Lonely Planet Borneo Travel Guide

E-reader devices vary in their ability to show our maps. To get the most out of the maps in this guide, use the zoom function on your device. Or, visit http://media.lonelyplanet.com/ebookmaps and grab a PDF download or print out all the maps in this guide.

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.

Hiking towards caves in Gunung Mulu National Park ()
AURORA PHOTOS/AWL

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. The vegetation changes just as radically as you sail upriver from the mangroves along the South China Sea. Deforestation makes for depressing headlines, but significant parts of the Bornean rainforest among the most ancient ecosystems on earth remain intact, protected by conservation projects whose viability depends, in part, on income from tourists.

Orangutans at play, Sepilok ()
RICHARD IANSON/GETTY IMAGES

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 shy by nature, 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 and thin as a 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 age-old traditions of hospitality, theyre all a cinch for visitors to approach. The cities of Sarawak and Sabah have significant Chinese communities and the picturesque coastal kampung (villages) are populated mainly by 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 a few 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 its easy to arrange this with a local guide.

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 from the Deer Cave 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.

The Pinnacles, Gunung Mulu National Park
DAVID POOLE/GETTY IMAGES

Maliau Basin

You came to Borneo looking for something wild, right? The Maliau Basin () is as wild as it gets. The basin is a rock-rimmed depression filled with primary rainforest thats untouched, uncut jungle, as old as the hills. We asked a local ranger what he thought of the Maliau, and his Malay response was Adan da Hawa Adam and Eve. Thats how fresh and perfect this forest feels, and while it may look expensive to enter, with a bit of initiative you too can experience the world as it once was.

Flying gecko, Maliau Basin
JASON ISLEY - SCUBAZOO/GETTY IMAGES

Sarawaks Dayak 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 verandah used for economic activities, socialising and celebrations. Although these days all longhouses enjoy some modern amenities, many still have at least a few headhunted skulls on display.

ANDREW WATSON/GETTY IMAGES

Kuching

Borneos most sophisticated and stylish city () brings together an atmospheric old town, a romantic waterfront, fine cuisine for all budgets, and chic nightspots that would be right at home in London. But the citys biggest draw is whats nearby: some of Sarawaks finest natural sites, easy to visit on day trips. You can spot semi-wild orangutans or search out a giant Rafflesia flower in the morning, look for proboscis monkeys and wild crocs on a sundown cruise in the South China Sea, and then dine on super-fresh seafood or crunchy midin fern tips.

Kuchings waterfront at dusk
PETER PTSCHELINZEW /GETTY IMAGES

Loksado

If youd like to escape a bit from the jungle, if not the world, this small hamlet will do the trick. Nestled by a rushing stream in the foothills of the Meratus, scenic Loksado () feels more like a mountain retreat than part of Borneo. Theres a vibrant market, diverse trekking opportunities, bamboo rafting, and lots of friendly locals. Accommodation options are sparse but include a great riverside budget hotel with everything you need for an extended stay. Backpackers take note: if you need to re-energise, this is the place.