Please Note: This amazing guest post was written by Em, based on her own experiences. Her opinions may not reflect mine.
I hope you enjoy her story just as much as I did!
Borneo is a dream destination for any nature lover or adventure seeker. This 5-day Borneo itinerary will help you make the most of your trip, from encountering endangered orangutans and sun bears in Sepilok to exploring the lush greenery of the Kinabatangan River.
I’ve prepared an itinerary that balances adventure, relaxation, and unforgettable wildlife encounters in remote parts of this incredible island. Here’s how to plan your perfect five days in Borneo.
Is Borneo Worth Visiting?
Borneo is famous for the Borneo Big Five, a group of incredible animals, most of which are mostly endangered species:
- Orangutans
- Pygmy elephants
- Proboscis monkeys
- Crocodiles
- Hornbills, the native bird
There’s also an abundance of other nature, including reptiles and insects, and stunning jungle scenery.
If you love jungle trekking, you could easily spend much longer in Borneo. However, I’ve prepared this itinerary to make sure you spot as much nature as possible on a relatively short break in Borneo.
When is the Best Time to Visit Borneo
- Dry season: June to October is considered to be the best time to see wildlife in Borneo, as this is the dry season.
- Wet season: You should avoid the wet season between November and February, when heavy downpours can make travel difficult.
What Part of Borneo Should You Visit on a 5-Day Itinerary?
Borneo is the world’s third-largest island and, slightly confusingly, is part of three different countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. The major tourist sites are in the heart of Sabah Province in Malaysian Borneo, which is where I visited in summer 2024 and where this itinerary is focused.
Is Borneo Safe?
Overall, Borneo is very safe, and as a solo female traveller, I never felt threatened or unsafe while in Borneo. However, you should take the usual precautions, particularly at night. Cities in Borneo (Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu) were not particularly busy at night – you are more likely to be walking alone than in most Malaysian cities.
Government Advice
Many governments, including the UK and Irish governments, currently advise against travel to certain parts of Borneo. This is primarily the islands off the coast from Sandakan onwards. This includes the famous diving spots around Seporna (time of writing March 2025) and any snorkelling day trips from Sandakan. As a result, I’ve excluded these areas from this itinerary, even though they’re some of the most famous snorkelling destinations in Asia.
The areas that this itinerary covers are considered safe, including mainland Sandakan and Sepilok.
Your Amazing 5-Day Borneo Itinerary
Get ready for the trip of a lifetime as you head to Sabah in Borneo, home to the Borneo Big 5 and some of the world’s most incredible biodiversity! Here’s the breakdown:
- Day 1: Arrival, rest and relaxation and a nighttime jungle excursion
- Day 2: Wildlife encounters in Sepilok (Orangutan Sanctuary, Sun Bear Conservation Centre)
- Day 3-4: Kinabatangan River Safari (river cruises & jungle walks)
- Day 5: Your final river cruise before heading back to the airport
Day 1: Arrival, Transfer to Sepilok and a Nighttime Jungle Walk
Cost: 50RM (approx. £8.50 / €9.90 / $10.70 USD) for the Rainforest Discovery Centre nightwalk
The first day of your 5-day Borneo itinerary covers your arrival on the island and your transfer to Sepilok.
Situated about 20 minutes from Sandakan Airport, Sepilok is a small area of Borneo famous for hosting the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and Sun Bear Conservation Centre. I recommend basing yourself in this area, as it gives you easy access to the sanctuaries on Day 2.
Depending on your arrival time, you could spend the afternoon resting and recovering by the pool in your hotel. If you arrive earlier in the day, consider the night walk at the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Great for kids, this starts at 6 pm, just before sunset, and is a great place to see nocturnal animals such as slow loris and flying squirrels. Spaces are limited, so make sure to book in advance.
Day 2: Sanctuaries, Sun Bears and Orangutans
Cost:
- Orangutan Sanctuary: RM30 (approx. £5.10 / €6.00 / $6.40 USD)
- Sun Bear Conservation Centre: RM50 (approx. £8.50 / €9.90 / $10.70 USD)
Day 2 of your Borneo itinerary will give you the chance to see your first animals from the Borneo Big 5: the world-famous orangutans!
Get up early to avoid the heat and head to the two sanctuaries at Sepilok. Start with the Orangutan Sanctuary before heading to the Sun Bear Conservation Centre. Both centres are designed with kids in mind, with educational information throughout.
- The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre was founded in 1964 and has worked with endangered orangutans ever since. Start your day early, exploring the sanctuary and learning about their rehabilitation efforts, before heading to one of the nurseries for the 10 am orangutan feeding.
Orangutans at Sepilok are not kept in cages, and you’re therefore not guaranteed to see them, so this will give you the biggest likelihood of spotting multiple orangutans. There is an outdoor feeding platform, which gets very crowded during feeding time, and a nursery area, which has two indoor rooms (one with and one without air conditioning). - The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre was only founded in 2016 and is, therefore, less well-known than the Orangutan Sanctuary. Sun bears, which are only found in Borneo, are the world’s smallest bears. The centre continues to grow – not least because although it is illegal to keep sun bears as pets in Borneo, many people still keep the adorable babies as pets, before turning them in when they start to grow.
Enjoy your visit while walking around the elevated walkways to see the bears in their enclosures. While there are no set feeding times at the Sun Bear Centre, you are still extremely likely to see the bears. There is so little known about sun bears, so this is a great opportunity to support their increasing conservation efforts.
After your visit to the sanctuaries, it’s again time to relax before a busy day tomorrow. There’s relatively little to do in Sepilok, so if your hotel doesn’t have a pool, head to the Sepilok Jungle Resort where you can pay a small fee to use their pool to escape the heat.
Day 3: Visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre Before Your First Kinabatangan River Cruise
Cost:
- 30RM (approx. £5.10 / €6.00 / $6.40 USD) to enter the Rainforest Discovery Centre
- Approximately 1190 RM (approx. £202 / €235 / $254 USD) for a dorm or 1490 RM per person (approx. £253 / €295 / $318 USD) for a room for the river cruise (based on River Junkies pricing)
Start Day 3 with a trip to the wonderful Rainforest Discovery Centre, which offers several short hikes, as well as their famous skywalks. Spend the morning strolling through the forest canopy in search of wildlife and learning about the different animals that make up Borneo’s incredible biodiversity.
At lunchtime, you’ll be picked up for the start of your Kinabatangan River Cruise. After a very bumpy three-hour journey, you’ll arrive at your river lodge, where you’ll settle in before your first river cruise at around 4 pm.
You’ll board a small boat with approximately 12 people and cruise on the river looking for the Borneo Big Five. The afternoons are best for spotting wildlife such as the proboscis monkey, orangutans in their natural habitat and pygmy elephants, and guides from the different resorts share information to maximise your chance of these incredible animals. On our first afternoon, we spotted proboscis monkeys, as well as wild orangutans and macaques.
After dinner, most providers offer a night excursion in the jungle, which is the perfect place to see insects, sleeping birds and some snakes. Note that the night walk is very humid, so you’ll need insect repellent!
Day 4: Wildlife Spotting on the Kinabatangan River
Day 4 is your full day of wildlife viewing on the Kinabatangan River! You’ll start your day bright and early for a dawn boat ride at 6 am. This is best for spotting birds, as the monkeys aren’t yet awake. Cruising down the river at this time is magical, as the sun slowly rises and burns off the mist.
My tour agency (River Junkies) then offered a daytime jungle walk, where we saw lots of insects and learned about the recent history of this part of Borneo, including the rise of eco-tourism and the impact it’s had on local culture.
After a delicious lunch and a break, you’ll embark on your late afternoon cruise at 4 pm, most likely heading in the opposite direction to the day before.
On my second evening, I opted to pay extra for a night cruise, which offered a completely different experience. We drifted along the river, guided only by the faint beam of our guide’s torch. We were able to spot the gleaming eyes of crocodiles, as well as flying squirrels, before heading back to our luxurious rooms for the night.
The Kinabatangan River Cruise was one of the highlights of my 8 months of travelling. While I didn’t get to see the elephants, our local guide tried hard to find us proboscis monkeys, orangutans, hornbills, a couple of baby crocodiles, a lot of macaque monkeys, and lots of different birds.
Day 5: Back to Sepilok for the End of Your Borneo Stay
On the final morning of your 5-day Borneo itinerary, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in another early morning river cruise. This will give you a chance to spot any wildlife you haven’t yet seen!
After a filling breakfast, you’ll then pack up before your return trip to Sepilok or Sandakan at around 9 am. This gives you plenty of time to get to the airport before your flight, and most providers will drop you in Sepilok, Sandakan, or at the airport itself, depending on your onward travel plans.
If You Want to Spend More Time in Borneo, These are Your Options
The most famous thing to do in Borneo is to see the wildlife in Sabah. But if you have a little extra time, you could fly to Kota Kinabalu from Sandakan Airport or use River Junkies’ shuttle, which allows you to visit the Poring hot springs. From Kota Kinabalu, you can enjoy one of the best places to visit on this side of the island:
- Hiking Mount Kinabalu: on the other side of the island, near Kota Kinabalu, is this famous 4000 m-high mountain (2.49 miles). It’s possible to do day trips to the mountain from the city, but also to stay nearer to the mountain itself and do a two-day trek.
If you want to take on this challenge, consider that you’ll need time beforehand in Kinabalu Park to acclimatise to the altitude. - Snorkel and see a world-famous sunset in Kota Kinabalu: head to the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, a group of paradise islands including Manukan, Sapi and Mamutik from Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal. These white-sand beaches have activities including snorkelling around coral reefs, parasailing and banana boat riding.
These islands are not included in the government restrictions above and are safe to visit. In the evening, visit Tanjung Aru Beach, which has been voted one of the top sites in the world to enjoy the sunset by the Huffington Post, or you can visit the waterfront restaurants in the city centre.
Where to Stay in Sepilok
For the first two nights of this 5-day Borneo itinerary, you should base yourself in Sepilok, as this is where the Orangutan Sanctuary, the Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and the Rainforest Discovery Centre are located.
Many hotels are either walking distance to the sanctuaries or provide regular shuttle buses. However, there aren’t enough hotel rooms to cope with demand, so make sure to book in advance. Also, Borneo is extremely hot and humid – choose a room with aircon!
Options include:
- Sepilok Forest Edge Resort – this highly rated resort is one of the more luxurious hotels in Sepilok, and one of the nearest to the sanctuaries.
- Borneo Sepilok Rainforest Resort – highly rated, this is slightly further away but still very walkable to the sanctuaries.
- Sepilok Jungle Resort – This is one of the closest hotels to the two sanctuaries. It has a great pool for chilling out in the afternoon, and a popular cafe. However, it’s not the most highly rated on Booking.com.
- Paganakan Dii – Highly rated, this is a long walk from the sanctuaries but offers incredible jungle views. The hotel has a shuttle to the sanctuaries three times a day, but this can be restrictive.
You will also have little choice over where to eat in the evenings as it is hard to get Grab to come to the hotel. If you choose this option, avoid the dorms, as the wooden houses get extremely hot and only have fans, while the private rooms have aircon.
How to Choose Your River Cruise
For nights 3 and 4 of your 5-day Borneo itinerary, you’ll stay at a lodge on the Kinabatangan River. As the Kinabatangan River is a very remote area, the best way to visit the river is via an all-inclusive wildlife tour package.
This includes transport to the river from Sepilok, Sandakan or the airport, accommodation and food (not usually including alcoholic drinks), as well as your morning and afternoon river cruises, a day walk and a nighttime jungle walk.
There are a number of tour operators all along the river, offering different standards of accommodation but more or less the same river safaris and jungle walks. Make sure to check the reviews for your provider – look for a provider offering small group tours, and remember that you are in the middle of the jungle and there’ll be nowhere else to go if, e.g., you don’t like the food or your room isn’t great.
Most trips to the river are 3 days/2 nights, but it’s possible to do a 1-night trip. I wouldn’t recommend this unless you have a shorter itinerary, as it gives you very little time in the jungle (3 pm arrival/9 am departure).
The cruises are great for kids, as the jungle walks are fairly easy and they can enjoy the boat rides spotting animals. There were families on my tour and the tour provided suitable kid-sized life jackets to keep them safe.
I did my tour with River Junkies, and highly recommend them, but they book up very fast. They provided excellent accommodation, including dorm options, as well as decent food and knowledgeable guides.
How to Get to Borneo
Borneo is a large island in the South China Sea. The primary way to arrive is by air and the main airlines flying to Borneo are Malaysia Air, AirAsia and Firefly (Malaysia Air’s budget arm).
If you are heading to Sandakan Airport (for Sepilok) from Europe, Australia or America, this is likely to include a connection to Kuala Lumpur, where I recommend spending a day to enjoy the best of Malaysia’s capital city, including the incredible Batu Caves. There are also direct flights to Sandakan from Kota Kinabalu, the largest city in Borneo, where you can connect to Southeast Asia destinations including Singapore, Penang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bali.
From Sandakan, the airport is around 20 minutes outside the main town. It’s also 20 minutes in the other direction from Sepilok, where the animal sanctuaries are. You can get Grab (Asia’s version of Uber) from the airport to either of these destinations, as well as traditional taxis. Public transport in Sandakan is limited, but Grab is affordable and convenient, making it the best option.
With just five days in Borneo, you’ll experience some of the island’s most incredible sights—orangutans swinging through the treetops, the gleaming eyes of crocodiles in the Kinabatangan River, and adorable endangered sun bears basking in the sun.
Whether you focus on wildlife, adventure, or a mix of both, this 5-day Borneo itinerary ensures you won’t miss the highlights. If you have extra time, consider extending your stay to explore more of Sabah’s amazing highlights.
No matter how long you stay, Borneo’s wild beauty will leave a lasting impression.
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