Expedition Borneo - Ocean
Expedition Overview
The backbone of this amazing 4 week experience in Borneo is spending your time on a remote tropical island learning to scuba dive, helping with a marine awareness programme and interacting with the small community there. In addition you will get the chance to experience the Borneo jungle and its wildlife first hand.
Highlights
- 1 month all-inclusive expedition
- Community & Environmental projects
- Participation in Marine Awareness Programme
- Wildlife viewing by Boat
- PADI Scuba Open Water Qualification
- Visit to Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
The expedition was everything I expected and more. I have learnt a lot about being part of a team, and developed a greater tolerance of others
Megan Cooper – St Swithun’s School
The Expedition
The backbone of this amazing 4 week experience in Borneo is spending your time on a remote tropical island learning to scuba dive, helping with a marine awareness programme and interacting with the small community there. In addition you will get the chance to experience the Borneo jungle and its wildlife first hand.
Highlights
- 1 month all-inclusive expedition
- Community & Environmental projects
- Participation in Marine Awareness Programme
- Wildlife viewing by Boat
- PADI Scuba Open Water Qualification
- Visit to Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
Elements Of Borneo Team Scuba Expedition
Community
Working and living alongside a rural Sabahan community will be one of the highlights of your Borneo experience. Their warmth and generosity despite obvious hardships is incredible. In line with our camps in Africa, our camp has been established in partnership with the local community, providing a connection not only to much needed project work but also into the social heart of the village. The range of activities you can be involved in include teaching in the primary and pre-school as well as teaching English to the village elders themselves, refurbishing the school classrooms or assisting with harvesting and planting. The main element of the community project is linked into the Marine Awareness Programme, which you can read about below in Ocean. As with all rural communities you can become involved in the nightly games of football, volleyball or badminton or simply watch, chat and make friends with the other bystanders. [Read More]
Wildlife
This phase of your adventure will be conducted on the banks of the mighty Kinabtangan River in eastern Sabah. The river runs from the heart of Borneo and is steeped in history since it used to be the only way of getting into the deep interior jungle. Communities along the banks have developed mini eco tourism projects in order to create alternative streams of income. You will participate in an environmental project, helping to reforest areas where the jungle has become sparse. This is hard work in the heat and humidity of a Borneo jungle but your reward is the opportunity to see wildlife at close quarters from a boat. The banks of the river are teeming with life including crocodiles, wild boar, occasional elephants, assorted birdlife and at least 8 different species of primates which of course includes the Borneo Orangutan. Several of these great apes nest near your work site so you may the chance to get up close and personal with one. If you fail to see one at the work site then your day trip to Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary will certainly guarantee you see a number of them up close. [Read More]
Ocean
Working in partnership with The Marine Research Foundation, a non-profit research foundation based in Sabah, you will help the small community on Mantanani Island take steps to protect and ultimately assume stewardship of their local marine environment. The Mantanani Islands, lying off the northwest coast of Sabah, comprise a host of marine communities, from coral reefs to sea grass beds, rocky cliffs and sandy shores. The inner lagoon area has been found to be used by numerous resident endangered green turtles, a handful of similarly endangered small dugongs, and a host of other tropical marine life.
In order to address the lack of basic infrastructure and support within the village, the lack of awareness of marine conservation issues, and improve the livelihoods of the local community, the Marine Research Foundation and Camps International are developing a conservation initiative aimed at educating and supporting the community to preserve their own marine environment. It is proposed that a process of gradual raising of community education and awareness will lead to an increase in environmental responsibility. Among the key initial requirements for the village, all linked to the Education for Conservation theme, are facilities for the school, an aid outpost for the community, waste dumping sites and incinerator facilities, and improvements in general environmental practices. Prior to the commencement of this programme you will gain your PADI Open Water diving qualification. Once you have attained the qualification you will be able to take part in some of the underwater survey and clean up work which is part and parcel of this project.
PADI Open Water Course
The padi open water diver course is the entry course for all future diving activities and is internationally recognised. You will learn in 4-5 days (which includes theory sessions, confined water sessions & open water dives with your instructor) all the important information and practical skills you will need to become internationally certified. The completion of this course allows you to hire equipment, dive either with your partner or under guidance and join further courses to specialise in different areas of Scuba Diving anywhere in the world. This is your chance to learn this amazing sport in the tropical warm and & clear waters off the coast of Borneo.
Travel Dates
These will be decided in conjunction with your school and all 1 month expeditions run during the school holidays.
Terms and Conditions
Download our Terms and Conditions
| Minimum Age | Maximum Age | |
| 15 Years | 18 years (Exceptions can be made on application) |
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| Inclusions | Not Included | |
| Pre expedition support | Arrival and departure fees (if applicable) |
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| Camp food and accommodation throughout | Vaccinations | |
| Unlimited safe drinking water | Tourist visa | |
| Transport | Personal equipment | |
| Communitnity and environmental project work | Spending money | |
| Project funds, project materials and project coordination | Drinks (other than water) | |
| Wildlife viewing by boat | Tips | |
| All park fees included in the tour but we reserve the right to pass on any increase in park fees. | Personal laundry | |
| PADI scuba course and equipment | Meals other than those listed | |
| 24hr support from in-country/UK offices prior to and during expedition | ||
| Fully staffed camps - cooks, drivers, housekeeing | ||
| 24hr security in camps | ||
| International and domestic flights | ||
| Expedition leader/school staff | ||
| Insurance | ||
Essential Information
View our Safety, Equipment, Education, Flights and Insurance Pages.
It has made me a more confident person and proved to me that with hard work I can achieve my goals.Sarah Dainty - Devizes School
Education & Development
For a start, it’s a seriously exciting experience and something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. The overriding purpose though is to provide you with an opportunity to develop as an individual within a team environment. In particular we will use the expedition to develop your ‘life skills’.
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Responsibility:
Are you ready to shoulder the responsibility? If you decide to sign up for a Team you need to realise that we will be looking to you to assume responsibility for raising the funds for your trip. We will of course be asking your parents and school to assist and we provide guidance and advice. The responsibility to achieve your goals before and during the trip however is yours.
Leadership:
The expedition gives every member of the team the opportunity to develop their leadership skills. You will take turns in leading elements of your expedition. We are going to let you make mistakes and learn from them. It’s an amazing training ground for life.
Teamwork:
Our Team sizes vary from 10 – 50 and every day, in everything you do, you and your friends will take on challenges you thought impossible. We will show you how to set goals, plan, risk assess and achieve. You are going to learn a lot about other people but not as much as you learn about yourself.
Communication:
Making things work on expedition is tough even under the best of conditions. You will need to communicate effectively not just amongst your team, but also with the indigenous Malaysians who will work alongside you every step of the way.
Initiative:
Problem solving and improvisation are essential skills when working in the developing world. There’s not a Hardware store in sight, if you need a ladder you have to make it! Things rarely go as planned so you will learn to have a contingency permanently up your sleeve.
Sense of Achievement:
Be in no doubt that at the end of your expedition you will have established an impressive benchmark of achievement at an age where life is just starting. As you step confidently off the plane in UK , your self-esteem, sense of worth and pride in what you have achieved will be deep rooted in your personality.
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Education & Employment:
The few skills we have just described are highly valued by both employers and further education institutions. Whatever you decide to do after your expedition we feel confident that you will be better equipped to face the challenges ahead knowing what you have already achieved. Many of our past expedition members can vouch for the fact that their experience in Borneo has helped them get the place they wanted in University and strengthened their CV or resumé.
The expedition was everything I expected and more. I have learnt a lot about being part of a team, and developed a greater tolerance of othersMegan Cooper – St Swithun’s School
Expedition Borneo - Ocean Gallery
Movies
Camp Borneo Video
This video gives you a great insight into what community project work involves and what to expect from life in camp Borneo.
I have loved every minute of it and gained a different perspective on life. The best 28 days of my life. Hard work that made a difference, combined with the most fun, I’ve ever had.Charlotte Winckley – Gordon’s School
Fundraising For Your Expedition
As you have no doubt noticed, expeditions are not cheap! We purposefully launch our expeditions over 1 year prior to departure to allow sufficient time for Team Members to raise the funds. Whilst it may seem impossible, there are thousands of young people who travel with Camps and other organisations every year who face the same challenge.
Like many things that require hard work and effort, the rewards justify the journey. Earning the funds for your expedition is an important part of the preparation process and will give you ownership of your trip. Throughout the lifecycle of the expedition we will establish goals for you to achieve and it is through the successful attainment of these that you will develop those individual qualities that employers look for.
It is important that you plan how you are going to raise the money and our advice is based on how those before you have managed to do it. You can even visit our Tribalzone (forum) and ask the tribal community what is working for them and exchange ideas. The majority of our teams manage to raise the money quite easily but the difficulty is not spending it!!
Here is our advice:
1. Plan your diary from now until the expedition departs - Highlight all the holidays where you can work and earn money and blank out the periods when you will have to concentrate on exams. We want this to compliment your exam results not ruin them!!
2. Don't rely on one source of funding - Successful fundraising will be a combination of different events and ideas. Be innovative and try different things to increase your chance of success.
3. Breakdown - Amounts seem more achievable with weekly/ monthly targets.
4. Ask family to make a contribution - Many work a system of fund matching what you can earn and save.
5. Keep going - It can be daunting at the beginning but the sooner you start fundraising the easier it will be. Any problems - don't hesitate to contact us.
6. Enjoy the process - Organising and hosting events can be good fun, it brings teams together, it's also and opportunity to try new things and push yourself.
Good Luck!
The top five fundraising ideas:
- Part-time work
- Odd jobs
- Corporate sponsorship
- Supermarket bag packing
- Sponsored events
When you book with us your team will receive our fundraising resource pack. Which contains really useful help & advice to get you started.
Food was really nice and part of the experience which was amazingLouise Hanson Gardner - Pensby High School for Girls 2007
Tribalzone
Read the latest news from our Projects in our Project Diary. Discuss your trip with other travellers in the Forum. Or get a look behind the scenes in the Staff Blog. Also, why not take a look at some of the photos in our Gallery or watch the camps DVD online in our Videos section?
Check out some of our fan page on Facebook:
The expedition was everything I expected and more. I have learnt a lot about being part of a team, and developed a greater tolerance of othersMegan Cooper – St Swithun’s School
