Atkinson Brett - Lonely Planet Borneo

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Its a jungle out there! Borneo boasts some of the worlds most species-rich equatorial rainforests prime patches are easily accessible from multiethnic cities with great food.

If you love tropical greenhouses and cant wait to be enveloped by the humid fecundity of a real equatorial rainforest, Borneo will fulfil your wildest dreams. The islands jungles conjure up remoteness and peril, bringing to mind impenetrable foliage and river trips into the heart of darkness. But look a little closer on a nature walk with a park ranger, for instance and nuances emerge: the pitcher plants, lianas and orchids of the lowland forest give way to conifers, rhododendrons and different kinds of orchids as you ascend the flanks of Mt Kinabalu. And the vegetation changes just as radically as you sail through the mangroves along the South China Sea. Deforestation makes for depressing headlines, but significant areas of the Bornean rainforest among the most ancient ecosystems on earth remain intact, protected by national parks and conservation projects whose viability depends in part on income from tourism.

For many visitors to Borneo, their most memorable moment is a personal encounter with a living creature: glimpsing a wild orangutan swinging through the jungle canopy, spotting an Irrawaddy dolphin in the shimmering waters of the South China Sea, or locking eyes with the reptilian gaze of a saltwater croc. Jungle animals are, by their nature, shy, but a good guide can help you tell the difference between a vine and vine snake (not as easy as you might think) and between a twig and a stick insect as long as an unsharpened pencil; they can also help you differentiate between the call of a gibbon and the cry of a hornbill, and identify a dominant male orangutan (hint: size counts but so do the cheeks). If youre keen to have close encounters of the animal kind, Borneos jungles offer a unique combination of extraordinary biodiversity, unspoilt habitats and practical accessibility.

Borneo brings together an astonishing array of cultures, religions, languages and cuisines, and thanks to the age-old traditions of hospitality in the island communities, all these are easy to approach. The cities of Sarawak and Sabah have significant Chinese communities, while the picturesque coastal kampung (villages) are populated mainly by Muslim Malays, but head inland and the dominant culture is indigenous. Borneos Dayak groups stopped nabbing noggins long ago, but many other ancient customs and ceremonies live on in harmony with mod-cons in longhouse communities. Theres no better way to experience a slice of the Dayak way of life than to drop by for a visit easy to arrange with a local guide.

Bako National Park

Wild jungle animals think proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs and families of long-tailed macaques are easier to spot on the rocky Bako peninsula than almost anywhere else in Borneo, although the park () is just a short trip (by bus or car and then motorboat) from the bustle of Kuching. Over a dozen hiking trails take you to sandstone plateaus, waterfalls, secret bays and secluded beaches, passing through endangered lowland ecosystems mangroves, heath forest, dipterocarp forest that provide the ideal conditions for pitcher plants and terrestrial orchids.

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Danum Valley

The last time we entered the Danum Valley () it turned out it was not inhabited by dinosaurs and creatures of Jurassic lore. This seemed like false advertising look at the Danum from every angle and it screams primeval jungle of time gone by. But who could be disappointed? Between the shadowy, sheltering canopy, herds of pygmy elephants, wild orangutans and enough bird life to kick-start several thousand aviaries, this is Borneo at her most natural and enchanting.

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Gunung Mulu National Park

If the only marvel at Mulu () were the biggest cavern on earth, sprouting a phantasmagorical forest of stalactites and stalagmites, this park would be on any list of Borneos best. If the only fauna were the twirling, spiralling clouds of bats that emerge each day at dusk, it would deserve Unesco World Heritage status. And if the only activity were spotting 20cm-long stick insects on a night walk, the flight from Miri would be worth it. But add in towering Gunung Mulu and the Pinnacles and you have one of Southeast Asias wonders.

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Kinabatangan River Safaris

Sungai Kinabatangan the Kinabatangan River () deserves pride of place in a Joseph Conrad novel. Like a muddy brown python, Sabahs longest river constricts the jungle below Sandakan. The water is bracketed by riverine forest teeming with civet cats, orangutans, proboscis monkeys, saltwater crocodiles, monitor lizards, hornbills, kingfishers and hawks. Book yourself into one of several jungle camps in the villages of Sukau and Bilit, or stay in a local homestay, and set out on a river cruise for an excellent chance of spotting some of Borneos most iconic animals.

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Mt Kinabalu

Mt Kinabalu () is so many things to so many people we dont know where to start. Highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia, yet climbable by even novice trekkers? Check. Home of the spirits of local indigenous tribes? Check. Endemic cradle of some 6000 plant species and several unique-in-Borneo ecosystems? Check. On an island exploding with natural beauty, the sight of Mt Kinabalus peak in the morning causes most folks to lose their breath. What poor words can we add to that experience?

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Sarawak Longhouses

Theres no better way to get a sense of indigenous tribal culture than to visit a longhouse or, better yet, stay over. Essentially a whole village under a single roof, these dwellings can be longer than two football pitches and contain dozens of family units, each of which opens onto a covered common veranda used for economic activities, socialising and celebrations. All longhouses now enjoy at least some modern amenities, but most still have at least a few head-hunted skulls on display.