The luscious jungle, majestic National Parks, diverse trekking, tropical islands and abundance of rare wildlife set it apart from the other places I’d been/was going to visit.

However, in Borneo, I found that my lack of planning before I arrived on the island really effected the amount of things I was able to squeeze in. You need a permit to climb Mount Kinabalu, permission to enter Danum Valley and a license to dive in Sipidan.

Therefore, the more organised you are before you arrive, the less stressed you’ll be when you arrive in Sabah.

Here’s my 2 week itinerary to exploring the jungle, wildlife and beaches of Borneo.

Week 1

Gunung Mulu National Park – 2 nights

Gunung Mulu National Park is a rare wonder in the very North of Sarawak, Borneo. Boasting extravagant caves, mesmerising pinnacles and lush jungle, it’s a National Park like no other.

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it down to the park as by the time I’d decided I had time to fit it in, the flights were extortionate. However, if you plan ahead you can get flights to Mulu from Kota Kinabalu for next to nothing.

The people I spoke to who went to the park said that 2/3 days was plenty of time to explore.

Kota Kinabalu aka. KK – 3 nights

Most people who are heading to Sabah tend to fly into its capital – Kota Kinabalu. A sleepy city on the west coast of the island, KK is definitely worth a few days stop over to uncover its diverse terrain.

Offering beautiful albeit, touristy islands just half an hour off of the coast, the best night food market I’ve ever been to and a ginormous National Park with the world-famous Mount Kinabalu at its centre, there’s plenty to keep you busy.

Depending on whether you choose to climb Mount Kinabalu or not will affect how long you’ll need at the park (the trek is 3 days/2 nights). If you choose not to (like I did), I’d recommend a day or two in the city centre and another day or so staying close to the park (it’s around a 1 1/2 hours bus ride from the city).

Sepilok/Sandakan – 2 nights

From the KK National Park you can catch a bus to Sepilok or Sandakan, which will take around 6 hours. Sepilok is where you’ll find the must see orangutan and sun bear rehabilitation centres whilst Sandakan, is a city around an hour and a half from Sepilok that has a lot more to offer in terms of shops, hostels and restaurants to keep you occupied.

Once you’ve spent a day admiring these playful creatures, it’s time to delve even deeper into Sabah’s wildlife…

Week 2

Kinabatangan River – 2 nights

Cruising the Kinabatangan River was one of my favourite travel experiences to date (as you’ll know if you’ve read this post). A dense jungle encircling a tranquil river, the Kinabatangan region is renowned for its rich and diverse wildlife.

I camped on a peaceful riverbank owned by a wonderful Malaysian family and was lucky enough to watch elephants, monkeys, birds and crocodiles (to name a few) roam around in their natural environment.

This is a must in Sabah!!

Danum Valley – 2 nights

Danum Valley Field Centre is a conservation area in the East of Sabah, which is a melting pot for naturalists and scientists.

Known for having one of the world’s most complex ecosystems, this forest is home to endangered wildlife such as, orangutans, clouded leopards, elephants, proboscis monkeys as well as, the world’s largest flower.

To access the valley you must travel to Lahad Datu (around 3 hours South of the Kinabatangan River) and get a permit to access the area.

Due to the complexity of visiting Danum Valley, I was unable to do it. However, if you plan ahead and organise the trip with a tour or the field centre itself in advance, it should be easy enough to sort out.

Semporna/Mabul/Sipadan – 3 nights

Sipadan is a pristine, uninhabited island, which floats around an hour off of the East Coast of Sabah.

With its diverse selection of marine life including an exciting variety of sharks, turtles, schools of barracuda and manta rays, it’s no surprise that it’s been voted one of the best diving spots in the world.

As there is no accommodation on Sipadan, most divers stay on the nearby island of Mabul or in Semporna on the mainland and then travel to the different dive spots each day.

Be warned, diving in this area comes with a hefty price tag! However, if you’re an avid diver/snorkeller, Sipadan and its surrounding islands are a hard place to beat for marine life.

End your trip in Sabah by catching a bus back to Kota Kinabalu! Have you been to Sabah? What would you add to this itinerary?

Due to the palm oil industry being so prominent around the river, the palm plantations force wildlife further inland towards the river meaning sightings of wildlife are very common.

However, the ever-increasing number of plantations is also a very sad concept for the abundance of animals losing their homes in the forest due to this industry (don’t use palm oil people)!

There are many different ways to explore the river and all it has to offer. I opted to book onto a 3 day/2 night trip via Sandakan Backpackers Hostel, which included two nights stay at Sukau River Homestay (formerly Bangkatan Homestay) with a local family camping in their front garden, three meals a day, six river cruises, a jungle trek, a very knowledgeable guide and all the water, tea and coffee you could drink (RM255, approx £50).

When we first arrived we were introduced to Maria, the lovely lady who was hosting us, as well as her husband Omie, brother Moose (our guide), his wife, adorable baby and their kittens.

After we’d had a scrummy lunch and a cuppa, we hopped on the boat for our first river cruise. The boat was small and there were only six of us, which was great. Straight away Moose explained to us that the pygmy elephants were ‘in the area’ searching for food close to the riverbank meaning, we had a good chance of spotting them.

And just like clockwork, a few minutes later Moose turned off the boat’s engine and we could hear the toot of the elephants amongst the bushes. We sat patiently listening to the herd of elephants having a chat across the river until one – the ‘food finder’ – emerged in perfect view of our boat…

What a blessing.

We sat there for a good half an hour watching as the food finder tugged at the vibrant grass and the rest of the herd gathered behind him to see what goodies he’d found.

Once they’d retreated back into the trees, we glided down one of the tranquil waterways of the river in search of Borneo’s iconic proboscis monkeys or ‘big nose’ as we came to call them. As you could probably guess, proboscis monkeys (especially the males) flaunt a rather large nose and a big round pot belly.

Within ten minutes of dragging ourselves away from the elephants we were watching a family of ‘big noses’ leaping from one tree to another, fighting, playing and looking at us curiously.

We were then lucky enough to witness one of the most mesmerising sunsets I’ve ever seen…

After a hearty dinner it was time for our first night cruise.

Jumping in the boat with our head torches at the ready, we were excited to see what the river had to offer in the inky darkness of night-time. As we glided across the water, the main thing, which was apparent was the tranquillity of the river.

There was nothing disturbing its peacefulness other than the splatter of our boat along the water, the chirping and cooing of birds, the beaming moonlight and stars that were half guiding our way and our exclamations of ‘wowww’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘magical’ as we experienced a whole other side to the river.

We came across vibrant coloured kingfishers hiding in bushes, a variety of unique hornbills, owls staring at us inquisitively, a baby crocodile perched tactfully on the riverbank and reflections of the trees in the water, which were truly captivating.

That night I curled up in my tent chuffed with what a memorable day I’d had.

The next morning we awoke at 5.30am.

As the mist lifted from the river and the beaming sun began to poke its head over the forest we jumped in the boat for our morning cruise.

Once again, the river was as tranquil as ever. We cruised our way down the backwaters in search of movement in the foliage. And before we knew it, we were gazing at a male orangutan draped in the trees munching on his breakfast.

To be able to see this fella in the wild was so so special. We admired him as he ate and relaxed before swinging off deeper into the jungle in search of more grub.

And as Mr Orangutan went off in search of more brekkie, we settled down for ours. We parked in a blanket of lily pads and delved into Maria’s delicious homemade bean curd pancakes, eggs and coffee.

We paused eating here and there to try to spot animals rustling in the trees…

And were even joined by this guy who seemed to want a taste of the pancakes… or us…

I had the most incredible time on the Kinabatangan River – the scenery, the wildlife, Maria’s hospitality and the pure serenity are things, which I will remember for years to come. If you go to Sabah, DO NOT miss this incredible experience.

Thank you for a wonderful stay Maria!