Things to Do in Borneo: 15 Experiences That Actually Matter

July 10, 2026

Looking out from the top of Kabulongou Waterfall across the rainforest of Sabah's interior, Borneo

Borneo is the third-largest island on Earth, shared by three countries and covered by some of the oldest rainforest in existence. You cannot do all of it. What you can do is choose experiences that are actually Bornean: the ones below are the island at its best, chosen by people who live in its interior.

1. Meet orangutans

The island's great icon. See rehabilitated apes at Sepilok in Sabah or Semenggoh in Sarawak, or hold out for the real prize: a wild orangutan nest-building at dusk along the Kinabatangan.

2. Cruise the Kinabatangan

Sabah's great wildlife river: proboscis monkeys, hornbills, crocodiles, and with luck pygmy elephants, watched from a small boat at dawn. Our Kinabatangan guide covers it properly.

3. Sleep in a longhouse

One roof, many families, and an evening of food, tapai and music you will not forget. Iban longhouses in Sarawak are famous; the Murut longhouse at Sapulot in Sabah is community-owned and part of a bigger interior journey.

4. Climb Batu Punggul

A 300-metre limestone pinnacle rising sheer from the rainforest of the Sabah interior, sacred to the Murut and climbed barehanded via roots and ledges. The summit view, and the story, are unmatched: here is the full guide.

5. Go underground

Borneo does caves at planetary scale. Mulu in Sarawak has the world's largest chamber; Niah holds ancient human history; and in Sabah's interior, Pungiton offers river caves you explore by torchlight with Murut guides, sleeping at a jungle camp by the entrance.

6. Summit Mount Kinabalu

Southeast Asia's most famous mountain: 4,095 metres, climbed over two days through cloud forest to a bare granite dawn. Book well ahead; permits are limited.

7. Swim under a waterfall

The interior is full of them, and the best have no crowds at all. Kabulongou, the tiered falls in the Sapulot area, drops into swimmable jungle pools; our Sabah waterfalls guide lists the rest.

8. Dive or snorkel Sipadan

Regularly ranked among the best dive sites on the planet: turtles beyond counting, barracuda tornadoes, wall dives into deep blue. Permits are capped daily, so plan early.

9. Ride a longboat upriver

Before roads, Borneo moved by river, and in the deep interior it still does. A longboat journey up the Sapulot river system, reading rapids with a Murut boatman, is transport and adventure in one.

10. Drink tapai properly

Rice wine from a shared ceramic jar through a bamboo straw, offered with ceremony and mischief in equal parts. The tapai ritual is Borneo hospitality distilled.

11. Walk the canopy

Rainforest life happens forty metres up. Canopy walkways at Sepilok and in Danum Valley put you at eye level with it.

12. Visit a tamu market

Sabah's weekly markets are the state's living pantry: jungle produce, smoked wild boar, sago grubs, pickled bambangan. Go hungry and curious.

13. See Danum Valley's primary forest

One hundred and thirty million years of unbroken rainforest. Costly, remote and worth it for serious wildlife watchers: this is where clouded leopard sightings happen.

14. Island-hop off Kota Kinabalu

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park's islands are twenty minutes from the city: easy snorkelling, beach afternoons and sunsets over the South China Sea to bookend a jungle trip.

15. Go where the roads end

Borneo's rarest experience is simply its deep interior, the part that never built a resort. In Murut country around Orou Sapulot and Pensiangan, travel still runs on rivers, longhouses and local knowledge, and visitors are guests rather than customers. Start there and the rest of the island makes sense.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Borneo best known for? Orangutans, ancient rainforest, the Kinabatangan river safaris, Mount Kinabalu, world-class diving at Sipadan, vast cave systems and the indigenous longhouse cultures of the interior. No other island packs this combination.

How many days do you need in Borneo? A week covers one region well, such as Sabah. Ten days to two weeks lets you combine wildlife rivers, the interior and islands without rushing. Distances are bigger than the map suggests, so fewer bases beats more.

Is Borneo good for adventure travel? Exceptional. River journeys, jungle trekking, caving, climbing and diving all exist at world level, and much of it is genuinely wild rather than staged. Guided travel is the norm outside the cities and makes remote areas practical.

Which part of Borneo is best? Sabah in Malaysian Borneo is the most rewarding single region for first-timers: orangutans, the Kinabatangan, Mount Kinabalu, islands and the Murut interior sit within one state. Sarawak adds great caves and Iban longhouse country.

Several of these experiences live in one valley: Orou Sapulot, the Murut-owned corner of Sabah's interior.