Let me tell you about the moment that made me fall in love with Borneo. I was drifting down the Kinabatangan River at dawn when an orangutan appeared right above our boat, swinging through the canopy with her baby. Later that same day, I watched Mount Kinabalu emerge from the clouds, its granite peaks towering over the jungle like something from a movie.
The most beautiful places in Borneo stopped me in my tracks more times than I can count. This island isn’t just another spot in Southeast Asia—it’s a whole different world of ancient rainforests and incredible wildlife. After exploring from Sabah to Sarawak, I’ve put together my 12 favorite spots that show exactly why this place gets under your skin and never lets go.
Best Things to Do in Borneo in 2025
Looking for the coolest things to do in Borneo in 2025? Explore the diverse wildlife at Bako National Park, experience the lush rainforests of Batang Ai, take in the stunning scenery at Bohey Dulang Lagoon, and escape to the refreshing highlands of Cameron Highlands. Whether you’re interested in nature, adventure, or relaxation, here are the top attractions to visit in Borneo in 2025.
1. Bako National Park
- 📍 Location: Sarawak, Malaysia, 37 km from Kuching city, accessible by boat
- 🏆 Best For: Wildlife enthusiasts 🐒, hikers 🥾, nature photographers 📸
- 📸 Top Experiences: Spotting proboscis monkeys, hiking coastal trails, exploring secluded beaches
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to October during the dry season, though year-round wildlife viewing is possible 🌞
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Bako National Park Hostel – Basic but convenient accommodation within the park
Bako National Park, Sarawak’s oldest national park packs seven distinct ecosystems into a compact coastal gem. The bizarre-looking proboscis monkeys with their distinctive long noses steal the show, often appearing within minutes of my arrival. A network of 16 color-coded trails takes you through mangrove forests and along dramatic sea cliffs.
Don’t miss the trail to Telok Pandan Kecil with its picture-perfect view of a pristine beach and sea stack. The unique rock formations have been sculpted by wind and water into fascinating shapes. Access requires a boat ride from Bako Village, adding excitement as you approach the stunning shoreline. Stay overnight to maximize wildlife sightings at dawn and dusk when the forest truly comes alive.
2. Batang Ai
- 📍 Location: Southern Sarawak, 275 km from Kuching city
- 🏆 Best For: Cultural enthusiasts 🏠, wildlife watchers 🦧, adventure seekers 🛶
- 📸 Top Experiences: Visiting traditional Iban longhouses, spotting wild orangutans, exploring by longboat
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: May to September for drier conditions, though wildlife viewing is possible year-round 🌿
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Nanga Sumpa Lodge – Cozy riverside retreat surrounded by Borneo’s lush rainforest, perfect for eco-tourism and cultural experiences
Batang Ai is a vast rainforest reserve serves as a crucial conservation area for wild orangutans, with one of Sarawak’s healthiest populations. The region is home to the Iban people, who maintain their traditional way of life in longhouses scattered throughout the area. I was fascinated by the authentic cultural immersion through homestay programs, learning about blowpipe hunting and traditional crafts.
The adventure peaks when boarding a traditional longboat to venture deep into the rainforest. These narrow waterways act as nature’s highways, taking you past towering trees draped with vines. While orangutan sightings require patience, the pristine ecosystem offers glimpses of countless other species. Most visits include an overnight stay in a longhouse or jungle camp for the complete experience.
3. Bohey Dulang Lagoon
- 📍 Location: Semporna Archipelago, Sabah, Malaysia, accessible by boat from Semporna town
- 🏆 Best For: Snorkelers 🤿, hikers 🥾, island lovers 🏝️
- 📸 Top Experiences: Hiking to the viewpoint, snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, visiting the Sea Gypsy villages
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to October for calmer seas and better underwater visibility 🌊
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Lato Lato Resort – Rustic floating chalets on Pulau Bum Bum offering budget-friendly island living, snorkeling, and local seafood, ideal for adventurous travelers seeking simplicity
Bohey Dulang Lagoon is a horseshoe-shaped island cradles a stunning lagoon while offering panoramic views from its 353-meter peak. The moderately challenging 600-step hike rewards you with what I consider Malaysia’s most spectacular vista. Below, the perfect blue lagoon is encircled by lush green slopes, with the scattered islands of the Semporna Archipelago dotting the turquoise sea beyond.
The waters surrounding Bohey Dulang offer excellent snorkeling opportunities with healthy coral gardens and abundant marine life. Cultural insights come through visits to the Bajau Laut settlements, where you can learn about this seafaring community. Most visitors arrive on day trips from Semporna, but the experience justifies every minute of the boat journey.
4. Cameron Highlands
- 📍 Location: Pahang, Malaysia, 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur
- 🏆 Best For: Tea lovers ☕, nature enthusiasts 🌿, cool-weather seekers 🌤️
- 📸 Top Experiences: Touring tea plantations, strawberry picking, hiking mossy forest trails
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: February to April for drier weather, though the cool climate makes it pleasant year-round 🍓
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Cameron Highlands Resort – Colonial-style luxury hotel surrounded by tea plantations
Cameron Highlands is a highland plateau that transports you to a misty, green wonderland that feels more like England than Southeast Asia. The undulating tea plantations create mesmerizing patterns across the hills, with BOH Tea Estate offering guided tours that take you from leaf to cup. Standing amid the precisely manicured rows of tea bushes creates one of Malaysia’s most iconic photo opportunities.
Beyond tea, I wandered through unique ecosystems of mossy forests with gnarled trees and exotic pitcher plants. The moderately challenging trail to Gunung Brinchang leads through ancient forests to spectacular viewpoints. For something more relaxed, visit the strawberry farms where you can pick your own berries or explore the bustling weekend markets in Tanah Rata. With temperatures averaging 20°C (68°F), this cool retreat provides the perfect climate for exploration.
- Read Next: Beautiful Places to Visit in Malaysia
5. Danum Valley
- 📍 Location: Sabah, Malaysia, 83 km from Lahad Datu
- 🏆 Best For: Wildlife enthusiasts 🦧, birdwatchers 🦜, rainforest adventurers 🌳
- 📸 Top Experiences: Canopy walkway exploration, night safaris, guided jungle treks
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to October during the drier season, though as a rainforest, some precipitation occurs year-round 🌧️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Borneo Rainforest Lodge – Eco-luxury accommodation in the heart of the conservation area
Danum Valley is an ancient primary forest that has never been logged or inhabited, creating one of the world’s most pristine ecosystems. Wild orangutans swing through the canopy alongside elusive pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, and over 340 species of birds. The 300-meter canopy walkway suspends you 27 meters above the forest floor, providing an extraordinary view of life in the treetops.
Nighttime brings a completely different experience, with guided spotlight safaris revealing slow lorises and flying squirrels. I found the guided treks to hidden waterfalls particularly memorable, swimming in crystal-clear pools beneath the forest canopy. What makes Danum truly special is its remoteness. With limited visitor numbers, you’ll often feel like the only humans in this vast green wilderness.
6. Kinabatangan (Abai) River
- 📍 Location: Eastern Sabah, Malaysia, 2 hours from Sandakan
- 🏆 Best For: Wildlife cruisers 🚣, bird enthusiasts 🦜, photography lovers 📸
- 📸 Top Experiences: River safaris at dawn and dusk, night walks to spot nocturnal creatures, visiting oxbow lakes
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: June to October for drier conditions, though wildlife viewing is excellent year-round 🐘
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Abai Jungle Lodge – Eco-friendly accommodation right on the riverbank
Malaysia’s second-longest river has wildlife encounters in abundance without making you work hard for them. The Abai section offers Southeast Asia’s greatest concentration of wildlife, all conveniently viewable from the comfort of a boat. This narrow corridor of protected forest has become a crucial sanctuary for Borneo’s most iconic creatures.
Dawn cruises regularly reveal proboscis monkeys lounging in riverside trees alongside wild orangutans and pygmy elephants. The area teems with all eight species of Bornean hornbills and the bizarre-looking Oriental darter. My night walks around the lodges revealed sleeping birds, venomous snakes, and fascinating insects. Most visitors spend 2-3 nights at riverside lodges, with each boat safari bringing new discoveries and opportunities to engage with local communities.
7. Lankayan Island
- 📍 Location: Northeastern coast of Sabah, 90 minutes by speedboat from Sandakan
- 🏆 Best For: Divers 🤿, snorkelers 🥽, turtle enthusiasts 🐢, honeymooners 💑
- 📸 Top Experiences: Diving with whale sharks, watching turtle hatchings, snorkeling the house reef, sunset beach walks
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to October for best visibility and calm seas, April to June for whale shark sightings 🐋
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Lankayan Island Dive Resort – The only accommodation on this pristine private island
Imagine a tiny, jewel-like coral island with powdery white beaches surrounded by some of Malaysia’s richest marine ecosystems. Lankayan Island spans just 1,400 meters in diameter yet packs enough underwater wonders to keep you mesmerized for days. The island serves as a sanctuary for rare marine life, including blue-ringed octopus, ghost pipefish, and flamboyant cuttlefish, across its 14 dive sites.
Between March and May, majestic whale sharks frequently visit these waters. As a turtle conservation site, you might witness green and hawksbill turtles laying eggs or hatchlings making their first dash to the sea. With just one exclusive resort limited to 60 guests, I found the secluded beaches often empty except for my own footprints. Spend your days alternating between diving, snorkeling the house reef, and lounging on pristine beaches for the ultimate tropical getaway.
8. Mount Kinabalu
- 📍 Location: Kinabalu National Park, 2 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
- 🏆 Best For: Mountaineers 🧗♂️, hikers 🥾, nature lovers 🌿, photographers 📸
- 📸 Top Experiences: Summiting at sunrise, exploring the botanical gardens, spotting unique flora like pitcher plants, traversing the Via Ferrata
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to August for drier conditions and clearer summit views ☀️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Sutera Sanctuary Lodges @ Kinabalu Park – Charming eco-lodges nestled within Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering breathtaking views of Mount Kinabalu, guided nature trails, and a cozy retreat after summit climbs
Towering at 4,095 meters, Mount Kinabalu creates its own weather systems as Borneo’s highest peak and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This granite monolith hosts more plant species than all of Europe and North America combined. The standard summit climb takes two days with an overnight stay at Panalaban Base Camp before a pre-dawn final push to catch the breathtaking sunrise from Low’s Peak.
Along the trail, you’ll pass through distinct ecosystems, from lowland rainforest to alpine meadows. I’ll never forget watching the sun illuminate the summit after climbing through darkness. For the adventurous, the world’s highest Via Ferrata at 3,776m offers a thrilling alternative descent. Even without summiting, the park’s botanical gardens and lower-elevation trails showcase endemic creatures like the giant red leech and Kinabalu pitcher plants for a more accessible nature experience.
9. Niah Caves
- 📍 Location: Niah National Park, 2 hours drive south of Miri, Sarawak
- 🏆 Best For: History buffs 🏛️, archaeologists 🔍, bird watchers 🦅, adventure seekers 🔦
- 📸 Top Experiences: Exploring the massive Great Cave, viewing ancient cave paintings, watching swiftlet and bat colonies, visiting the archaeological museum
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: Year-round (caves maintain consistent conditions), but avoid the heaviest rains from November to February 🌧️
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Wawasan City Inn – Modern and affordable hotel in Batu Niah, offering comfortable rooms with air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and a hot tub, just a short drive from Niah National Park
Step into one of Southeast Asia’s most important archaeological sites, where human remains dating back 40,000 years were discovered here in Niah Caves. The main chamber of Great Cave could fit several football fields inside at 250 meters wide and 60 meters high. A wooden plank walk through lush rainforest leads to this prehistoric wonder where thousands of swiftlets and bats create an eerie natural soundtrack.
Deep within the cave network, ancient rock paintings using red hematite pigment tell stories from millennia past. The smaller Painted Cave houses these artistic treasures alongside “death ships” – boat-shaped coffins that once carried the deceased to the afterlife. Walking these caves alone, I felt connected to the countless generations who sought shelter here. Before leaving, visit the excellent archaeological museum showcasing artifacts from the Paleolithic era through the Neolithic and beyond.
10. Pulau Tiga
- 📍 Location: Off the west coast of Sabah, about 1 hour boat ride from Kuala Penyu
- 🏆 Best For: Mud volcano enthusiasts 🌋, snorkelers 🥽, “Survivor” fans 📺, island hoppers 🏝️
- 📸 Top Experiences: Bathing in natural mud volcanoes, snorkeling with blacktip reef sharks, hiking jungle trails, visiting neighboring Snake Island
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to October during the dry season for best beach and snorkeling conditions 🌞
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Pulau Tiga Resort – Comfortable chalets on the eastern shore of the island
Formed when three small islands joined through volcanic activity, Pulau Tiga later gained fame as the original location of the first “Survivor” TV series. This geological wonder remains active, with bubbling mud volcanoes offering natural spa treatments straight from the Earth’s core. The therapeutic mud pools draw impurities from your skin before you rinse off in the crystal-clear South China Sea.
Explore the island’s pristine beaches and jungle interior on well-maintained trails winding through primary rainforest. My favorite memory was watching a family of macaques swing through trees just meters from my path. Adventure seekers can take boat trips to nearby Pulau Kalampunian Damit (Snake Island) or snorkel around Pulau Kalampunian Besar, where blacktip reef sharks patrol shallow waters. With minimal development yet comfortable amenities, Pulau Tiga offers an authentic castaway experience that the original Survivor contestants could only dream about.
11. Sipadan Island
- 📍 Location: Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, 35 minutes by speedboat from Mabul Island
- 🏆 Best For: Advanced divers 🤿, underwater photographers 📸, marine biologists 🔬, coral reef enthusiasts 🐠
- 📸 Top Experiences: Diving with massive tornado-like barracuda formations, swimming alongside sea turtles, exploring the dramatic Drop-Off, encountering hammerhead sharks
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: April to December for optimal visibility, with July to August offering peak conditions 🌊
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort – A luxurious water village built on stilts over the Ligitan Reefs, offering world-class diving, vibrant marine life, and stunning ocean views
Jacques Cousteau once called Sipadan Island an “untouched piece of art” for good reason. This tiny oceanic island rises 600 meters from the seabed, created by living corals growing on an extinct volcanic cone. The magic happens around its 25-meter drop-off wall, where marine life concentrates in extraordinary numbers and diversity.
Encounter hundreds of swirling barracuda in tornado-like formations while gliding alongside dozens of green and hawksbill turtles. Access remains strictly limited to 120 divers daily to preserve these pristine conditions. During my dive here, a curious turtle swam alongside me for nearly ten minutes. While you can’t stay on Sipadan itself, nearby Mabul Island and Kapalai water village offer world-class macro diving opportunities between your Sipadan adventures. With visibility often exceeding 40 meters and warm 30°C waters, it represents diving perfection.
12. Tusan Cliff Beach
- 📍 Location: Coastline of Miri Division, 30 minutes’ drive from Miri, Sarawak
- 🏆 Best For: Sunset chasers 🌅, photographers 📸, fossil hunters 🦴, romantic strollers 💕
- 📸 Top Experiences: Witnessing the “Blue Tears” bioluminescent phenomenon, watching sunset through the Horse Head rock formation, exploring dramatic cliff formations, beachcombing for fossils
- 📅 Best Time to Visit: March to October during dry season, with new moon nights best for bioluminescence viewing 🌑
- 🏨 Where to Stay: Borneo Tree House – A tranquil eco-retreat nestled in Kota Kinabalu’s rainforest, offering rustic-chic rooms, an outdoor pool, and easy access to nearby attractions like Kokol Hill and Sepanggar Tunnel
Golden limestone cliffs rise dramatically from the South China Sea at Tusan Cliff Beach, forming nature’s sculpture gallery crowned by the iconic Horse Head rock formation. This hidden gem remained relatively unknown until the “Blue Tears” phenomenon put it on the map. On certain nights, particularly during new moons, waves shimmer with an ethereal blue glow created by bioluminescent phytoplankton.
The landscape hides paleontological treasures as well. Sharp-eyed visitors might discover Miocene-period fossils embedded in the cliffs or washed ashore after storms. Time your visit for sunset, when I’ve watched the Horse Head appear to drink from the golden sea as cliffs glow with warm amber light. The ever-changing shoreline creates unique formations, hidden sea caves, and tidal pools to explore, rivaling more famous beaches throughout Southeast Asia yet remaining refreshingly uncrowded.
