Borneo: Infomation & Tips

                   For stories from my Borneo trip, read this blog
                  For my photo-essay published in Outlook traveller, read this and this

Travelled in: July 2011

 
Getting there:

Malaysian Borneo can be accessed via Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Airlines flies from India to KL.  The more economical Air Asia too flies from select cities in India to KL. From KL, there are many daily flights to Kota Kinabalu (both Malaysia Airlines & Air Asia).

The area of Danum Valley, where I stayed, is in the Sabah region of Borneo. It has an airport at Lahad Datu. There is a daily flight from Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu.

Sandakan is another airport within this region, which is a good access point for Sukau, another forested area by the Kinabatangan River. Sandakan also connects to Kuala Lumpur via Kota Kinabalu.

  

Accommodation: 
Borneo rainforest lodge is a comfortable, if expensive option in Danum Valley: http://www.borneorainforestlodge.com/ 
In Sukau, there are many stay options along the Kinabatangan River.

Tips:

• Borneo is wet & humid. Carry plenty of T-shirts & a few quick-drying trousers.

• Carry a poncho to wear in the rain. An umbrella is very difficult to walk with.

• Waterproof footwear with a good grip is essential as the forest floor is wet, uneven and slippery.

• Wear leech socks to minimise leech bites.

• It is best to visit the forest with a good, knowledgeable naturalist. Borneo has so many wonders, all of which you’ve probably never seen before. Having somebody telling you what to look at & where to look, helps. Else, you’re just stumbling about in the dark and are more likely to come away un-appreciative of the forest.

• Though the forest in Sukau has been heavily logged, do visit this area around the Kinabatangan River. It gives you a better opportunity to spot the abundant life that a rainforest houses. Sightings in a dense, un-logged forest are fewer. Sighting wildlife in Sukau allows you to put a face to all the residents of the forest, for whom we need to preserve Borneo.

• Be prepared for a lot of trekking in the Danum Valley area of Borneo. In Sukau, boats take you along the Kinabatangan River, to try & spot wildlife.  

I travelled to Borneo: as part of an expedition led by Kalyan Varma