Wonders of Borneo in 3 weeks

Malaysia | Jun 1 - Jun 21, 2025

Really good, clean and comfortable hotel only 10 min walk from the Twin Towers.

I really loved this hotel because it is just behind the end of the waterfront so with an easy walk you can get to the river where the view is great. I had a corner room on the top floor which was spacious, clean, very comfortable. They have great breakfast, I really appreciated that they offered Sarawak Laksa for breakfast, its a must to try :)

It is difficult to give a review about Nexus because the location, the beach is simply incredible. I would say that this is one of the nicest beaches in KK area. The hotel premises are huge, you can meet with monitor lizards in the garden, I have seen even hornbills staying on the trees. I was staying in a sea view room on the top floor, the room was huge, clean and nice. However…many parts of the hotel are neglected, there is no guard on the beach, some of the furniture is totally destroyed by the weather. The breakfast time is handled in their main restaurant which does not have the capacity to accommodate all guests therefore you have to wait to get a table. Overall its a pity that certain services, areas of the place are neglected because it would be a really great hotel.

One of my favorite hotels during my trip, its an incredible hotel with huge, comfortable rooms. The hotel premises very nicely melt into the surrounding nature. The food was delicious and the pool is an absolute plus. They offer free shuttle between the hotel-airport-national park which is so convenient.

The lodge has a registration office in Lahad Datu where you are welcomed, you can have some refreshment, they explain you the road trip which takes 2,5 hrs to the lodge which is already a great adventure. It is a real treasure in the rainforest, an incredible accommodation. I was staying in a Jungle Chalet which was spacious, very comfortable bed with mosquito net which I loved. During the night it felt like sleeping out in the forest, really nice experience. The food was incredible, huge variety or everything. Very nice and friendly staff, special thanks to Ben and Irene from the bar for their kindness and entertainment. Very organized welcoming of the guests, rangers are explaining the programs before you start them.

This accommodation was a real surprise for me, I was not sure what to expect and I was surprised in a very positive way. Rooms are super comfie, clean and the food is absolutely delicious. I could not thank enough for their kindness staff for it :) I really appreciated that its not a huge lodge so they only a few rooms therefore it feels really cozy. I love their eco solutions for water and electricity.

Best location because its very close to the RDC and also only a few min drive from the Orangutan and Sunbear centers. The rooms are nice and clean, I really liked that you live in individual small chalets. The pool was amazing after a tiring day on the sun.

A real gem. I have been to many 5 star hotels but this one is very special. Originally I was booked into the Garden wing but straight away at the check in I got myself upgraded into the Ocean wing. Right from the beginning the staff was incredibly helpful, they even gave me an interim room to refresh myself until my Ocean Wing room is ready. I had a sea view room on the 4th floor. The room is fantastics, my first thought was that I would love to have it as it is as my own flat. Incredibly spacious, smart layout, comfortable furniture, tub on the terrace with a sunbed and a fan. Every evening they give you a local short story as part of the turn down service, such an attentive detail. The hotel premises are huge and as expected the ocean wing provided real privacy and peace. I really enjoyed the huge swimming pool and also visited the beach. I had a massage as well in the spa at the golf court which i can highly recommend.

I would say already the trip from Lahad Datu to Danum was already a great adventure, I loved the ride. We already saw monkeys on the way and some nice butterflies. We started at the lodge with an easy walk, and for our greatest surprise we spotted an orangutan mom with her baby. This was an absolute highlight and it was only an hour walk. Later we had a night drive, its was so nice and calm with some animal spottings.

I was the last one to board the boat which gave me a really good spot to sit at the end of the upper deck. The who journey gives you a really nice overview of the city, the surrounding, how people live in the area, fishing boats which are super cute and colorful. The absolute highlight was the sunset in the end behind Kuching.

It was actually an hour program, we visited the city by car and made a stop to take some pictures of the Mustapha tower and the ministry building. In the evening I had the most amazing sunset of my Borneo visit, KK is situated in a perfect location to catch incredible sunsets.

We did the coffin trail trekking which was very challanging physically to climb in the mud but the view in the end is a great compensation for the efforts. In the afternoon I went rafting, that was a real highlight to me in Danum. We were two in the boat plus our guide Bob so it was a really relaxing program. We also had the chance to swim a bit in a spot. The scenery is just amazing. We heard the sound of a helmeted hornbill which I will never forget :) We finished the evening with a short nightwalk, we had a bit cloudy evening but still the sky above the rainforest was amazing.

The Deer cave was incredible. Already the walk to the cave was really cool, all the way in the forest but on ramps. After the cave we watched the bat exodus, hundreds of bats flying out of the cave to go for food in huge groups one by one…a true memory for life especially also if you keep silent and listen to the sound of their wings. The walk back to the park entrance in semi darkness brings out all the sounds of the forest, hundreds of spiders watching you and when the torch light touches their eyes, they shine like a diamond…it kinda feels like in Avatar.

We arrived late at the lodge therefore it was not possible to go for the full 2 hr trip however my guide Rizal did not want me to miss anything so they quickly took me out to introduce me to the proboscis monkeys before they go to sleep. I really enjoyed it.

We had 3 boat trips during the day, one in the morning where I was alone. In the afternoon I went with two other tourists from Spain and evening I was alone again. All cruises were really great, I enjoyed the calm and silent small channels of the river. During the night ride we spotted some very cute animals.

I was mainly interested in snorkeling for the program. We went to Dreamer island which is a private island and is mainly for water sports. There was nothing to see so its not a good spot to see anything. They organized intro diving but it was not too encouraging that all the people on the island went in turns so the entire experience seemed a bit like mass tourism. The island had a nice beach, if you dont mind swimming monitor lizards in the water its a nice sport to take a dip in the water.

Last day in Kinabatangan with morning and afternoon boat rides. We were trying to chase elephants but did not make it but still we managed to see wildlife.

The first highlight of this trekking was my guide Rosli. He has such an incredible knowledge, he is so proud of his heritage that you can hear it in all his stories he shares. The park is really nice, calm, we have seen some pitcher plants, birds, forgs, amazing trees and as a bonus a nice waterfall in the end. Even though I expected the water to be cold, it was really pleasant. In the afternoon we continued our trip to Semenggoh orangutan center as a separate program where we saw many orangutans coming for the afternoon feeding.

My ultimate favorite cave is the Clearwater cave. Its gigantic, the dimensions are incredible. There is an nice small sport at the exit to take a dip in the water which is very refreshing so highly recommended. We stopped on the way in a small handcraft market, I really liked the hand made products there. Lunch was very tasty and extra bonus I had midin as well :)

Its a great place to see the monkeys from very close. Bonus was two hornbills :)

First we visited the Kinabalu Park, the flowers and plants here are beautiful. I have seen some orchids and pitcher plants. Later we visited a dairy farm, I really liked that you can see the cow milking and also try their local products. I tried their yogurt ice cream, it is a must, was super delicious.

I visited the SunBear and the Orangutan Rehab centers, both really worth the visit. I also had a Nightwalk in the RDC where we went to skywalk to wait for the flying squirrels. I can recommend to check out the canopy bridge also during the day, its an incredible establishment.