Wild Borneo holiday, private departure

Environment

On this trip you will explore fragile environments and ecosystems such as in the Bako National Park. Local guides will brief you on the most responsible way to travel through the landscape. Transport via boats and on foot (both low-carbon ways to go) are our travel modes of choice for a significant part of the trip, helping to minimise disruption to the land and damage to the environment.

Plastic water bottles – used by locals and visitors alike – are a massive problem to dispose of, especially in these rural areas, so we recommend that our clients purchase a water bottle with in-built water filter, and are working with a company called Pure Hydration to offer a 10% discount on their products as an incentive for our clients to support the reduction of plastic water bottle usage.

We encourage all our clients to take carbon reduction seriously and endorse Friends of Conservation’s 'Carbon Reduction Map' system, whereby you can easily calculate how much you should contribute for your flight.

The suggested donation for a return flight to Vietnam is £15 per person. *

*The suggested amounts are in line with DEFRA’s current guidelines for the cost per tonne of carbon and are based on the approximate levels of CO2 emitted on an average flight. We are very grateful to TICOS, the Travel Industry Carbon Offsetting Service, for kindly providing this information.

Community

Staying with a local Malay family is the best way to support the local community directly – cut off from the mainland Kampong Melano Homestay is a superb initiative that invites tourists into local homes, living and learning about about life in their village. Each home involved in the programme takes it in turn, and though it is still in its infancy it is a hugely rewarding experience.

Throughout your trip you employ local guides and drivers – in the Maliau Basin this also extends to a Park Ranger and Radioman that are needed as it is such a remote environment.

Our locally owned agent in Malaysia, aside from employing a large number of the local community , is also heavily involved in a number of charitable endeavours.

This includes Persatuan Yee Ran Jing Sheh (PYRJS), an independent, nonreligious, nongovernmental and non-profitable association. PYRJS is dedicated to caring for the physically and mentally handicapped adults and children by providing them with a home and an opportunity to lead a meaningful life.