Borneo holiday, Sarawak highlights
Tailor made holiday
We offer a complete tailor made service allowing you to decide when you go, where to stay and what to do, to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by our travel experts. We would be happy to telephone you to discuss your requirements and options. Our staff have intimate knowledge of this destination, so do please include your telephone number when you complete the enquiry form.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Our Sarawak ground operator owns and operates a number of eco-lodges which are included in this itinerary. Accommodation has been locally built and is run and operated by local people. The main purpose of these trips is to interact and contribute to village communities and projects and understand the need to minimize any negative impact on the local environment. Our ground agents only employ native guides to accompany our clients. All food in the lodges is sourced within the region, helping the local rural communities wherever possible. Our ground agent also helps in the training of the local Iban guides, and with this training comes not only an enhanced experience for guests but also a greater knowledge within the community of their need to protect the environment for future generations to maintain their lifestyles and financial security.
Community
On this Borneo holiday, you will visit the Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Sarawak, to rehabilitate orphan orang-utans and aim to release them back to the wild. A visit to the Rehabilitation centre benefits the orang-utans in a number of ways - as the entrance fees paid to the centre goes directly to paying the staff, providing the food and the training of specialist guides to rehabilitate the orang-utans back into the wild. Donations are welcomed by the centre although not a condition of entry and we separately urge all our clients to donate a small amount for their visit.
The itinerary also includes a visit to the Iban tribe who still live in their traditional ways in Longhouse homes. You can either stay with the tribe or at a local lodge/hotel both of which directly contributes to the Iban people. Our local ground agent in Sarawak is an important supporter of this traditional community in many, many ways. It is important to them that they be part of the ongoing conservation efforts in Sarawak, of both the social and ecological environments. Since the start of the support of this community in the late 1980’s, our ground agent offers ‘soft loans’ to the community members to buy things like outboard engines as both our ground agent and the Iban people understand that tourism should not be relied on as a sole means of income. This allows the community to take responsibility for and control over their means of production.
Our ground agent also runs a scholarship scheme with the Ibanl school. They have established the ‘Along Scholarship Fund’ (named after the former headman of the longhouse) which is funded by a portion of the cost to guests of staying at the longhouse, with incentives given to the students who first attend and then excel in their studies. This is producing excellent results with the number of students completing their tertiary education far exceeding the national average.
Our Sarawak agent has helped to source funds to establish a water supply project, health care services and a community help project resulting in better drainage and a proper sanitation system. They have also provided substantial funds towards materials for the re-building of one of the longhouses.
Our agent is mindful of the ‘carrying capacity’ of the longhouse so guest numbers are capped. They also try hard to work around the schedule of the community and are sensitive to times of harvest, bereavements etc and will close visits to the longhouse if necessary.
