Itinerary
Private Borneo wildlife tour
Track orangutans and pygmy elephants in Sepilok, Kinabatangan, and the Danum Valley
11 days
$13,000 per person
Follow serpentine rivers into ancient forests to write your wildest adventure yet in Borneo
Follow serpentine rivers into ancient forests to write your wildest adventure yet in Borneo
Borneo tour itineraries
Use these itineraries as a starting point or as inspiration to create your own journey
Your adventure begins
Ancient beyond grasp, Borneo's forests formed while dinosaurs still walked the planet. They remain some of Earth’s most intact ecosystems, last refuges for remarkable wildlife.
Why visit Borneo?
There are places that loom so large in the imagination that the simple whisper of their name elicits an emotional response. Borneo is one such wilderness. Hard to reach and rugged to travel, it feels almost theoretical; a place you may have read about in National Geographic, but never a vacation someone describes at a dinner party. Why? Because Borneo travel asks something of you: to travel farther, slower, and give up comforts for richer rewards. The luxury of Borneo travel isn’t five stars and fine dining; it’s the excitement of the unexpected. A rare type of travel that feels unmapped: ancient rainforest, rivers that go places roads don't, a canopy that swallows sound and light. Travel that is alive with possibility precisely because nothing is guaranteed.
Borneo, your way
We plan luxury travel on both the Indonesian and Malaysian sides of Borneo, each chosen for very different reasons. Our specialists make the deliberation easy, then design an itinerary grounded in personalized details. Not just anyone’s version of Borneo, yours.
From start to finish, we loved the Borneo experience staying on the houseboat. Our guide was fantastic. Our day with Little Wayan has crossed my mind every day since we came home. I loved seeing what he is doing to better the lives in his community.
Tricia Young, 2026 traveler
Is Borneo the right destination for you?
There are no accidental tourists in Borneo. Across the board, accommodations lack polished finishes and amenities; some are downright spartan. We joke that Borneo travel is like a tattoo: not for everyone, and an experience earned, not given. If you want just a taste, pick Indonesia. For wildlife purists, Malaysian Borneo is the daydream made real — a singular wilderness home to the most incredible wildlife and flora.
When is the best time to travel to Borneo?
Weather-wise, the best time to visit Borneo falls between May and September, when conditions are dry and sunny. The trade-off? It's peak season, so expect lodges to be full or near capacity. March, April, and October can be pleasant shoulder months with fewer travelers sharing the same waterways and trails. We avoid the heavy rains of December, January, and February.
Just as important as when to go is when to book. Some reserves in Sabah (Malaysia) only have one or two lodges, so it's imperative that you begin the booking process earlier than the season or month alone suggests. Twelve to 18 months out is wise.
In Kalimantan (Indonesia), the klotoks that meet an EJ standard are extremely limited. A nine-to-12-month booking window is generally fine.
Best
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
May - September
Good
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
March - October
Where to go in Borneo
Choose Indonesian Borneo for a contained orangutan experience on a liveaboard. Choose Malaysian Borneo for a multi-leg, lodge-based wilderness journey.
Kalimantan, Indonesia
Measuring one million acres, Tanjung Puting National Park sits in southern Central Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo. Blanketed by lowland dipterocarp rainforest that gives way to peat swamp forest, kerangas, and mangrove-lined stretches of the Sekonyer River, it’s home to some 5,000 orangutans. It’s not the only place they live in Kalimantan, but it’s the oldest, longest-studied, and most accessible of Indonesian Borneo’s reserves. It’s also home to Camp Leakey. Founded by primatologist Birute Galdikas in 1971, the research camp anchors the longest continuous field study of wild orangutans in the world — a stop included on your private Borneo tour. Tanjung Puting is also home to proboscis monkeys, gibbons, crocodiles, more than 230 recorded bird species, and rarely seen clouded leopards and sun bears.
Borneo travel FAQs
Why book with Extraordinary Journeys?
We go deep
We value depth over breadth. While we have broadened our map, our intimate expertise runs deep—from understanding each locale's hidden rhythms to cultivating relationships with exceptional guides.
We keep it honest
Seasoned travelers know that places change, authentic experiences migrate. We'll listen to your hopes and passions, but push back when we know something will better resonate with you.
We’ve got it covered
Traveling to wild places asks something of us— a quality of attention and presence. From behind-the-scenes logistics to bespoke culinary experiences, our team has thought of everything.
We know it’s personal
There will undoubtedly be extraordinary unscripted moments: hippos emerging at sunset, the impossible blue of Arctic ice. We know that meaningful memories often live in personalized details.
We go deep
We value depth over breadth. While we have broadened our map, our intimate expertise runs deep—from understanding each locale's hidden rhythms to cultivating relationships with exceptional guides.
We keep it honest
Seasoned travelers know that places change, authentic experiences migrate. We'll listen to your hopes and passions, but push back when we know something will better resonate with you.
We’ve got it covered
Traveling to wild places asks something of us— a quality of attention and presence. From behind-the-scenes logistics to bespoke culinary experiences, our team has thought of everything.
We know it’s personal
There will undoubtedly be extraordinary unscripted moments: hippos emerging at sunset, the impossible blue of Arctic ice. We know that meaningful memories often live in personalized details.