Borneo - worth it?

[ArwenUndomniel]

I'm thinking about Borneo for next year's holiday but have been a bit put off by a friend who's been and said it was somewhat disappointing. She said that bits of it were lovely, but it was definitely obvious where there had been deforestation and overdevelopment. If you want to see orangutans and sun bears you need to go to sanctuaries because there's little chance of seeing truly wild ones. And the towns that you have to pass through to make any internal flights don't have a lot going for them either. Basically, whatever attractions it has can be found elsewhere with less oppressive heat and a less arduous flight to get there! Is she right or is Borneo still worth the journey?

I loved it. Only did a few days though on a wider trip of Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Flew into sandakan from KL, went straight to 3d/2n kinabatangan river safari, back to sepilok for one night and did orangutan rehab centre, sun bears and rainforest discovery. Then flew back out of sandakan. Short and sweet but brilliant and unforgettable. Saw wild orangutans on the river cruise and at the lodge we stayed at while having breakfast.

The Danum Valley Rainforest lodge is truly spectacular and a once in a lifetime hotel - would highly recommend! We saw wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and many more!

Thanks both, that does sound great. If I did it, I would be including the Kinabatangan area and the Danum Valley, so it's good to hear that there are still properly wild animals there. There are a few possible contenders on my to-do list but Borneo feels like a "see it now while it's still there" sort of place.

It sounds like an amazing trip, it’s probably not a bad thing to see the areas that have been impacted by deforestation.

Please remember to offset your carbon miles as much as you can… ironic to worry about vanishing nature a location that is heavily damaged by humans’ destruction of nature and then take a fight there without a care in the world 🙏

I mean, this is the holidays board... I get your concern but there are arguments that tourism to these rainforested areas provides incentives to preserve them and their wildlife to take advantage of the tourist dollar. Also it can give local people alternative employment like guiding and working in the lodges and hotels, although obviously you have to make ethical choices and be aware of pay disparities. I simply don't think that if everyone stopped going there deforestation and development would stop, it's much too late to put the genie back in the bottle now and the best thing you can really do is choose your tour providers and accommodation consciously.

I think if you go with your eyes open that there is deforestation, you won't be disappointed. When we went, there were hours driving on road which carved through palm oil plantations. It did feel a bit like we were hopping between preserved zones or sanctuaries. I guess if you fly between areas you dont see this - but then perhaps thats adding to the problem?

Loved Borneo and well worth visiting. We saw orangutans as well as pygmy elephants, probiscis monkeys, other monkeys, crocodiles and lots of birds all in the wild and rainforest (Kinabatagan river area). Sepilok has the sanctuaries with sunbears and orangutans and rainforest discovery centre and there's Agnes Newton-Keith's house close by. Loved the river cruises and the wildlife. Yes there's deforestation and a lot of poverty. Excellent food as well.

If anyone is interested in a homestay option for supporting rural village communities I completely recommend this outfit.
https://www.kopelkinabatangan.com/
Cant think of a more perfect way to experience the Kinanbatagan river. Very basic accommodation. Incredible food. Amazing hosts. Fantastic wildlife including orangutans.
Did this with my kids aged 9-14.
Absolute highlight for them.

We stayed here by the Kinabatagan river and it was amazing (review score 9.8 on Booking.com) https://www.thelastfrontierresort.com/our-story it was up 600 stairs though at the top of the rainforest. Amazing food and boat trips, the very early morning one had the river to ourselves and saw 3 pygmy elephants and an orangutan within 10 mins. They picked us up from Sandakan on arrival and delivered us back to Sepilok.

I can see both sides tbh, what your friend says isn't wrong (although i did see wild orangs along the river but I guess that just depends on luck). There is massive deforestation and you drive through miles and miles of depressing palm plantations. The towns are not particularly interesting or attractive. I'm not sure where else you'd see orangs, proboscis monkeys and sun bears though? I also climbed Mt Kinabalu which was an amazing experience. I guess just do your research and decide if it's for you.

Thanks everyone, lots to think about. It does sound amazing and still worth doing, but going into it with a realistic view of what it's going to be like.

I think your friend was a bit naive. I've travelled a lot, mainly for work (ecologists) and there are few places on earth that aren't visibly impacted by humans. The truly "wild" experiences I've had have come at the expense of comfort -think weeks of sleeping in hammocks at research stations, getting trench-foot and mosy bites. But if you go on holiday ANYWHERE then of course you'll see the impact of human infrastructure and industry. And yes in Borneo it is heartbreaking, vast tracks of palm plantations and all the mining. But, if you go with your eyes open then you can still have an incredible experience. And as you have said, conscious tourism is actually a really important mechanism for preserving what's left.
What I would say is for any wildlife trip, don't go with a tick list. Go instead with an open mind, and be prepared to be wowed by moments you can't plan, and so many more species than the headline stuff. I'd also recommend that you consider looking into guides before hand, if you can afford it. The "guides" associated with accommodation are usually "path finders" rather than actual wildlife experts.

Yes, I agree about wildlife trips, I had a brilliant visit to the Peruvian jungle last year and had so many incidental animal sightings that we just stumbled upon, like a porcupine in a tree and some capybara next to the river. We were looking at monkeys and caiman respectively at the time and then the others just popped up as well!

Borneo is very much still on the list, then. I'll check out some of the recommendations from this thread if I do settle on it.

We went to the Indonesian side and Tanjungputing National Park on a river boat. We saw a wild Orangutan, but the rest were rescues. It was an incredible place for the wildlife.

We always travel with a B certified provider. Tourist money can be a powerful force for good as well
as destruction. I remain hopeful!