The Ultimate 2-week Borneo Itinerary (Sabah)

Back in August 2023, we spent two and a half weeks exploring the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo. It quickly became one of my favourite destinations in all of Southeast Asia and I rave about it ALL THE TIME!

If you’re unfamiliar with Borneo, here’s a quick run-down about the island…

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is made up of three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Borneo sits somewhere in the middle of Southeast Asia, with Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to the north/northwest, the Philippines to the east, Singapore and Sumatra to the west and Bali, Java and Australia to the south.

Malaysian Borneo covers the top third of the island whilst Indonesian Borneo takes up the lower two thirds of the island. Brunei is nestled centrally on the north coast, surrounded by Malaysian Borneo.

Malaysian Borneo is split into two main regions: Sabah (east) and Sarawak (west). Sarawak is almost 70% larger than Sabah but the roads are not very well connected, meaning most tourists visit Sabah. Those who do visit Sarawak tend to fly from Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan in the east to Kuching in the west.

I hope that helps contextualise it a little bit! (You’ll also find a fact file at the bottom of this blog post)

Based on our experiences in Sabah in August 2023, I believe I’ve curated the perfect two-week Borneo itinerary. So, if you’re looking for an adventurous couple of weeks in one of the most underrated destinations in Southeast Asia, look no further!

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Day 1 – Kota Kinabalu

Fly into Kota Kinabalu to begin your Borneo adventure. Spend three nights here to familiarise yourself with Bornean life, food and culture. Spend day one visiting the Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu, a beautiful mosque by the sea surrounded by a lagoon, and head to Tanjung Aru beach for sunset along with all the locals. Make sure to sample some local cuisine at the night markets and enjoy this quaint and underrated Southeast Asian city.

Spend your second day in Kota Kinabalu at the Monsopiad Heritage Village, where you’ll learn about the ancient tribes of Borneo, try your hand at blow darts, sample a witchetty grub (if you dare!) and join in with a cultural dance performance. This was the highlight of our time in Kota Kinabalu so make sure if you only have one full day there to make this your priority!

Day 4 – Semporna

Take a quick 50 minute flight from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau. Now you have two options:

Option A – Three nights in Semporna ($)

This is the option we took and we had a fantastic time. We stayed in a very basic hostel but there are more comfortable places to stay in Semporna. It’s not a very touristy town, but we enjoyed eating lots of local food and spending the days on boat tours to the surrounding islands.

The first boat trip we took was a three islands tour to Timba-Timba, Mataking and Pom Pom Island. This was our first taste of tropical Borneo; I’ve never seen such turquoise water before, it was incredible! We did some snorkelling where we saw so many turtles and beautiful vibrant coral reefs that hadn’t been bleached or damaged from tourism (yet) and we enjoyed a traditional lunch on Mataking Island. It cost around £25 per person for a roughly 6 hour day trip.

The second boat trip we took was another triple island tour which took us to Bohey Dulang, Mantabuan and Sibuan. First stop was Bohey Dulang where we hiked to the top of the island (about 45 mins of sweating profusely) for the most gorgeous views we saw in all of Borneo. Next, we snorkelled at Mantabuan and Sibuan and again experienced beautiful coral reefs, tropical fish and turtles. Again, this boat trip cost around £25 per person and if I had to recommend just one, it would be this one! Both boat trips were booked through our accommodation but you can find similar tours on Klook.

However, if you’d like to step it up with a bit more luxury, why not try…

Option B – Three nights on Mabul Island ($$$)

A less budget friendly option is to spend a few nights on Mabul Island. Mabul is well known for its incredible scuba diving opportunities and offers overwater bungalows and beautiful island resorts for a more upmarket stay. Mabul sits close to the Sipadan Marine Reserve which is a heavily protected region and one of the best dive sites in the world.

To get to the island, you can take a fast boat from either Semporna or Tawau (approx. 1 hour). If you wish to dive in this area you will need to make sure you stay at a specific dive resort which includes a permit to dive in Sipadan — it is tricky to acquire permits otherwise as the number of divers is limited to 120 per day and costs MYR 350 (approx. £60) plus a conservation fee of MYR 100 (approx. £15).

Day 7 – Sandakan

Take a 6-hour bus from Semporna to Sandakan for just £8pp or a 1-hour flight from Tawau to Sandakan for £45-70pp (plus luggage fees).

Spend one night in this coastal town; walk along the Sandakan Heritage Trail to Agnes Keith’s house and enjoy an afternoon tea before heading back into town for a chicken murtabak for dinner.

Day 8 – Sepilok

Perhaps the biggest attraction in Borneo is seeing orangutans. In order to have the most immersive experience, stay in Sepilok at a jungle lodge — there are a few to choose from, all reasonably priced!

Basing yourself in Sepilok for a few nights allow you to soak up every wildlife encounter nearby. The number one spot to visit is undoubtedly the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, whose mission is to provide a safe haven for orphaned and injured orangutans in a semi-wild jungle setting. Entrance costs MYR 30 (£6 ish) which allows you access to both feeding times during the day.

Get there before 9am to see the first feeding (until 11am), eat lunch at the cafe onsite, look around the information centre and see the young orangutans playing on the training course (like a jungle gym for babies to learn motor skills!) and then return for the second feeding time at 2pm.

Please remember that it is never a guarantee to see orangutans as they come and go freely, which is why I recommend spending the full day there to increase your chances of wildlife encounters.

Other activities in Sepilok include a visit to the Sun Bear Sanctuary (across the road from the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre) where you can learn more about the rare Bornean Sun Bears and the conservation efforts at the conservation centre which cares for more than 40 rescued sun bears.

Finally, enjoy a day at Sepilok’s Rainforest Discovery Centre. This conservation centre within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve offers a rainforest sky walk, guided walks through the jungle, beautiful gardens and more.

Day 11 – Kinabatangan River Safari

If we’re talking about immersive wildlife experiences, this has to take the top spot. Book a river safari and head deep into the jungle for one of the best experiences on offer in Borneo.

We booked our 3-day, 2-night safari with River Junkie and had the best time — they also offer shorter and longer so it’s totally up to you which one you choose. I would however, say that the 3D2N safari should be the minimum you go for as you’ll have more chances to see more wildlife.

Our trip cost around £190 per person for a very basic dorm room with shared outdoor bathrooms (!) but there were private rooms available for an additional fee. The experience included four river safaris, a day walk and a night walk through the jungle. Plus three (delicious) meals per day. Great value for money but there are definitely more luxurious experiences available with other companies.

The aim of this experience is to see the Borneo Big 5: orangutan, pygmy elephant, proboscis monkey, rhinoceros hornbill and crocodile. I WISH I’d had a drone or a proper camera with a zoom lens for this because we were lucky enough to see ALL FIVE ANIMALS!!! This is super rare, especially seeing the pygmy elephant. I don’t have great photos of the hornbill or the wild orangutan we saw, so if you have a decent camera it’s well worth bringing on this trip.

Day 14 – Kota Kinabalu

Make your way back to Kota Kinabalu for one final night’s rest and recovery before heading home. You can choose drop off at Sandakan airport following the Kinabatangan river safari and fly to Kota Kinabalu (anywhere from £20-80pp for a 1-hour flight) or you can get dropped off in Sepilok and arrange an 8-hour bus back to the capital (approx. £20-25pp).

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Hopefully this itinerary gives you a good overview of Sabah — you can’t visit without experiencing the wildlife, the culture and the tropical island life. Borneo is such a mixed bag and it’s absolutely wonderful. Truly one of the best places I’ve ever travelled to.

I look forward to going back to Borneo one day to climb Mount Kinabalu, scuba dive in the paradise islands of Mabul and Sipadan and visit the less-visited Sarawak region of Malaysian Borneo. It would also be interesting to visit the Indonesian side of Borneo, which is much larger and even less visited.

What do you think? Have you visited Borneo or is it on your bucket list? Let me know in the comments!

Additional notes:

Capital of Malaysian Borneo: Kota Kinabalu

Currency: MYR – Malaysian Ringgit (roughly 5 ringgits to the pound as of November 2024)

Language: Bahasa (Malaysian)

Religion: Islam (70%), Christianity (25%), Buddhism (5%)

Human population: 3.74 million (as of July 2024)

Orangutan population: Approx. 100,000

Highest point on Borneo: Mount Kinabalu (4,095m / 13,435ft)

Best food: Murtabak (promise this is a fact not just my opinion…)

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