From its ancient rainforests to its vibrant cities, Borneo offers adventure, nature and culture in epic proportions.
Words Rosamund Brennan
From its ancient rainforests to its vibrant cities, Borneo offers adventure, nature and culture in epic proportions.
Words Rosamund Brennan
Twice as ancient as the Amazon
...the lowlands of Sabah, Borneo cradle one of the planet’s most biodiverse rainforests.
Rosamund Brennan gets up close with its majestic wildlife, and discovers the laidback cool of Kota Kinabalu, its spirited capital.
King of the mf'ing jungle.
As we approach Sukau by boat, the air is thick with humidity, and alive with the sharp, raucous cries of tropical birds. Gliding along the Kinabatangan River, glimpses of vibrant, otherworldly life flicker past. Towering mangroves anchor themselves in blackened waters, orange-red beaked hornbills flit overhead, and colossal dipterocarp trees jostle for space in the canopy.
This guy's hairpiece takes the cake.
Around a bend, a wooden jetty emerges from the riverbank. As we draw closer, an entourage of six are waving eagerly, as the deep echo of a Bornean gong marks our arrival. At first, it seems a little too ceremonious for such an off-grid setting — but as we’re about to discover, this is no ordinary destination.
It's a jungle cruise.
Sukau Rainforest Lodge is the place to be.
"Okay everyone, umbrella's out".
We’ve arrived at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, an eco-lodge in the vast jungle of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Clasping the banks of the Lower Kinabatagan River, the lodge sits within an ecologically rich zone, home to thousands of endemic species, like the Bornean orangutan and pygmy elephant.
Home for the next few nights.
Dating back 140 million years—making the Borneo Lowland Rainforest the second oldest rainforest in the world—this hallowed stretch has long been a haven for scientists and researchers. Sir David Attenborough, who once stayed at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, called the Bornean jungle “one of the world’s richest treasure houses”.
With its central boardwalk weaving through the forest, connecting its 40 eco-cabins, the lodge offers complete immersion in nature, set to a cacophony of birdsong and cicadas. Guests are privy to the lodge’s renowned wildlife safari tours, led by its team of naturalists, departing daily at dawn, afternoon and evening.
Nice flex, Mother Nature.
After checking in, we jump on an afternoon river cruise with our guide, Jumaidi Bin Amil Hassan, who takes us in search of the Borneo “big five”: orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, saltwater crocodiles and rhinoceros hornbills.
The morning haze has cleared, and it’s not long before the eagle-eyed Jumaidi spots one of the elusive five: a proboscis monkey perched on a branch in the tree canopy, its bulbous nose unmistakable against the blue sky. “We call them the Superman of the jungle,” Jumaidi says as the monkey leaps kamikaze-style through the air, catching a branch below.
When you're tiny, but you're still the boss of the swamp.
Just hanging out...literally.
"Work those angles".
The WI-FI may be spotty, but we bet the views are unreal from up there.
We soon arrive at a fork, where the river branches right, and another tour group calls for our attention. “Elephants! Down that way,” they cry. Jumaidi speeds through the grassy inlet at a relentless pace and, before long, our chase is rewarded. Just metres away are two male Borneo pygmy elephants, trunks entwined, tousling and playing on the riverbank. “They’re having a bachelor party,” Jumaidi jokes.
Pygmy elephants are endangered, with just 1,500 left in the wild, so seeing them up close was a genuine—if not slightly sobering— thrill. The Borneo rainforest has lost 30-50% of its area since the 1970s, threatening its endemic species. The Sukau Rainforest Lodge helps conserve the region, with each guest's stay supporting environmental projects through its non-profit, BEST Society.
Someone's a little thirsty.
Dating back 140 million years—making it the second oldest rainforest in the world—this hallowed stretch has long been a haven for scientists and researchers.
On the way back down the inlet, we encounter a gathering of tour boats crowded around a tree. We crane our necks, and there it is… in what is possibly the most exhilarating sighting of the day, we see a mother and baby orangutan snoozing in their nest in the treetops.
“Now that is very rare, you are lucky!,” Jumaidi says. Borneo orangutans are critically endangered, with their population dwindling to below 15,000 in the wild. “The orangutan is our king of the jungle.”
Those eyes say it all.
The next day we depart for Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah. On the flight back, the mighty Kinabatangan River is like a shimmering ribbon rippling through Borneo’s vast green lung.
“We are a bit different here on the east coast,” Jumaidi said to me a few days earlier. “West coast is more city; east coast is more nature.” It was a theory we were going to test in Kota Kinabalu (KK, to locals), known for its fiery red sunsets, seafood markets, stunning seaside resorts and mix of high and low-end dining.
Friendliness is universal.
Hospitality, Borneo-style.
“We don’t call ourselves Malay, we call ourselves native,” our guide Del Hady explains, referring to the 30 Indigenous ethnic groups across Sabah, contributing to its diverse culture and traditions.
Across KK, I spot “the land below the wind” plastered on billboards and tourism brochures. But it’s much more than a slogan. The term was coined by the American author Agnes Keith in her 1939 memoir about the decade she spent in Sabah, and today, it symbolises the region’s serene beauty, friendly locals and calm weather. After spending a few days here, its resonance is clear.
To kick off our exploration, we visit the Gaya Street Market, a bustling Sunday street fair with colourful stalls selling handmade jewellery, batik clothing, indigenous crafts, fresh tropical fruits, aromatic spices, and local delicacies like satay and kuih.
The food's so fresh, we might just move here.
Sometimes, the real treasure is the people you meet along the way.
The busiest spot in town.
“We don’t call ourselves Malay, we call ourselves native,” our guide Del Hady explains, referring to the 30 Indigenous ethnic groups across Sabah, contributing to its diverse culture and traditions, as seen at the market. Del comes from the Bajow tribe, known as the “cowboys of the east”.
Adventure level: wet & wild.
As the sun sets, Del takes us to Tanjung Arung Bay, where we grab some stand-up paddle boards and glide across the cool, calm waters bathed in golden light. As we float further out to sea, a soft tropical rain begins to fall. Surrounded by the soft contours of mountains, the scene feels almost surreal, as if sketched in delicate graphite.
As Jumaidi said, west Sabah may be more “city” than the east, but here, in the land below the wind, wild, luscious nature is never far. It’s a constant, calming, regenerating presence.
get in the know Borneo is home to the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia Arnoldii. It's super pretty but it also smells like rotting corpses.
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