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Travel guide
Borneo
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: March to August
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Welcome
Borneo, in a few days
The world's third-largest island is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. The Malaysian side has Mount Kinabalu at 4,095 metres, the orangutans of Sepilok and the flood forests of the Kinabatangan, and underwater, Sipadan, where dive permits are strictly limited each day.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Mount Kinabalu · several daysThe highest peak between the Himalaya and New Guinea, climbed in two days with a night at Laban Rata and a 2 am summit start.
- Afternoon · Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park · a full dayFive islands 15 to 20 minutes by boat from Kota Kinabalu: Manukan and Sapi for beaches, quieter Mamutik and Sulug, forested Gaya.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Sixty3€60 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre · about 2 hSince 1964, orphaned young orangutans near Sandakan relearn climbing, foraging and nest-building in 43 km² of protected forest before release.
- Afternoon · The Kinabatangan River · about 2 hA narrow strip of forest between oil palm plantations pushes wildlife onto the riverbanks, where it is easy to spot from a small boat.
🛏️ Where to sleep · The Klagan Hotel€55 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sipadan Island · a full dayMalaysia's only oceanic island, the top of an undersea volcano rising 600 metres, with a wall that drops away a few metres from shore.
- Afternoon · Gunung Mulu caves · a full dayA UNESCO-listed limestone massif in Sarawak; Deer Cave, 174 metres wide, releases millions of bats in spirals at dusk.
🛏️ Where to sleep · The Jesselton Hotel€75 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bako National Park · a full daySarawak's oldest national park, a sandstone peninsula an hour from Kuching, reached by a twenty-minute boat ride that depends on the tide.
- Afternoon · Kuching Waterfront free · about 1 h 30A riverside promenade from the Chinese markets to White Rajah buildings, with the 1870 Astana and Fort Margherita across the water by rowing boat.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu€90 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Nasi lemak: rice cooked in coconut milk, with sambal, anchovies, peanuts and egg. The national breakfast.
- Laksa: spicy noodle soup, creamy with coconut curry, or sour with tamarind in Penang.
- Char kway teow: flat rice noodles stir-fried over a fierce flame, a Penang speciality.
- Roti canai: flaky flatbread, torn by hand and dipped in curry.
- Satay, and durian for the brave: a fruit so pungent that many hotels ban it.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Cover shoulders and legs in mosques. The larger ones lend robes at the door.
- Book rides through Grab rather than hailing taxis in the street.
- Drink bottled water, and more of it than you think.
- Eat and pass things with your right hand, and take your shoes off before entering a home.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Malay
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| Hello | Selamat pagi / Helo |
| Thank you | Terima kasih |
| Please | Tolong |
| Yes | Ya |
| No | Tidak |
| Excuse me | Maaf |
| Goodbye | Selamat tinggal |
| Do you speak English? | Boleh cakap Bahasa Inggeris? |
| I don't understand | Saya tidak faham |
| How much is it? | Berapa harganya? |
| Where are the toilets? | Di mana tandas? |
| The bill, please | Bil, tolong |
| Help! | Tolong! |
| Cheers! | Minum! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyMalaysian ringgit (MYR)
BudgetAbout €105 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMarch to August
PlugG (prise UK) · 240V
Tap waterBottled or filtered
TippingNot expected, a service charge is often on the bill
Emergency999 / 994
EntryNo visa needed for up to 90 days for UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most EU passports, which must be valid six months. Fill in the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card online in the three days before you land, and expect a second passport check when you fly on to Sabah.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria is present in some rural areas, Borneo included, so ask about prophylaxis for your route. Dengue is present too: use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/borneo
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.