Borneo Trek Expedition: 3 Weeks

Work alongside local communities, learn cultural traditions, and take on an epic multi-day trek through the jungle. This is service-learning, adventure, and connection all in one expedition.

  • Location Borneo, Asia
  • Duration 3 weeks
  • Expedition Type Trek

From building vital infrastructure to regenerating habitats and visiting world-renowned conservation centers, you’ll experience Borneo’s culture, nature, and people up close. Along the way, you’ll complete a multi-day trek off-grid, learn through cultural exchange, and reflect on your adventure.

A fully supported expedition, from start to finish

Your expedition fee covers not just the incredible activities you’ll experience, but also the extensive guidance and support you’ll receive every step of the way. From the moment you sign up through your safe return home, our team ensures everything is organized and supported.

You’ll also need to plan for essentials like vaccinations, visas, personal gear, and a bit of spending money. Don’t worry—we make it easy. Once enrolled, you’ll get access to your personalized Traveller Gateway, with clear guidance and resources to help you prepare with confidence.

  • Round-trip international flights
  • Expedition Leader (qualified and experienced)
  • Accident and health insurance
  • All meals
  • Unlimited, safe drinking water
  • All accommodations listed in the itinerary
  • All activities listed in the itinerary
  • Entrance fees for all included excursions
  • All in-country transfers by private, approved vehicles
  • Project materials, costs, and management
  • 24/7 support throughout the expedition

This sample itinerary will give you a preview of what your expedition could look like. Please note that specific projects, activities, and camp locations may vary depending on local needs and conditions at the time of your expedition.

Day

Activities

More details

Day 1 Arrival in Borneo On arrival in Kota Kinabalu, you will be met by the Camp Borneo crew, recognizable by their bright orange T-shirts and beaming smiles. If you arrive on a late-evening flight, the team will be transferred immediately to their city accommodation to rest for the night.
Day 2 Transfer to Camp Bongkud Embark on a scenic drive to Camp Bongkud, winding up over the shoulder of Mt. Kinabalu with stunning views across the rolling hills and dense jungle. Along the way, stop briefly at the Kundasang War Memorial to learn about the history of British and Australian POWs during WWII. Upon arrival at camp, you will receive an entry briefing, a camp orientation, and a village tour from the camp manager. After dinner, enjoy a traditional cultural welcome performance hosted by the local youth.
Day 3 – 8 Community Service Learning Project Spend the next several days working alongside local community members on meaningful projects that are designed by and for the community themselves. Tasks may include assisting with local infrastructure, improving water drainage, or supporting small-scale eco-tourism initiatives. On at least one of these mornings, the team will wake up early to hike nearby Bongkud Hill, hoping to catch a spectacular sunrise over the countryside in the shadow of Mt. Kinabalu. Each afternoon, the community gathers on the sports pitch, offering a wonderful opportunity to play sports or simply chat and interact.
Day 9 Cultural Immersion Today is dedicated to exploring daily life in the village. Immersive activities may include visiting the local market, working in the rice fields to see how rice is grown and harvested, fishing in the local lake, or heading to a rubber plantation to learn how sap is tapped from the trees.
Day 10 Jungle Trek Preparation Following a relaxed morning, today focuses entirely on preparing for your upcoming jungle trek. Local guides and the support team will visit the camp to conduct a comprehensive briefing covering route distances, terrain, packing essentials, and how to properly pitch a hammock. You will then have time to sort your equipment and ration food. Take the rest of the afternoon to complete any final laundry or relax around the camp before the more arduous days ahead.
Day 11 – 15 Jungle Trek Over these five days, the team will undertake a challenging trek, moving from agricultural plantations into dense jungle. You will navigate different terrain and cross minor streams while carrying your own expedition gear. The team is accompanied by local porters who will assist along the route, help set up camp, and prepare meals. Upon arrival at each campsite each afternoon, you will practice your new skills by hanging your own hammock and tarpaulin before resting for the evening. Your expedition concludes on the afternoon of Day 15 at the Sabah Tea Plantation Resort, where a comfortable bed and a warm shower await. Celebrate your incredible achievement tonight with a well-earned, all-you-can-eat BBQ dinner.
Day 16 Transfer to Next Camp This morning you’ll transfer to Batu Puteh, a remote jungle region. Upon arrival, you’ll meet the KOPEL team, a local environmental organization. After a project briefing, you’ll travel by boat up the river to your jungle camp, where you’ll have the chance to sleep in a hammock beneath the forest canopy under the stars.
Day 17 – 18 Forest Regeneration Project Over the next two days, you’ll learn about the Borneo rainforest and its ecological importance. Working alongside KOPEL staff, you’ll help with reforestation efforts by planting native trees and supporting habitat restoration for endangered wildlife, such as orangutans. You will also have the chance to spot incredible local wildlife during river safaris as you transfer between the camp and work sites. Keep your eyes peeled to see if you can spot some of the region’s iconic primate species along the riverbanks!
Day 19 Sepilok and Sunbear Centres Travel to Sepilok to visit the world-famous Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. You’ll see these incredible animals up close and learn how conservation efforts are helping to protect them. In the afternoon, visit the Sandakan War Memorial before checking into a hostel for the night.
Day 20 Return to Kota Kinabalu Return to Kota Kinabalu, and dependant on time, you may spend your final day exploring bustling local markets, sightseeing, and picking up souvenirs. Rest up ahead of your travel home tomorrow, and take time to reflect on your growth and accomplishments over your expedition.
Day 21 Departure After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to the Camp Borneo crew and head to the airport for your flight home.

How you’ll make a difference

You’ll work on a range of projects throughout your expedition, each aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and designed to make a significant and lasting impact on the region’s most critical issues.

Village enhancement projects

Borneo – Village enhancement projects

You’ll get involved in a number of projects to improve facilities for the rapidly growing population of Bongkud. Projects may include constructing a youth centre, improving the drainage system to ensure cleaner and healthier living and establishing a community farming programme to improve food security and encourage self-sufficiency within the village, without needing to transport supplies from larger towns.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

2 Zero Hunger Icon

Zero hunger

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

3 Good health and well-being

Good health and well-being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

13 Climate Action

Climate action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Habitat conservation

Borneo – Habitat conservation

Batu Puteh is an incredible haven for a large majority of Borneo’s wildlife including orangutans, elephants and proboscis monkeys, and is one of the world’s most important natural habitats. However, it’s also one of the most threatened. You’ll get involved in activities to help safeguard this wildlife paradise for future generations by helping to tackle deforestation.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

13 Climate Action

Climate action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

15 life on land

Life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Community care construction

Borneo – Community centre construction

Community centres (‘Balai raya’ in Malay) are commonplace in Sabah and form an integral part of village life. A well-used and maintained community hall is often a good indicator of the health of the community itself. You’ll be getting involved in a long-term project to construct a community centre for the local community, who currently do not have one.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

8 Decent work and economic growth

Decent work and economic growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Experience the local way of life in our authentic camps

Our camps are at the heart of every expedition. Built in traditional styles and staffed by local community members, they offer an authentic place to rest and recharge after a day of service learning project work.

Depending on your itinerary, you’ll stay in several of our camps. These could include those featured below.

Rainbow over main building in Camp Bongkud.

Camp Bongkud

Set in the shadows of the mighty Mount Kinabalu, Camp Bongkud is surrounded on all sides by lush picturesque scenery. Its hillside location gives it a pleasant breezy climate which makes it the ideal hillside retreat after a hard day’s project work.

Being in the heart of the village also has its advantages; all your project sites are only a short walk away and you can challenge the locals to a friendly game of volleyball on the community court during your downtime.

  • Location: 127 km (3-3.5 hours drive) from Kota Kinabalu Airport & 160 km from Kudat
  • Accommodation style: Traditional longhouses
  • Bed type: Comfy mattresses & bedding including mosquito net.
  • Toilets: Flushing toilets,
  • Showers: Cold water showers & sinks
  • Power: Mains electricity backed up by generator (between 18:00 – 22:00). British 3 pin power sockets
  • Social area: Chilling hut, volleyball court, badminton & board games
  • Signature dish: Banana fritters & steamed banana cake
Borneo view from a trek adventure

Camp Batu Puteh

Batu Puteh is all about getting back to nature! Our jungle camp is set in the heart of one of Borneo’s most ancient forests along the banks of the Kinabatangan river where you’ll get the chance to live alongside elephants and orangutans for an experience that’s hard to beat.

Our camp offers three types of accommodation and you’ll hopefully get a chance to try them all:

Jungle camp: Get back to basics and experience true adventure. Learn how to rough it in the jungle with local guides accompanying you and showing you the ropes. Sleep in a hammock and cook over a camp fire before falling asleep to the soothing sounds of the forest.

Eco camp: A little more luxury but still an exciting wilderness experience. This camp offers raised camping platforms where you can enjoy camping in the great outdoors.

  • Location: 350 km (6 hours drive) from Kota Kinabalu Airport & 60 km from Lahad Datu
  • Accommodation style Jungle Camp: Hammock, tarpaulin & mosquito net. No toilet or washing facilities – completely back to nature!
  • Accommodation style Eco Camp: Tents with comfy mattresses & bedding. Flushing toilets, cold showers & sinks
  • Power: Gas lighting available in eco camp
  • Signature dish: Local cakes – Linggang & Gelang

All the camps staff were super friendly and helpful. It was incredible experience learning about different cultures. To see the project work completed by the end of the stay in a particular camp was so satisfying and knowing that the local community would benefit from it.

Asha, Camp Borneo 2023

Our local camp legends

Our camps are staffed by local community members who will quickly make you feel at home. These amazing team members bring each expedition to life and share the very best of their country with you.

Evelyn Binti Thomas

As a Camps traveler, you’ll get to learn about our rich Bornean culture and experience its spectacular beauty – from mountains to coasts and jungles full of flora and fauna. Many people in rural villages in Sabah don’t have the opportunity to travel to other countries, so having travellers come to stay at camp is an amazing opportunity for cultural exchange (both ways!) and inspires the younger generations to study hard and see the world.

Interested in this expedition?

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