Sarawak & Sabah highlights holiday, Borneo

Planet

By working with local partners and spending time in villages and protected areas, the itinerary provides opportunities for visitors to experience Borneo beyond the main tourist centres, while ensuring that tourism contributes directly to the local economy.

Wildlife & Conservation
Borneo's forests and rivers support an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys and many other species. The itinerary includes time in key conservation landscapes such as the Kinabatangan River and Danum Valley, where tourism helps support the wider network of conservation and research initiatives operating in these areas.

Visits and activities are arranged through established local operators and conservation partners, with a strong emphasis on responsible wildlife viewing and respecting the habitats in which these species live. Where appropriate, guests also have the opportunity to learn about ongoing research, habitat protection and community-based conservation initiatives.

Local Communities
A central part of the Best of Borneo experience is meeting and spending time with local communities. Our local partners employ Bornean guides and staff and work with locally owned businesses, accommodation providers and transport operators. This helps ensure that a greater proportion of tourism expenditure remains within the destination.

The itinerary also introduces guests to the cultural diversity of Sabah and Sarawak, including traditional communities and villages, providing an opportunity to learn about local customs, food, livelihoods and the changing relationship between communities and the surrounding forests.

Supporting Sustainable Tourism
Where possible, the itinerary uses locally operated accommodation, guides and excursions and follows the responsible-travel practices of our local partners. In sensitive wildlife and forest environments, activities are conducted in accordance with local regulations and established guidelines, helping to minimise disturbance to wildlife and natural habitats.

Our aim is not simply to take visitors to Borneo's most spectacular places, but to ensure that travel contributes positively to the people, places and conservation efforts that make the region so special.

People

Campaigning for change: Lobbying local politicians to fix bridges in rural communities where people need to access farms or use them to get to school.
Promoting local tourism initiatives such as the Linunkit cultural village and the Batu Putih community ecotourism project.

A fair deal: Our guides are sourced from the communities of the places that we visit, we provide training and support ongoing professional development, all our staff are encouraged to take a course per year which we fund.

Local crafts and culture: To support the local communities, we sleep and eat in locally-run establishments where possible, and interact sensibly with locals as we believe in positive cultural exchanges so as not to change their lives – this means trade not aid.

We will ensure that:
- We pay a fair income for all locally employed staff
- Use local equipment and vehicles when we can
- We purchase food from locally sourced providers
- Use locally owned and run accommodation where possible
- Discourage local begging and giving of cash gifts
- Employ local agents therefore ensuring income is kept in country whenever possible
- Encourage maximum communications between locals and participants to encourage mutual understanding and respect between cultures