Borneo is one of two places in the world with orangutans, so it’s only fitting that you kick off your adventure by visiting the King of the Swingers in his natural habitat. After visiting the Conservation Centre, spend the rest of the day kayaking through the Sarawak countryside, passing rainforest, pepper farms, and Bidayuh minority villages. The next day, you’ll dive into the rainforest proper with a visit to Bako National Park, where you’ll might spot monitor lizards among the mangroves or proboscis monkeys in the towering trees. In the evenings, make the most of all the sweet treats and spicy snacks in Borneo’s cat-themed culinary capital: Kuching.

Kota Kinabalu is the springboard for some of Borneo’s most amazing experiences. Travelling 1.5 hours outside of town, you'll arrive in the Kiulu countryside, where you'll spend the next 24 hours staying with the Dusun and learning about life in Borneo as part of a community-led cultural exchange adventure. Start off with a river rafting experience, arriving at the village in time for lunch. The afternoon is all about jungle survival, with bushcraft lessons including fire-making, medicinal plants and navigation lessons. After sleeping in the village overnight, the morning continues the cultural exchange with bead workshops and a gong class, before you continue your trip through Borneo.

If you haven’t been lucky enough to see an orangutan so far — don’t worry: the best of Borneo’s wildlife experiences are yet to come. Sepilok is the conservation capital of Malaysian Borneo, and its animal sanctuaries are your best chance of seeing orangutans and sun bears up close. It’s not just mammals, either — on a walk at the Rainforest Discovery Centre you’ll learn that some of Borneo’s plant life is even weirder and more wonderful than its animals as you look for carnivorous pitcher plants and learn which plants are used in traditional medicines. Finally, on a boardwalk high above the forest floor, you’ll see brightly coloured birds and hear the hoots and screeches of monkeys.

If Sepilok is the best place in Malaysian Borneo to see animals on the road to recovery, your next stop is the best place to spot them in the wild. The Kinabatangan River is a long, narrow strip of rainforest packed full of wildlife, from six-foot crocs and rainbow-coloured birds to pygmy elephants and ten different types of primate. With your base at a riverside lodge surrounded by dense forest, you’ll head out by boat at different times of day to try to see as many different animals as you can, and make a trip to an Orang Sungai village to learn about traditional life on the water. Look out for low-hanging snakes — and be prepared for some monster-sized spiders and bugs after dark!

Return to Kota Kinabalu for a final night before catching your flight home.