Tell me about your Borneo trips

[Stowickthevast]

Hello, considering Borneo for Easter 25. Can anyone give me some potential itineraries, must-dos etc?

Also flights. Do you stop over in KL?

Excited for you. I still really really want to go. Hope your trip goes well and you manage to see lot of wildlife

@Lutricia007 we are going in July. Slight potential hiccup as I booked with BA as I didn't really want Malaysian (irrational logic) but now they have delayed the KL route so it won't start until April instead of this month. Hoping it still goes ahead then. We are coming home via Singapore so it's only the way out impacted.

I cannot wait. It will go so quick as have a levels to focus on after Xmas and then it will be time!

I was going to take youngest out of school for 1.5 days as they finished Tuesday lunchtime but luckily school have changed the dates so they finish on the Friday so no need to.

Yes its just the islands that are no-go not Sandakan itself so its only the trip to the island to see turtles which is best not to do to stay covered with travel insurance. Otherwise anything on land is fine. The only place we went in Sandakan was the airport and Agnes Keith, the American author's house and the tea rooms next to it overlooking the sea with beautiful gardens - very safe there. We got a taxi at the airport - just walked out of airport and someone approached us we used and was fine and safe - went to tea rooms at 10am when it opens and they gave us a big table in the gardens and we had fresh fruit and drinks similar to smoothies, lovely views, and they also looked after our luggage fine and then we went round Agnes Keith's house, very safe to walk there and again only people there (late June). You go round leaving shoes outside so either barefoot or socks but super clean inside. There are toilets in the restaurant which were fine and very clean. The hotel in the jungle picked us up from there and that was roughly a 2 hour drive down including the stop. All very easy and safe and the jungle hotel was really helpful with planning though for July and August they need to be contacted directly to book whereas rest of year can get via Booking.com but they are fine to book direct. We had to pull out in 2020 and they let us cancel for free.

Boat trips in Kinabatangan (Last Frontier Resort ones) I think were a couple of hours each and we left the hotel rooms immediately before and go back to there / restaurant after. There was 600 steps through the jungle though to rooms.

We went Air Malaysia and I was a bit nervous but was actually very good unless you have a peanut allergy as they give everyone peanuts booked the extra legroom seats which were only about £60 more a seat and could stretch legs out, everything on time, food was OK, plenty of drinks, lovely staff. Yes saw BA cancelling route. And Air Malaysia we also had to cancel a ticket with less than 24 hours notice and they refunded it just charging £150 fee in the terms and conditions for over 24 hours notice. Though heard don't use their local flights. We used Air Asia which were on time though was a bit like Ryanair but OK.

Have a look at Turkish Airlines. We saved a lot by flying from UK to KL via Istanbul.
used Air Asia for internal flights and was impressed.

Hi! I’m thinking of doing this tour this summer with my kids. Would it be suitable for them (aged 9 and 7, they have travelled a fair bit). Any tour companies you recommend? Tia

https://borneoecotour.com/#

was who we went with.

I think they are a bit young, but we saw kids that age. You do need to sit and watch the wildlife and at feeding stations you need to be there early and wait. We sometimes watched for 2 hours as their behaviour is just so engaging. It depends on your kids really, but it’s hot and steamy, you walk into the jungle and you watch the orangutans (mainly). The birds, fireflies, the beetles, the camen, proboscis monkeys all take spotting from the boat - the guides are good at this though.

The bugs are real. The sides of the boat can be open so you go out of the enclosed cabin to the loo… flying big things are part of that. My DC didn’t worry, but a couple of times it was a little unsettling for me 😂.

We had the most amazing trip and the boat crew were so much fun and couldn’t have done more for us. The food was exceptional, but again my kids eat. It wasn’t spicy, but it’s not UK style, but lots of fresh food and fruits, noodles, rice, something fried. Sounds like that won’t be an issue though, so that’s good.

4 days was enough time and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

A few pics

We visited the proboscis monkey sanctuary which was amazing and did a firefly cruise. All organised by our eco lodge near Sandakan. I'll try and find the name.

Paganakan Dii Tropical resort was where we stayed in Sabah.

Meant to tag you in my above comments as was responding to your question

I found it really depressing driving around all you can see is endless palm plantations. There are still some stunning areas and the people are extremely nice but I would never return.

Where were you? We were in Indonesian Borneo in a national park, no palm oil plantations.

@Hazydetailonlife those photos look great. 2.5 months until we go!

@whenitsoveri think some of the river accommodation gets fully booked quite in advance so a lot may well be booked up for this year. Also flight prices now look to be about double what I paid when I booked last year

Thanks!! Trip sounds amazing :) . I’ve seen orangutans in Sumatra, and near Kuching but this would be a completely different experience. Might just take the kids to sandakan as they might find that easier

Yes please, I think sandakan might be better for my kids!!

Sorry just seen this! Will check it out