, spending 2-3 nights in Kuala Lumpur and then 14 nights in the Rasa Ria. Now we want to spend a relaxing time on the beach and the Rasa is supose to be more relaxing and has more wild life on your door step ( the thought of seeing wildlife from your balcony attracted us to this hotel) and also want to do plenty of trips.We dont like the sound of humping our suit cases everywhere but relise that 7 - 9 days may be wasted paying for our hotel, something we may have to live with. So with that in mind lets get a debate going on our top 8 must things to do so we dont waiste any days. It sounds like the Danum valley is a must as is mt Kinabaly. Souds like a few river cruises to chose from and Orangutangs, the turles and rafting. I think i'm running out of days, so you can see my problem, combining a honeymoon with adventure from the Rasa Ria. Thanks for all your impending advice Paul and Becky

we are soon to book our honeymoon to Borneo next month for August next year, spending 2-3 nights in Kuala Lumpur and then 14 nights in the Rasa Ria. Now we want to spend a relaxing time on the beach and the Rasa is supose to be more relaxing and has more wild life on your door step ( the thought of seeing wildlife from your balcony attracted us to this hotel) and also want to do plenty of trips.We dont like the sound of humping our suit cases everywhere but relise that 7 - 9 days may be wasted paying for our hotel, something we may have to live with. So with that in mind lets get a debate going on our top 8 must things to do so we dont waiste any days. It sounds like the Danum valley is a must as is mt Kinabaly. Souds like a few river cruises to chose from and Orangutangs, the turles and rafting. I think i'm running out of days, so you can see my problem, combining a honeymoon with adventure from the Rasa Ria. Thanks for all your impending advice Paul and Becky

Hi! I've got 6 weeks holidays in Nov./Dez. 2006. It would like to combine Borneo (not sure which part...??) with Indonesia, a mix between adventure and beach holiday :-D
As I am only just beginning to plan the trip, I am very happy about any advice about recommended itinearys/routes...
Also I would like to travel on my own (well, with my boyfriend) but not with a tour/group. Not sure how "public transport" works there tough :-)
Grateful for any tips, also concerning accomodation etc.
Cheeers and regards from hot(!) Switzerland