17 Offbeat Borneo Places To Visit + Itinerary: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei & Kalimantan

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One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that we found nature to be the best respite during the pandemic. But as the world opens up, the busy destinations roaring with traffic can be jarring.

Borneo for all its diverse biodiversity, unique landscapes and endemic wildlife remains hugely underrated in its own right.

Thousands of hikers often head to Mount Kinabalu or tropical coastlines in Sipadan to get their diving license — but in the rush for getting certified, and to conquer the mountain, a lot about what Borneo has to offer becomes swept aside.

If you think about it, Borneo is the world's third-largest island. Split between three countries, the Malaysian Sabah and Sarawak covers at least one quarter while the Indonesia part covers the remaining.

Brunei Darussalam smacked right in between is another spot worth discovering if you have time. Beyond the astounding wealth of its sultan, the country is actually famed for its rich rainforest which nobody has a clue about!

dipterocarp trees in borneo

I have climbed Mt. Kinabalu, seen some of the islands and recently visited Tawau National Park with an NGO (1StopBorneoWildlife) to spend a day in the forest and see the work they’re doing through an unfiltered lens!

Yet, there’s still more to experience and see in the remote jungles of these places!

Here’s an itinerary of all the great undiscovered and off the beaten path and tracks to experience in Borneo, from Sabah, Sarawak to Brunei and Kalimantan. On average you can spend 2-3 days in these places starting with Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and then Kalimantan.

If you’re short on time, I would also recommend checking out these tours on your trip to Borneo:

Also Read: Semporna + Tawau Itinerary: Island Hopping in Sabah's Borneo East Coast Islands

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. I only provide unbiased and completely honest recommendations. Read more about the site’s privacy policy.

Off The Beaten Track - Borneo Itinerary of East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), Kalimantan and Brunei

Sabah

1. Sayab Substation

There’s the mystique and appeal of Mount Kinabalu but there’s also the forgotten substations that surround Kinabalu — and Sayab substation is one of them.

Located in the district of Kota Belud and further north of the main station of Kinabalu National Park at Kundasang lies a village that is perfect to spot nocturnal critters, camp among the fallen clouds and explore hiking trails.

Lots of community-based tourism ventures begin here at Sayab substation where you get to experience local life in a Dusun village, learn about fig tree farming and how these fruit farmers make it work.

A fun fact: fig trees are considered a keystone plant because most fruit-eating species depend on them and nurturing these wild fig trees opens up opportunities for a chance to encounter wildlife animals in an ultra-exclusive way!

There are also a couple of trails such as Aura Montoria, a 2.5-mile loop trail near Kota Belud, Sabah that takes you through some hidden waterfalls and open vantage points - somewhat of a hidden gem within Kampung Sayap.

2. Gunung Alab

The gunung alab substation Pic: Theborneopost

The Gunung Alab substation has been one of those off-the-beaten path places situated in a protected forest area of the Crocker Range Park.

It is not just any hiking trail but a virgin park that boasts home to thousands of tropical wild orchid species and even has a wild orchid garden at the Gunung Alab substation.

The two-day trek with an elevation reaching up to 2,050m becomes quite a thrilling trail as you get to hike the Minduk Sirung Peak, and also spot the last remaining hills featuring the dipterocarp forest.

On your descent, the best part is experiencing the 17ft Mahua Waterfall where you can cool off and reminisce about life and wonder what else Borneo have to offer.

If you sit here long enough, you will spot a variety of butterflies including the Monster Skipper, Red Helen, Common Mormon and Blue Hedges.

3. Pulau Tiga

Tagged as ‘Survivor Island’, Pulau Tiga rose to prominence after it got featured in the popular reality TV show, Survivor.

The island is popular due to its mud volcano eruption which happened in the 1980s and caused a small chain of islets such as Pulau Kalampunian Besar and Pulau Kalampunian.

The desert island is sandwiched right between Kota Kinabalu and Labuan and attracts people who are interested to know what it feels like to be on a marooned island!

It’s a journey that requires more travelling time - you’d need to head to Kuala Penyu from Kota Kinabalu, a 120km journey that takes two hours by car. From here, catch a 40-minute ferry to Pulau Tiga.

The other option is to get a speedboat from Jesselton Point in Kota Kinabalu.

4. Kinabalu Park

You don’t have to come to Kinabalu to hike Mount Kinabalu — there’s a better way to slow down and take in or understand more about the wide range of habitats that call Kinabalu park its home.

The park is roughly the size of Singapore so there’s a wide range of vegetation zones from lowland rainforest to alpine scrub.

It is perfect for day-trippers who want to have a walk around and see the plant diversity and animal spotting in this part of Malaysia!

There are 8 nature trails to explore from birds to squirrels and pitcher plants! Some notable trails include Silau Silau Trail, Bukit Burung Trail, the Bundu Tuhan View Trail and Kiau View Trail.

You could also opt to climb Mount Kinabalu on this 2 day 1 night hiking tour with this group. If you want more chilled activities, I would recommend a private tour of Desa Dairy Farm, Kinabalu National Park, Hot Spring & Canopy Walk Tour.

5. Long Pasia

View from mount sinipung Pic: long pasia

A homestay experience is one of the best places to get to know the various ethnicities in Sabah.

The Long Pasia Homestay in Sipatang district offers an eco-tourism programme to get to know their one and only Christian community, inhabited mostly by the Lundayeh tribe. The Lundayeh tribe means upriver people and were known to be agriculturalists, hunters and fishermen who had practise livestock farming.

Interestingly, they are known as Lun Bawang in Sarawak and Brunei and Dayaks in North Kalimantan.

According to this research paper, their quality of life has changed over the years and may have lost nearly all their own traditions and many of their old crafts through pressure on them from other cultural groups.

The homestay experience offers a way to get to know the Lundayeh tribe and see the other side of the Borneo rainforest, in particular the Fefuken waterfall and rainforest.

It is the widest known waterfall in Ulu Padas and believed to have been discovered more than 100 years ago. Old folks would often wait for ‘Semah’ fish to swim upriver where they will hunt as their meals.

6. Tawau National Park

helmeted hornbills at tawau national park. Pic: shavez, 1stopborneowildlife

the former tallest dipterocarp tree at 88m

A lantern bug

Hornbills huddle on branches, black-crested gibbons echo through the jungle air and the clicks and whirrs of numerous insects surrounded us — this was my first time experiencing wildlife on this side of Borneo after spending a night at Tawau National Park, a quiet and relatively undiscovered part of Sabah.

Not many people know but Tawau is one of the best places to see wildlife upclose minus all the touristy frills in other popular areas like Danum Valley or Sukau in Kinabatangan area.

The national park has a protected rainforest and a network of trails that enable extensive exploration to the former “tallest tree trail” and opportunities to see wildlife in an intimate way.

The folks at 1StopBorneoWildlife took me on a night walk to spot various animals and insects that remain camouflaged during the day. We spotted the white-lipped frog, painted mock viper snake, giant river toad also known as frogzilla and a lantern bug.

Led by Shavez and Chun, both naturalists and conservationists, they shared with me information about the importance of the work the organisation carries out from rescue and release to various studies of Borneo mammals, birds and insects including fig work.

For those visiting, their wildlife conservation trips take you to the far reaches of the forest where you get to explore the Irrawaddy Dolphins in the rivers and bay in Tawau, and even get on a four-wheel ride looking for wild Borneo Pygmy Elephants at the plantation.

For those looking for more offbeat hiking trails, Mt Lucia and Mt Maria are both extinct volcanoes situated in Tawau National Park that can be hiked!

You could even try hiking the three mountains (Mt. Magdalena, Mt Lucia & Mt Maria) as part of the Trans-Tawau Hills Park Mountains also known as “The Three Sisters Summit Expedition”.

Volcanic tourism is yet to be recognised in Malaysia and maybe that would change as more people ditch itineraries and chase off the beaten path tracks!

7. Sabah State Railway Trips

The North Borneo Railway train is the oldest steam train in Borneo! If you’d like to relive the nostalgic romance of an old steam train in a bygone colonial era, this is a journey worth experiencing!

It runs 36 miles between Kota Kinabalu and Papar, an agricultural town, known as the rice bowl of Sabah. You get to soak in views of the paddy fields and traditional trading villages.

The North Borneo Railway runs two weekly departures (Wednesday and Saturday) and a trip runs for 4 hours.

Sarawak

8. Kapit

Surrounded by undulating hills, Kapit is home to the traditional Iban longhouses.

Iban longhouses are found in largely remote tracts of tropical rainforest, with little land access to their farms or to other longhouses. This is why every household owns a longboat, and the river is their main access point.

They used to be known as headhunters but that practice has been banned as the warfare between the local Iban and Dyak tribes eventually stopped.

The easiest way to reach Kapit is to take a 3-hour ride on these speedy long boats from the Sibu ferry terminal near Sibu Market.

What’s noteworthy of a mention is that majority of the Iban population is concentrated around the Kapit district and along the Rajang River.

9. Marudi

Situated on the northern bank of the Baram, roughly 80km from Miri lies Marudi. Since it is a bazaar town, you’re likely able to know to bump into members of different ethnic groups.

The best way to experience the town is honestly cycling through it from one longhouse to another longhouse. The conservationists at 1StopBorneoWildlife offer cycling tours that take you through the town’s main attraction, Fort House, a former fort now museum named after Marudi’s most famous naturalist and ethnographer Charles Hose.

You will also learn about the three different species of pitcher plant that can be found here, and the different variations of birds species.

10. Ba’kelalan Owl House

The Ba’kelalan is home to the indigenous Lun Bawang people, an ethnic group in Borneo. These are not just any homestays but this homestay family stays up to 3000 ft up within the Maligan Highlands, which is typically known as the Kelabit Highlands.

The place in particular, Ba’kelalan Owl House is perfect for nature lovers who enjoy learning about the birds, the various pitcher plants and tasting a bit of Maureen’s homemade pumpkin pies, onde-onde and pulut panggang.

The owners Andy and his Lun Bawang wife, Maureen in their quaint little home set in a picturesque setting are great in introducing you to their way of life on this side of Sarawak!

You may get to see and experience their local dances which embody the infamous Hornbill dance accompanied by a Sape instrument.

One of the megalith sites in Sarawak can be found in a forest near Ba' Kelalan. There lies Batu Angan which is a set of four stones.

11. Usun Apau

The usun atau plateau Pic: The borneo post

The Usun Apau plateau is a remote volcanic plateau located at the head- waters of the Rajang and Baram rivers deep in the Borneo highlands.

According to a lot of sources, it is remote, beautiful and pristine, virtually untouched but can still be accessed if you’re in need of some adventure in Sarawak!

There are some steep slopes that forms the bedrock of these waterfalls. According to waterfalls of Malaysia, on the north side of the plateau is the Julan river and one of its tributaries form the Julan falls, before joining the Baram river.

The best way to visit this is to hire a local guide from Miri where they take you to the base of Western Julan Waterfall and the plateau before taking you to the farmhouse.

12. Tanjung Datu National Park

tanjung datu national park. Pic by sarawak tourism board

Perhaps one of the most remote and underrated National Park that nobody knows about is Tanjung Datu National Park. This is the only national park where the forest meets the sea.

Small in size at just under 14 sq km but rich in abundance, the Tanjung Datu National Park is called ‘Heaven of Borneo’ due to its rugged mountains and clear turquoise sea.

The tall dipterocarp forest reaches almost to the water’s edge in some places, but beyond that it is fascinating to see how patches of coral grow close to the shore.

This seclusion has helped to preserve a wide range of unusual plant species, including the night-blooming Putat tree and purple-flowered Sea Morning Glory.

There are also four short walking trails if you like a mix of rainforest and beach scenery.

Brunei

13. Tasek Merimbun

An hour’s drive from Bandar Seri Begawan, Tasek Merimbun is the largest natural lake all of Brunei Darussalam, and is designated as one of ASEAN's Heritage Parks.

There’s more to it: its diverse range of flora and fauna makes for an exciting trip for adventurous wildlife enthusiasts. Many birdwatchers come here to catch sightings of various exotic birds.

Although there are some parts that need to be upgraded, there has been a joint effort to spruce up the bridge to Pulau Jelundong and the surrounding areas.

14. Teraja Waterfalls

teraja waterfalls Pic: Brunei tourism

There are over 40 waterfalls spread across the hilly terrain of Teraja. It takes about 2.5 hours to explore one of Brunei’s pristine rainforests.

There are local iban guides available that take you along these treks past banana and jackfruit trees planted by them.

The waterfall is in one of Brunei’s greatest biodiversity centers, with newly-discovered species of frogs, roaming bands of large mammals like the Bornean Gibbon and slow loris and over 200 species of butterflies and spiders.

If you have more time, I would also recommend exploring Brunei’s cuisine — for its small size there’s a lot of flavour-rich foods worth trying.

Kalimantan

15. Maratua Islands

If you thought the islands off Sipadan were remote, the ones in East Kalimantan are way under the radar featuring pristine blue waters.

Located in the Derawan Archipelago, off the north coast of East Kalimantan, Maratua islands use to be famous among Chinese tourists who chartered flights from China to Tarakan.

The pandemic may have changed that. The Derawan Island chain includes the islands of Derawan, Sangalaki, Maratua and Kakaban, and is home to one of the world's only saltwater lake and largest green turtle nesting sites in Indonesia.

Known for their Coral Triangle, you will find rich underwater landcapes with tons of dive spots across the islands featuring over 20 of them.

16. Karimata Island

If you truly enjoy going off the beaten path, Karimata island is an interesting place to explore. Dutch explorers and biologists have visited these islands number of times as it was often classified as a nature reserve.

There is no infrastructure for tourists at this area although there may be rumours of doing so once East Kalimantan becomes the new capital of Jakarta.

There are some mangrove, tropical forest and underwater ecosystems that the islands were designated as a marine reserve back in 1995.

A lot of the islands rely on local ferries, fishing boats or the mobile health centre boat to visit these places. If you don’t mind camping out, and truly having the whole place to yourself then this could be an adventure.

17. Kutai National Park

at kutai national park Pic: orangutan.com

If you want to see orangutans in a less touristy development, the Kutai National Park offers tours to see them upclose compared to the ones in Sabah.

Over at the Malaysian side, the most common ones are the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Kinabatangan wildlife sanctuary.

But the Kutai National Park is a different experience. The park offers valuable sanctuary to 10 species of primates, including the orangutan, maroon leaf monkey, white-fronted leaf monkey, hose’s leaf monkey, proboscis monkey and Bornean gibbon.

The stays are a bit more rustic at the Prevab lodge but it can be organised with the organised tour that you’re doing with one of the park rangers.

Recommend Tours in Borneo

  • 1StopBorneoWildlife: If you are looking for conservation tourism trips in Borneo, 1StopBorneoWildlife comes in highly recommended for all kinds of education and awareness when it comes to the tropical rainforests and animals in Borneo.

  • Private Full Day Sepilok Orang Utan, Bornean Sun Bear and Rainforest Discovery Center Tour: You get to visit three conservation centres in the area to learn how local people are fighting to preserve Borneo’s natural environment and return native fauna to their natural habitats.

  • Proboscis Monkey and Fireflies River Cruise: Cruise through the mangrove forests near Kota Kinabalu on this evening excursion in search of local wildlife

    Have you been to any of these places or other underrated parts in Borneo? Share it with me in the comments below.