Borneo is a place that has loomed large in my imagination for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a boy it has inspired awe and wonder. It is a place that as much as I might wish to, I never thought I would see. I had relegated it to live in my mind and remain there. That all changed one fateful June morning when my wife and I booked flights on a whim. We were going to fly into Sandakan on the Northeast of the island and make our way through the interior of the eastern side of Malaysian Borneo before hitting the coast at Semporna. The plan was sound, but to action it would prove challenging.

The fact that Borneo is this otherworldly biodiversity hotspot means that people largely plan their trips there long in advance. The ripple effect being that us last-minute merchants were going to find every part of booking this very difficult. Undaunted we locked in and dual wielding laptops and phones we set about planning the trip of a lifetime. “Fully booked” not accepted, “unavailable” not good enough. We worked around every hurdle until eventually we had loopholed and finagled our way into a tight two weeks. Reality had barely set in as we boarded the plane. We were doing it. After a tough night on the floor of Kuala Lumpur International we readied ourselves for the last leg of the journey. About 30 minutes before we landed the heavy cloud cover below us broke and illuminated the most miraculous sight. Dense jungle veined with rivers and tributaries networking towards a distant sea. A heavy mist coated the canopy, and the scene seared itself into my memory. The rainforest as I’d always envisioned lay right beneath us.

We landed and in no time at all were headed inland towards the town of Sepilok famed for the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Arriving it quickly became apparent how lucky we had been to secure accommodation in the town itself. There was nothing there. The town is tiny, and we were in a very fortunate minority that could walk down from our little cottage to explore rather than taxi or bus in from the much larger town of Sandakan. We had no sooner dropped our bags than we were out the door again ready to check out the rainforest. The town itself consists of one road that led us from our front door down to the center. Hemmed on either side by wild palms and the outskirts of the jungle we had seen plenty of bird activity before even making it inside. Upon entry into the RDC you first come upon a lake that was abuzz with activity. A giant monitor lizard glided carefully across the surface as a Rufous-collared Kingfisher darted back and forth hunting furiously.

We wandered around the paths and skywalks that led us up and down the forest in awed silence. The canopy high above was alive with bird calls and the buzzing of huge beehives. The jungle around was impenetrably thick but alive with the noise of life. As always birding in the dense jungle proved challenging, however the sheer proliferation of life is unmistakable. It was a moment of imagination and reality colliding in the most satisfying way, with the actual scenes surpassing anything I could have dreamt up. And so, we wandered around with eyes wide. Then it rained.

We had arrived at the end of July, firmly in the middle of the dry season, and a torrential downpour opened above us. With the heavens unleashing we took cover and watched on as the water cascaded off the trees. The downpour eventually abated and we continued our amblings around. For anyone visiting Borneo, the Orangutan is the truly coveted sighting. A wild specimen must be the crowning jewel of any would-be expedition to the rainforest. We wandered, hoping that on the trip we would have the chance to have such an encounter. As luck would have it, we would not wait long. We turned off the main path onto a small dirt track and began following it deeper into the jungle. I was scanning the bush all around and occasionally glancing up at the canopy too. Suddenly an orange shape swung off a tree and went off branch by branch deeper into the jungle. A wild Orangutan!

We followed in absolute raptures of excitement hoping to catch another glimpse. We retraced our steps and rejoined the main pathway and there he was. Obscured by an enormous palm trunk but visible, nonetheless. Snapping away furiously I managed to catch some horribly out of focus shots of nothing much at all. Then he swung off onto another branch, grabbed a fruit and began eating! Right out in the open and in clear view we watched in wonder as he enjoyed his snack. Time seemed to stand still as we shared that jungle clearing with such a magnificent animal that seemed all too human as he ate delicately with dexterous fingers. Without warning, he tossed the husk of his meal and swung off to see to whatever business he had next on the agenda, leaving us to collect our mouths off the forest floor and chatter excitedly about this encounter.

The rain returned with a vengeance soon thereafter and we took cover beneath a sheet metal roofed structure where we gabbled on about our sighting with an elder Taiwanese man who seemed just as excited as us despite not seeing the Orangutan. He was an avid photographer too and the rain gave us a wonderful opportunity to shoot an Oriental Darter that did not seem too perturbed by the adverse weather. As the sun began to set, we made our way back to the entrance although we had no intention of leaving. We joined up with the night walk guides and set off to experience the jungle in a totally different way. Through a constant heavy drizzle, we trekked back in. Seeing sleeping kingfishers, sunbirds, tarantulas, lizards, and more. The experience was nothing short of epic. An Oriental Bay Owl gave us a fleeting sighting before whipping away. Shortly thereafter we encountered a Western Tarsier. A tiny bushbaby-looking primate with gigantic eyes. We continued into the jungle night, getting absolutely soaked in the process. I asked our guide if it was usual for it to rain out of season and he looked at me incredulously before retorting, “you know this is a rainforest?” Touché.

We then had a heart-pounding encounter with a Bornean Keeled Pit Viper which was only stressful because our guide reached out and broke off some leaves so that we could see better. He did this right in front of the snake’s face immediately after telling us just how toxic their venom is. He seemed not to worry one bit however and so my heart gradually returned to a survivable rate. Our final sighting of the night was a rather distant one. Although far away we could just make out the shape and huge eyes of the Philippine Slow Loris. An incredibly interesting little creature that is the only venomous primate in the world. With that, the night walk was over and not a moment too soon as we were drenched and a hot meal was deeply necessary.

The next day we went to see the conservation efforts in place to ensure the continuation of certain key species in the Bornean jungle. First, the orangutan rehabilitation center. An astounding place that really shows the dedication of Sabah Parks to the wild spaces they seek to protect. The rehabilitation center essentially allows orangutans to free roam in a cordoned off section of jungle. They know where to get food, but they are also allowed to forage and practice their wild habits to a great extent. In fact, we witnessed a feeding event which was only attended by a single orangutan and a rowdy gang of Stump-tailed Macaques. Next up was the Sunbear conservation center. Again, a real testament to the hard work going on in these jungles evidenced by a number of success stories where bears were able to return to the jungles to live wild. The bears were such beautiful creatures to see up close and went about their business is such a comedically clumsy fashion that was so endearing.

We were back in the RDC for the afternoon and evening. We came across many new species of birds from Flowerpeckers to Sunbirds, and a real special in the form of a Blythe’s Hawk-Eagle. Right at the northern edge of the center, we had another encounter with Orangutans, this time a family of them paraded through the trees above us. Sheer magic. As the sun lowered in the sky, we were simply too tempted and signed up for another night walk in the hope that this one might be less damp. It proved to be just so, and we had some incredible sightings including a much nearer view of the Slow Loris. This time we were also much better prepared and I wore my best jungle-trekking trousers. These proved to be useless against leeches however and I got to have the decidedly unpleasant experience of pulling a huge bloodsucker off my calf upon our return to the accommodation.

The next day we set off for Sakau and the Kinabatangan River. Arriving at Greenview was deeply exciting and no sooner had we dropped our bags than we were out on the river for an afternoon cruise. The river itself is just the type of scene I had imagined of Borneo. Wide as anything with dense jungle leering off the banks on either side. We whipped through the crocodile infested waters and marveled at the life on the banks. One of our first encounters was with the Proboscis Monkey, which is a comedically large-nosed primate that sits comfortably in the trees pillaging anything edible in sight. They look like something out of a Dr Seuss book and comport themselves, accordingly, squabbling over bits of food, and launching themselves from branch to branch. We also met their more plentiful and vicious cousins, the Long-Tailed Macaques who are just as enjoyable to watch as they galivant back and forth in the trees.

We came across an Orangutan too who was bedding down for the night and obstinately refused to give us any clear view through the trees. On the journey back we were bathed in the softening glow of the late evening as bats began to take to the river’s surface in pursuit of insects. As we chugged back towards home a Bat Hawk joined the melee picking off bats as they in turn picked off dragonflies and the like. Upriver we spotted a Flying Fox skirting the forest edge heading in opposite direction to us. They are enormous! We returned to the dock and ate a delicious dinner before heading back out on the river for a night cruise. As we departed my camera battery died and so in accordance with the laws of nature, we saw absolutely everything. Palm and Island Palm Civets, Buffy Fish Owls, the famous Rhinoceros Hornbill and grass snakes in the reeds, among others. It was truly one to remember.

The next day we had a productive morning out on the river. We caught some Silver Leaf Langurs, a beautiful primate that was far more reclusive than the others we had encountered. We also saw a number of new birds including the Bushy Crested, Black, and Wrinkled Hornbills. After the boat trip we kitted up in wellington boots and sloshed out into the very muddy jungle. We had a close look at so much that we normally would have walked past, from the scratch left by a Sunbear, to the dung of Pygmy Elephants. While the deepening mud threatened to swallow us whole, we trudged on and in a clearing paused to take note of a disused hornbill nest in the hollow of a tree. As we stood there and listened a Bornean Crested Fireback broke cover and walked into the clearing before noticing us and disappearing. It was as brief an encounter as it was extraordinary. We went out again in the evening and had another fantastic drift up and down the river.

Our final few trips out on the river revealed some incredible wildlife, from a massive Salt-water Crocodile, to a North Borneo Gibbon, a family of Orangutans, along with a plethora of birds. While the Pygmy Elephants eluded it us it is hard to imagine how the visit to the river might have been any better. Interestingly several names in area have quite funny origin stories. The name Kinabatangan means “Chinese Waving” as merchants used the river in times gone by and always cheerily greeted the Orang Sungai people who populated its shores and still do. “Orang” too is an interesting origin story as it means “people” in Bahasa. The word Orang Utan that derives from it means forest people and many native Bornean’s have myths surrounding the orangutans that live in their jungles being people that choose not to speak for fear of being put to work like the rest of mankind. Orang Sungai translates to river people and when colonizers first arrived they were called ‘Orang Peteh’ or white people.

Our time in the jungle was over all too soon and we struck for the coast and a small town called Semporna. Not to be unduly harsh but is a bit of a depressing place. It is however the gateway to the most extraordinarily beautiful islands on earth. After a rather uninspiring evening in town, we awoke early the next day to register for our upcoming advanced diving course and then headed out on the ferry, bound for the island of Mabul. Once out of the bay the ocean expanded into an endless aquamarine vista that accompanied us all the way to the island. Huge flocks of Frigatebirds welcomed us and with no time to lose we hopped off the ferry and immediately got into our gear and met our instructor. Not an hour later we were briefed and just afterwards we were off the end of the jetty working on our buoyancy. Being back in the water was fantastic and Mabul island hosts a beautiful array of life just off the pier. On our second dive of the day, focusing on navigation, an Eagle Ray swam between us!

That night we took on our first ever night dive and what an experience that was. We explored a totally different reef to what we see in the day and came upon sleeping turtles in an abundance, as well as a massive eel! The next morning, we were straight back in. This time for our first ever deep dive. Descending to 30 meters did not inherently feel any different and we managed to avoid any kind of narcosis effects as we knelt on the sandy bottom completing our skills. On the way back up the sloping reef we encountered a Mantis Shrimp and some turtles. We then completed our skills later in the day and celebrated with a fun dive during which we encountered some fantastic sights including the most enormous eel I have ever seen and explored a number of very cool wrecks which formed somewhat of a circular pattern back towards our boat. We celebrated our recent qualification with a sneaky beer or two but were sure to be in bed early because tomorrow had an unprecedented adventure in store.

We awoke early and after a quick but hearty breakfast, made our way down to the dock. Here we met our guide and hopped aboard because it was time for us to dive Sipadan! One of Padi’s top ten dive sites in the world, this small island is an almost mythical place. Featuring steep drop-offs into an endless abyss and vertical reefs all the way down it truly lives up to the reputation. It has also been the site of some dastardly dealings with modern pirates which only adds to the mystique. After registering ourselves on the island itself, we headed out for dive one. Descending into the piercingly clear blue off the most pristine reef was an otherworldly experience. Once at around 25 meters we headed away from the reef and out into the blue in pursuit of Hammerheads. We didn’t see any but returning to the reef we were treated to an absolute abundance of life, from Grey Reef Sharks to plentiful turtles.

After a surface interval we were back out on the ocean dropping in once more. This time we swam along another vertical reef and encountered huge tornadoes of fish all around. We came up to a cleaning station that was crawling with White-Tip Sharks and had an abundance of Grey Reef Sharks below us the entire time. Our last dive of the trip began with a brief foray into a deepwater cave before again tracing the line of a reef towards a point. Once at the end we met an enormous Napoleon Wrasse that cruised right up to us without a care in the world. Sipadan was in every sense, a place that exceeded notably high expectations. It is the most pristine reef, and I have never before seen such a vibrant proliferation of life all around.

Thus did our time in Borneo come to an end. After one last night in Semporna where we sat at a bar in the docks and raised a glass to the most unimaginable trip, we were off. Heading back inland we got one last impression of the immense jungle that once covered every square inch of Borneo. Birds chattered and flew about as we steadily approached Tawau. Here we embarked on a flight back to Kuala Lumpur and onward to home, and as the plane cleared the tarmac we watched as the island slowly sank into the clouds far below. It was a trip that had everything and it simply could not have been better.