Unrealistic Expectations of Borneo

April 2025

I remember growing up and watching Wild Kingdom and Jacques Cousteau's adventures and dreamed of visiting these vast open and wild areas. The plains and savannahs of the Serengeti, the Amazonian rainforest, the Borneo headhunter tribes. To be the next Rachel Carson or Jane Goodall. So, when I found myself in Southeast Asia this winter, I knew one of the countries that had to be on my list was Borneo.

"If I'd learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead and do them. Don't talk about going to Borneo. Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag and it just happens." Alex Garland

Borneo is the third largest island in the world, behind Greenland and New Guinea. It is comprised of three individual countries, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Proboscis monkeys and orangutans are exclusively found in the rainforests of Borneo, though there is a smaller subset of orangutans on Sumatra. In fact, the rainforest of Borneo is one of the oldest in the world and home to the Dayak tribe who excelled in headhunting. It's easy to get around Borneo through the network of buses and flights. With this in mind, I decided to solo travel through the island. What I did not count on was that most excursions and day trips require a minimum of two people.

Cultural dance in Kuching

Sandakan - Located on the north side of the island, Sandakan is the capital of Sabah, Malaysia. The city began to prosper when the British colonized the area in 1879 and built a new settlement, developing it into an active commercial and trading center. The British also encouraged the migration of the Chinese from British Hong Kong to develop the economy of Sandakan. However, the prosperity halted when the Japanese occupied the area. As the war continued, bombs rained down and the city was destroyed in 1944. I spent seven days in the city which included:

• 3D2N Kinabatangan River Safari. 3D2N Sepilok & Kinabatangan River Safari. The first stop of the day was the Sepilok Orangutan and Sunbear Sanctuary. SORC has protected and rehabbed orphaned and injured orangutans since 1964. The protected rainforest of Sepilok offers the perfect training ground for rehabilitating orangutan. The diverse ecosystem provides everything these primates need to thrive, from towering trees for nest building to abundant natural food sources. Sun bears are the smallest bears in the world and are only found in Southeast Asia. These bears continue to be threatened by forest degradation, illegal hunting for bear parts and poaching to obtain young cubs for pet trade

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We checked into the amazing hornbill lodge and before long we were cruising down the river in search of proboscis monkeys and horn bill birds. Borneo is home to eight species of hornbills, the most common being oriental pied. The weather was rainy. We were soaked, but didn't care as we spotted pygmy elephants grazing along the riverbank.

"We have to protect this stretch of land, if we lose this river edge, where are all the proboscis monkeys going to go? Where are all the orangutans going to go?" Dr. Mary Birute Galdikas

• Sandakan Heritage Trail - A self-guided walking tour of cultural sites in old town. The walk leads you through 100+ years of history including a mosque, Chinese temple, ancient staircase and English tea house. Self Guided Tour

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Kota Kinabalu - Located further down the northwest coast of Borneo is Kota Kinabalu (KK for short), the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies to its west and Mount Kinabalu, which gave the city its name, is located to its east. On my river cruise, several people mentioned islands off the coast of KK to snorkel. The more I researched the more I found that these tours required minimum of two people. However, I was able to find a few activities to do which included:

• Snorkel tour of Marine Park. Tunka Abdul MNP, is a collection of five islands located less than 10 km off the coast. Due to warm ocean currents and human intervention, much of the coral around the islands are bleach. I joined a few other solo travelers as we snorkeled through 3 different spots.

• City tour and River Cruise in search of monkeys and fireflies. The rain kept the fireflies away, but we did catch some spectacular views at the beach.

• Shopping - KK has two world class shopping malls and I was able to get some much-needed clothes and supplies.

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei- With a population of 450,000, this predominately Muslim country is rich in economic and cultural history. It is one of the richest countries in Southeast Asia due to oil and gas reserves and has one of the highest living standards in the world. Brunei and Bhutan are the only absolute monarchies left in Asia. As an absolute monarch, the Sultan of Brunei is head of government and state. He is also King, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Defense. He is currently the oldest reigning monarch in the world, having reigned for 57 years.

Known as the adobe of peace, Brunei is one of the safest countries to travel and I was looking forward to my seven day stay. But solo travelling is frowned upon. Public transportation is non-existent. I had to skip some places I was interested in visiting, mostly national parks which required a minimum of two people. I spent my time visiting cultural sites and learning about the history of Brunei.

Kampong Ayer - The world's largest floating village and the original center of government where traders would flock to the market to showcase their goods and services, The floating village is self-contained including streets, police station, and mosque. Individual neighborhoods are connected via a system of boardwalks.

The heart and soul of Brunei is the river. Water taxis transport locals and tourists alike to different communities and connects to the capital city. I took an early morning taxi cruise to spot wildlife.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, one of two national mosques in Brunei. Construction began in 1954, and the mosque finally opened its doors to the public in 1958. The interior was put together like a puzzle, with pieces from around the world. Marble floor was imported from Italy, chandeliers made in England, granite from Shanghai and carpets from Saudi Arabia. The interior is decorated with columns, arches and stained glass.

Museum Hopping - Brunei is an incredibly hot country with temperatures exceeding 100F in the summer. On one hot day, I enjoyed two of Bandar's famous museums

• Royal Regalia Museum showcases the opulent royal life of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. Formerly known as Churchills Memorial Building, it features exhibits such as replicas of the Brunei royal throne, crown, chariot, and ceremonial garments.

• It's easy to get lost in the Brunei History and Maritime Center - Did you know

  • In 1521 Magellan's fleet arrived in Brunei as it circumnavigated the world

  • To streamline trade, the government introduced maritime taxes

  • Brunei was a key trading hub for camphor, tin, ivory, black pepper

  • Brunei had a great trading relationship with Portugal, Spain and Dutch

  • Via trade, Brunei helped spread Islam

  • Brunei consisted of the entire island of Borneo

    
    

Kuching - The last stop of my tour of Borneo was Kuching, the capital and most populated city in Sarawak, Malaysia. Known as the Cat City this predominately Chinese and Buddhist country is home to one of the largest Mosques in Southeast Asia. My goal in visiting the city was to visit some of the indigenous tribes. Deep in the rainforest one can visit the longhouses of the Iban, Bidayuh, and Orang Ulu. I tried and tried and tried to find an overnight or day trip as a solo traveler but to no avail. I had a fantastic time and here are my favorite excursions:

Bako National Park - Bako is Sarawak’s oldest national park, covering an area of 2,742 hectares at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula. It is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak, yet one of the most interesting, as it contains almost every type of vegetation found in Borneo. A well-maintained network of trails - from easy forest strolls to full-day jungle treks – allows visitors to get the most out of this unique environment. BAKO NATIONAL PARK

Sarawak River Cruise - It was fun and relaxing cruising down the river at sunset watching a cultural dance

Sarawak Cultural Village - With my dreams dashed of cruising down the river in a traditional longboat to stay in a local indigenous tribe, I was able to visit the Sarawak Cultural village. In the village there are replica buildings representing every major ethnic group in Sarawak.

So, what would I have done differently: I try never to look back at my time in a country. But I feel that there were some missed opportunities in Borneo

• I would have joined a group tour. I was able to participate in most of the opportunities but missing the Ulu Temburong National Park in Brunei and the Iban longhouse experience.

• The Indonesian side of Borneo is rugged rainforest and requires multi day hikes to get to the villages, safaris and research center. I knew in my heart I wasn't fit enough for this level of hiking, but it stings that I wasn't able to see this part of Borneo.