Borneo Tours & Trips
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Table of contents
The best Borneo tour packages
Compiled by
MelissaBorneo travel expert at TourRadar
Journeys: Best of Borneo National Geographic Journeys
4 Reviews by TourRadar travelers“Great trip - loads of beautiful nature with like minded people. Great explanations, information and discussion.”
Rhonda, traveled in October 2019
The vast cave networks of UNESCO-listed Gunung Mulu house millions of bats emerging from Deer Cave. Wildlife viewing along Kinabatangan River pairs with orangutan observation at Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre. Jungle lodges at Kampung Bilit and Tabin Wildlife Reserve offer prime wildlife watching locations.
Duration 12 days Destinations Kuching, Gunung Mulu National Park, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Sukau, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary Age Range up to 99 year olds Operator National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures From
- US$4,249
Sandakan Orangutan Experience 4D/3N
7 Reviews by TourRadar travelers“Insightful, knowledgeable and attentive, Elod made the experience all the more better. We had an excellent time and made memories that lasted a lifetime.”
Mandy, traveled in June 2019
Borneo's biodiversity comes alive at Sepilok Orangutan Centre and sun bear sanctuary. Bilit Adventure Lodge provides a riverside base for Kinabatangan's wildlife cruises. The trip features jungle treks, canopy walks, and visits to Sandakan's War Memorial Park.
Duration 4 days Destinations Sandakan Age Range up to 99 year olds Operator Bamba Travel From $676
10% Off- US$608You save $67
Natural wonders and cultural heritage blend over 6 days for around $1,300. Orangutans roam freely at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, while Iban tribes welcome visitors at Mengkak Longhouse. The Waterfront Hotel serves as base for Sarawak's diverse attractions.
Duration 6 days Destinations Kuching, Batang Ai National Park Age Range 1 to 85 year olds Operator Odynovo From
10% Off- US$1,324
Borneo Wildlife Highlights
9 Reviews by TourRadar travelers“Great places to stay. Animals and birds to see, helped by superb leader / guides.”
Tim, traveled in October 2023
Remarkable wildlife encounters await at Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary, along Kinabatangan River, and throughout Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Comfortable lodges including Tabin Wildlife Resort provide perfect bases for spotting endemic species during guided night walks and river safaris.
Duration 15 days Destinations Kota Kinabalu, Mount Kinabalu National Park, Poring, Sepilok Age Range 16 to 85 year olds Operator Explore! From
10% Off- US$6,020
Borneo & the Malaysian Peninsula
2 Reviews by TourRadar travelers“Great sights, great food, and cultural immersion in distinct cities make for an unforgettable experience.”
Philip, traveled in April 2023
Wildlife viewing peaks at Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and along Kinabatangan River, home to pygmy elephants. Borneo Sepilok Rainforest Resort and Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort host guests for dawn cruises and night walks.
Duration 14 days Destinations Sepilok, Sandakan, Sukau, Pulau Langkawi Age Range 16 to 80 year olds Operator Exodus Adventure Travels From
10% Off- US$3,450
What people love about Borneo Tours
- Journeys: Best of Borneo National Geographic Journeys
Great trip - loads of beautiful nature with like minded people - great explanations, information and discussion.
Elod was an amazing guide who was clearly focussed on making our time in Borneo the best adventure experience. Insightful, knowledgeable and attentive, Elod made the experience all the more better. We had an excellent time and made memories that lasted a lifetime. The Sepilok lodge was basic accommodation in need of an upgrade. The Bilit Adventure Lodge was much better with staff who were friendly and helpful. Overall a fantastic trip. Thank you
Sandakan Orangutan Experience 4D/3N
- Borneo & the Malaysian Peninsula
The tour was fantabulous! Great sights, great food, excellent tour guides are ingredients for an unforgettable experience. Close encounters with wildlife in the primeval forest of Borneo as well as the mangrove forest in Langkawi are second to none; the boat rides with the help of local guides make for a thrilling adventure. Complementing the awesome nature discovery is the cultural immersion in the distinct cities of Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown and Langkawi. A candid preview of Malaysia at its awesome best in two weeks! It is hands-down one of the best uses of one's time, energy, money.
Travel Borneo your way
Our Borneo wildlife tours really deliver on close-up animal encounters. There's a fantastic route that takes you through Kiulu's quiet countryside and up to the northern beaches, with some excellent guided walks in Kinabalu National Park - you'll spot plants that don't grow anywhere else in the world. Many of our travelers love combining a Kinabatangan River cruise with time at Sepilok Orangutan Centre, where you get remarkably close to orangutans learning how to survive in the wild. The full explorer packages include both Bako and Mulu National Parks, perfect for watching proboscis monkeys in their natural home and seeing millions of bats fly out of Deer Cave at sunset - our customers often tell us this moment stays with them forever.
See all Explorer toursSelect from our extensive range of 44 fully guided tours to enjoy a worry-free experience through Borneo with our expert guides leading the way.
See all Fully Guided tours
Top operators in Borneo
Looking at the main tour operators in Borneo, Intrepid Travel comes out particularly strong with their family tours. Our travelers consistently mention their guide Sheila, who brings deep local knowledge and keeps everything running smoothly. The Borneo Family Comfort tour seems to hit all the right notes for both parents and kids. Exodus Travels delivers solid experiences too, especially on their Wildlife Discoverer program where guide Lee gets lots of praise for sharing detailed insights about Borneo's ecosystems and wildlife. That said, a few of our customers noted some hiccups with local partners and occasional schedule changes that weren't communicated well. Bamba Experience sits somewhere in the middle - their guide Nostalia earns good marks for knowing her stuff and crafting interesting routes. But we've heard from several travelers about communication gaps, rooms that didn't quite match expectations and guides that varied quite a bit in quality from trip to trip. For better odds of a smooth trip, I'd lean toward Intrepid or Exodus as your main options. They've built up reliable local networks over the years, and their guides really understand how to adapt the pace and content for different groups. Just keep in mind that even with these operators, Borneo's remote nature means some flexibility is good to have when plans need adjusting.
- 4.5 (280 reviews)
"Two comments 1. To add the Urang Hutan reservation in Kuching to the itinerary 2. The hotel in Bilit was not up to par, so if there are other options, it is worthwhile to check
- Tours
- 1 tours
- Age range
- 12 to 99 years old
- Adventure type
- Active
- Response time
- 2h
- Response rate
- 96%
- Average price
- $449
- 4.0 (1,716 reviews)
"We were really looking forward to this trip , and it didn’t disappoint. From start to finish we had the best time . The orangutans were amazing as well as everything else we saw . Our guide Sevi was so knowledgeable, we enjoyed talking with him. Our guide on the river tour was Leo and again, a lovely guy, friendly and knowledgeable too. Overall we are pleased we did the trips .. Deb and Brett
- Tours
- 2 tours
- Age range
- 10 to 99 years old
- Adventure type
- Wildlife
- Response time
- 12h
- Response rate
- 100%
- Average price
- $355
- 5.0 (393 reviews)
- Tours
- 2 tours
- Age range
- 2 to 85 years old
- Adventure type
- In-depth Cultural
- Response time
- 12h
- Response rate
- 100%
- Average price
- $479
Best places to start your Borneo tour
Most people kick off their Borneo trip from Kota Kinabalu - we've launched 23 tours from there lately, while Kuching saw 18 departures and Kuala Lumpur handled another 6 tours. We've learned that booking around 51 days ahead works really well; it gives you time to lock in good dates and grab spots at the better wildlife lodges and homestays. Our travelers consistently tell us that morning river cruises give you the best shots at seeing wildlife, though evening tours are great for spotting nocturnal creatures. If you want to really get to know Borneo, think about exploring both Sabah, Sarawak and also both regions - our guests find that 10-14 days hits the sweet spot for seeing everything from orangutan sanctuaries to traditional longhouses.
Borneo tours for every type of group
Who are you traveling with?
Group
43 tours in BorneoExplore a wide diversity of group tours through Borneo. We have 43 adventures that vary from 3 days to 20 days. With the greatest number of departures in April, this is also the most popular time of the year.
Small Group
19 tours in BorneoVisit Borneo with fewer travelers, ensuring more immersive activities.
Private / Personalized
11 tours in BorneoFor those seeking a more tailored experience, our private Borneo tours offer maximum flexibility. These customizable itineraries often start in Kota Kinabalu with guided treks through Kinabalu National Park before heading to Sepilok's orangutan sanctuary. Many include extended stays in the Danum Valley, where private guides help track wildlife through pristine rainforest. Our travelers appreciate the freedom to adjust daily activities - whether that's extra time photographing hornbills from canopy walkways or additional river cruises when wildlife spotting is particularly good. These tours typically finish with a few days at luxury beach resorts near the Rasa Ria Reserve, perfect for combining jungle adventures with coastal relaxation.
Top Borneo travel itineraries to fit your plans
Seven days gives you time to really get to know Borneo's different sides. We start in Kota Kinabalu, where you'll snorkel at Sapi Island and explore the forests of Gaya Island before heading to Kinabalu Park and the welcome warmth of Poring Hot Springs. The journey then takes you east to meet the orangutans at Sepilok and the rescued bears at the Bornean Sun Bear sanctuary. One route our travelers particularly love takes you cycling through the Headhunter's Heartland - you'll pedal past longhouses where families still live traditionally, cross rivers by sampan and explore Maludam Park by boat. The local guides make these trips come alive; they know just where to spot wildlife and share stories about growing up in these communities.
Don't miss out on visiting:
Kuching, Bako National Park
Our 10-day tours let you sink into Borneo's natural rhythms properly. You'll start in Sandakan - try the seafood market for dinner - before exploring several key wildlife spots including Sepilok and the massive limestone chambers of Gomantong Cave. The heart of the trip is several nights along the Kinabatangan River, with morning and afternoon cruises when the animals are most active. You get proper time at each stop - enough to trek different trails near Bilit, visit local villages and take night walks to spot sleeping birds, active civets and also gliding colugos. The final days on Manukan Island mix snorkeling with sea turtles and quiet time on white sand beaches.
Don't miss out on visiting:
Kota Kinabalu, Poring, Mount Kinabalu National Park, Kundasang, Ranau, Sandakan, Sepilok, Sukau
See all tours
Two weeks lets you combine Malaysian Borneo with the highlights of the peninsula. Most travelers start at Sepilok, spending quality time with the orangutans and exploring the Kinabatangan River before flying to Kuala Lumpur. From there you'll walk the historic lanes of Malacca, eat your way through KL's food neighborhoods and discover Georgetown's mix of cultures in Penang. After all that jungle time, Langkawi's beaches make for a perfect ending. Some people prefer to stay entirely in Borneo - we can arrange tours that combine Kota Kinabalu's islands with extended time at Sukau Rainforest Lodge and visits to remote turtle islands, which works really well for wildlife photographers and nature enthusiasts wanting maximum rainforest time.
Don't miss out on visiting:
Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Pulau Selangan, Kuala Lumpur
See all toursDemographics
Solo travelers have great options for exploring Borneo's highlights while meeting like-minded people. The most popular solo tours combine time in Sepilok's orangutan sanctuary with river cruises along the Kinabatangan, where shared wildlife viewing creates natural conversation starters. Many include guided walks through Kinabalu National Park and visits to the Batu Caves - our solo travelers often mention how the small group size lets them really connect with their guide and learn about local culture. Several itineraries extend into Peninsula Malaysia, taking in Malacca's colonial streets, Kuala Lumpur's food markets and also Langkawi's tropical beaches. The best solo tours include a mix of organized activities and free time, letting you explore at your own pace while having built-in companionship for meals and excursions.
The private wildlife tours along the Kinabatangan blend river safaris with guided jungle treks, giving young travelers direct encounters with Borneo's diverse wildlife. Our groups cycle through rural backroads past longhouses and rubber plantations, making their way to heritage sites like Fort Lily. More challenging routes take you across the Crocker Range to Dusun villages, where locals share their traditional cooking methods and coffee production. Dawn and dusk river cruises navigate small tributaries like the Menanggul River, which is perfect for spotting orangutans, pygmy elephants and also proboscis monkeys in their natural habitat. The night walks reveal glowing fireflies and secretive nocturnal wildlife, while stays in traditional longhouses provide genuine community connections. Many of our younger travelers opt for packages that combine Sepilok's orangutan sanctuary with private river cruises, enhanced by guided walks through Tabin Wildlife Reserve and also visits to the Sun Bear centre.
Borneo offers excellent senior-friendly tours where you can watch wildlife in comfort and move at an unhurried pace. The Sepilok Orangutan Centre welcomes visitors for morning and afternoon sessions, letting you observe these fascinating primates from well-designed viewing areas. River cruises along the Kinabatangan prove particularly popular, as you'll spot proboscis monkeys, hornbills, wild orangutans and other creatures right from your boat seat. Walking tours through Kinabalu National Park include thoughtful rest stops, and our naturalist guides are known for adapting the pace to match each group's preferences. Many travelers enjoy the cultural dimension too, with trips to Dusun villages for cooking lessons and family visits. The lodges in Danum Valley get top marks from our guests, offering elevated walkways for easy wildlife viewing, excellent amenities and a solid base for exploration. Most successful itineraries spend 2-3 nights at each spot, which cuts down on constant moving while giving you proper time to experience Borneo's wildlife, culture and natural spaces.
Families looking to explore Borneo will find some excellent options focused on wildlife and cultural experiences. The top-rated family tours include visits to the Sepilok Orangutan Centre, where kids get amazingly close views of young orangutans learning to climb at the nursery. Many tours incorporate stays near Kinabatangan River - our travelers with children particularly love the morning river cruises when you can spot proboscis monkeys swinging through trees while hornbills soar overhead. Several itineraries include time in Dusun villages where families learn to cook local dishes like linopot and see how coffee is produced. The best family tours balance wildlife viewing with fun activities like snorkeling at Dinawan Island, where marine biologists teach kids about coral reef ecosystems and conservation.
Solo Travelers39 tours All tours for Solo Travelers- Couples11 tours
- Young Adults (18 - 39)5 tours All tours for Young Adults
- Seniors (50+)18 tours All tours for Seniors
Best time to visit Borneo
- Spring 2025
Spring tours in Borneo mix nature and culture in really practical ways. Most trips start with some nice treks in Kinabalu National Park before heading over to Sepilok and the Kinabatangan area. The spring weather works perfectly for doing river safaris in the morning and rainforest walks later in the day - our guests love seeing wildlife from both angles. If you've got more time, the Sarawak tours are worth considering; you'll explore Santubong Peninsula's mangroves and join some pretty interesting night walks in Kubah National Park. The Bidayuh village stays add a genuine cultural element that fits naturally with all the nature experiences.
- 26 tours
- popular 33 tours
- 31 tours
- Summer 2025
In summer, you get longer daylight hours which really helps with spotting wildlife. Our most popular trips combine Sepilok Orangutan Centre visits with several days along the Kinabatangan River, and travelers consistently tell us they see lots of wild orangutans and pygmy elephants. For active types, we've got guided walks through Tabin Wildlife Reserve and visits to the Sun Bear centre. Summer's perfect for our bigger tours covering both Sabah and Sarawak - you'll stay in a mix of comfy lodges and traditional longhouses while hitting all the main spots. Many people like finishing up on Langkawi or Borneo's beaches, which makes sense after all that wildlife watching.
- popular 33 tours
- 32 tours
- 30 tours
- Fall / Autumn 2025
Autumn brings some nice conditions for exploring Borneo's different environments. The Kinabatangan River tours work really well because lower water levels mean more animals gather near the riverbanks - it's pretty normal for our travelers to spot several orangutan families during just one river cruise. Longer tours include both Sepilok and Semenggoh sanctuaries, giving you two different ways to learn about orangutan conservation. Our trekking tours in autumn combine walks in Kinabalu Park with visits to local villages and tea plantations, which active travelers really enjoy. Photographers particularly like this time of year; the morning light along the river is perfect for getting good shots of proboscis monkeys, hornbills and also other wildlife.
- popular 32 tours
- 31 tours
- 19 tours
- Winter 2025 / 2026
The winter river tours in Borneo really shine when water levels are just right. Our travelers love combining time at Sepilok's orangutan sanctuary with cruises on the Kinabatangan River - it's pretty common to spot wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys and also crocodiles right from the boat. For those wanting more, we've got tours that take you through Bako National Park's trails and into the massive Mulu caves, where the evening bat exodus looks extra special in the crisp winter air. If you're into photography, you'll get plenty of chances to capture hornbills, macaques and also gibbons in their natural habitat. Many guests tell us they didn't expect the traditional longhouse stays to be such a highlight of their wildlife trip, but they often end up being a favorite part.
- popular 22 tours
- December 2025 17 tours
Contact our Borneo travel experts
Kristina
Expert in Borneo at TourRadar
Kristina is one of our seasoned Borneo Travel Experts. Reach out to us to get all your questions about Borneo tours answered!
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