Welcome & Enjoy Cheap Holidays to Borneo
Borneo 10 nights from Ł699

Cheap holidays to Borneo
Explore Borneo rainforest at Danum Valley, 83km drive from Lahad Datu on the edge of 438 sq. km of undisturbed lowland rainforest. Stay at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, home to the full range of Sabah's lowland fauna, including the rare Sumatran Rhinoceros, Elephants, Clouded Leopards, and Orang Utans. So far some 275 species of birds have been recorded in the area. Explore nature trail, nearby river and view some of the nocturnal animals.

Introducing Borneo
Borneo comprised the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, the sultanate country of Brunei Darussalam, and the Indonesian province of Kalimantan. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and its rainforest and eco-system is widely acknowledged to be one of the oldest in the world. It is an exotic place blessed with a huge variety of flora and fauna as well as plentiful scenic natural beauties. Borneo is definitely the eco-tourism, adventure, and nature wonder destination of the new millennium.

Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) is the place to explore. This world’s third largest island covering the area of 747,000 square kilometer and covered by one of the world’s largest stretches of tropical rain forest through which flows tremendous mighty rivers which are the island’s highway. Talking about Borneo (Kalimantan) means talking about the ingedious Dayak tribe and the thick rainforest. Rivers are the main transportation arteries in this island since Kalimantan is crisscrossed by giant rivers, including the Mahakam, the Kayan, the Barito, the Sampit, and the huge Kapuas. The island is rich with many fascinating and endemic wildlife; the orangutans, probosics monkeys, gibbons and species of monkeys, Argus pheasants, snakes including the three species of flying snakes, sun bears, 600 hundred species of birds.

The exotic plants includes the rare black orchids, carnivrous pitcher plants, 70 meter trees including the hardest wood in the rain forest “Iron Wood” and many more. Trekking to the deepest jungle, the heart of Borneo (Kalimantan) and crossing the island from West coast to East coast is one of the challenging adventure. Some rockly mountains and rivers are also promising to be explore by climbers and rafters.

Sabah in Brief
Sabah is popularly call the Land Below the Wind. It was once known as North Borneo, under the British colony rule from the late 19th century to early 20th century.

It changed its name to Sabah after gaining independence through Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Sabah is the second largest State in Malaysia behind Sarawak. With a land mass of 76,115 square kilometers and a population of about 2.9 million, Sabah is home to the highest mountain in Southeast Asia — the majestic Mount Kinabalu — which stands at 4,093 metres.

Sabah Tourism
Blessed with scenic views, an abundance of flora and fauna and cultural resources of multi-ethnic groups, Sabah’s touristic assets have boost the expansion of the State’s tourism industry. The "Land Below the Wind", a name appropriately given to the State as Sabah

lies below the typhoon belt of East Asia, is beginning to carve a name for herself as one of the premier tourist destination in the region. The world famous ecology professor, author, and documentary producer, Ralph Bellamy, has recently called Sabah, the "Nature Hollywood" of the world. Sabah is home to a host of invaluable touristic wonders such as the highest mountain in South East Asia, and the world's only mushroom-shaped island-diving destination.

Sabah’s Economy in Brief
Traditionally, Sabah’s economy has been predominantly export-oriented and dominated largely by primary commodities such as agriculture, forestry and petroleum. Rubber and copra were the principal export commodities in the 1950s but after 1960, timber emerged as the main thrust of economic growth in the State. By the 1980s, crude petroleum surpassed timber as the most important export item in terms of revenue. However, in the wake of dwindling natural resources, the State has in recent years, adopted aggressive development strategies to transform its economy into a more diversified, knowledge-driven and industrial-based. Manufacturing and services have been heralded as the new growth sectors for Sabah and the creation of high value-added and knowledge-intensive industries is the current emphasis of the State government.

Sabah’s economic development has performed credibly in the last decade attributed by the expansion in exports particularly of saw logs and crude petroleum as well as the dynamic investment from both the government and private sectors. Real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by an average rate of slightly below 6.0 percent during the period 1985-1994. In 1995, real growth is estimated to reach 6.3 percent spearheaded by manufacturing, agriculture and tourism.

Natural Resources and Crops
Sabah’s abundance natural resource endowments is the State’s distinctive comparative advantage. Although these natural resources are fast depleting in recent times, they still have a major role in shaping the State’s economy. For example, forestry and mining comprised more than 20.0 percent of Sabah’s total real GDP in 1994.

Export of timber (in the form of saw logs) was banned by the State government in 1994 in part due to the shortage of raw materials in the wood processing industry such as sawn timber, plywood and veneer. The wood processing industry has grown substantially over the years and has been the main reason behind the expansion of the State’s manufacturing sector. Oil palm is the most important estate crop in Sabah. It was first introduced to the State in the early 1960s and in the last three decades, the oil palm industry has contributed significantly to the State’s economy.

Sarawak in Brief
Sarawak "Land Of The Hornbill" is the largest state in Malaysia. It covers an area of 124,000 square kilometers and has a coastline of some 800 kilometers facing the South China Sea. Lying on the Northwest coasts of Borneo, the third largest island in the world, Sarawak shares its boundaries with Kalimantan (Indonesia Borneo) in the south, Brunei and Sabah in the north. The state capital is Kuching with a population of around 450,000 it's a modern city that has retained the charm of its past as a trading town.

Sarawak is home to some of Borneo's most amazing natural wonders, like Mulu Caves in the north of Sarawak, claimed to be some of the longest network of caves in the world. Niah Caves is another of these wonders that played part in the birth of civilization in Asia. Sarawak has a collective population of around 1.7 million, which is made up of many indigenous groups and races, with there own flavor of culture and customs. The Ibans form the largest population of indigenous people, in the past they were feared warriors who practiced head-hunting as a means of survival against enemies, this has long ceased, but evidence of this tribal practice can been seen along the many treks in Sarawak's lush green rainforests. Other indigenous groups are the Bidayuh, Melanau, Kayans, Kenyahs and Kelabits among the many tribes and races.

Tourism in Sarawak
Sarawak is considered to be one of the hidden paradise of Borneo. Given its ecologically and environmentally rich natural assets and advantages, Sarawak's tourism attractions are indeed one of the few true eco-destinations left in this world. Its unspoilt natural beauties and the 'Bruno Manser' saga has in a way propelled Sarawak into the centerpiece of international attention over the years, and tourists have consistently visited Sarawak. Sarawak is also widely regarded as one of the world's top 'adventure' destination in this region.

Getting there to Borneo
There are frequent flights to Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang. Your TravelHouseUK consultant can pre-book return transfers to your hotel from Ł7 per person.

Getting around to Borneo
Taxis provide the cheapest way of getting around Kota Kinabalu. Both the hotels that TravelHouseUK feature also offer shuttle bus services between the resorts and into the town itself.