Visiting Borneo for me, was like being right in the middle of the latest Sir David Attenborough BBC, Wild Planet special. The name, Borneo, alone screams exotic wildlife and adventure. But is it a “do it yourself” kind of destination? Can you, as a solo traveller, see Borneo on a budget or do you need a guided tour?
As my time to visit got closer and I was talking to more and more travellers, it seemed the majority had opted to pay for packaged tours, all-inclusive with hotels, tours and meals.
I’m a solo traveller on a budget and not a huge fan of packaged tours over multiple days. I like to find my own way around, eat at my own choice of restaurants and so on, and the same goes for Borneo. I was going to find a way to do it on my own!
Pumping out the google searches I quickly discovered there was an abundance of companies and packages available for anything I might want, 2-day/1-night trips to full-blown 7-day/8-night expeditions taking on multiple towns and treks into the wilderness and surrounding islands.
Could I do Borneo as a budget solo traveller or was this really a destination that required a tour and tour guide?
Time To Make A Decision
Having spoken with this handful of people and them all going on package tours, my first thought was I needed to do one. Just to ensure I got everywhere I wanted to go and saw the maximum amount of animals in my short 8-day trip to Malaysian Borneo.
I started frantically emailing companies as my flight was fast approaching and the figures that came back astounded me. Over $1500aud for 6 days 5 nights and that’s NOT including flights…sorry What?! Come again?!
Being a backpacker on a six-month journey with over half my travels still to come, this was way out of reach and not something I was willing to pay for.
So, with my determination raging like a wild bull, I declared to myself: “I’m going to conquer Borneo, see and do everything on my own, my own way and for a fraction of the cost.” So There!
My itinerary was as follows: flight from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu (KK), 2 nights in KK, flight to Sandakan, 4 nights in Sandakan, flight to Kuching and 1 night in Kuching.
My Top Tips To See Borneo On A Budget
Use Sandakan as your hub to do all your nature and wildlife trips, everything is within a short and cheap Grab ride. (download the app. it is Asia’s equivalent of Uber and seriously cheap)
Accommodations On A Budget
I’m such an advocate for hostels, you’ll very rarely see me recommend anything else.
There are hostels in Sandakan for cheap stays and they will store your luggage if you decide to do an overnight to Turtle Island or Kinabatangan River
Private rooms in Malaysia also, all incur a 10RM per night tourist tax. To avoid this get a dorm room.
Food On A Budget
Eat at the local restaurants. Nasi Goreng Ayam (fried rice with Chicken) 7rm=$2.32aud. It’s a seriously huge meal and very delicious
Alternatively, book hostels that have a kitchen, buy your own groceries at the local supermarket and cook your own meals
Transportation On A Budget
Use Grab, as previously mentioned, to get around. A 40-minute trip from Sandakan to Sepilok cost 23rm =$7aud
Sanctuaries On A Budget
You don’t need a tour or tour guide to do the sanctuaries. The Orangutans and Sun Bears are 20 steps from each other (literally) Plus the local rangers in each Sanctuary will answer any questions you may have. The Rainforest Discovery Centre is a 20-minute walk down the same road as the Orangutan centre. Get a Grab to one, as noted above, and just walk to the other two. Entry to Orangutan Centre is 30RM, Sun Bears 30RM and Rainforest Discovery Centre 15RM
Long Distance Travel on a Budget
Air Asia has regular daily flights between Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu. If you want to visit Mount Kinabalu or anything else KK or its surroundings has to offer, it’s a good base.
Reduce the cost of flights even further by booking well in advance. I was booking flights only 1-2 days ahead of taking them, which I wouldn’t recommend. This increases the costs. That’s the unfortunate downside of “winging it” whilst travelling. As well as not having time up your sleeve to be catching local transport
An even cheaper option to get from KK to Sandakan or in reverse, if you have time on your side, is by bus which is approximately a 7-8hour journey
Day Tours On A Budget
A day trip to Mount Kinabalu cost 180RM. It included a stop at a flowering Rafflesia (the world’s biggest flower) and a stop at Poring Hot Springs. The sunsets in Kota Kinabalu are to die for by the waterfront, and free!
Do a day tour to Kinabatangan if you’re short on time. Sure, you’ll miss out on the experience of staying in a lodge and doing the night walks. However, your chance of seeing wildlife during the day is still really high. (We saw 7 wild Orangutan, crocodiles, snakes and an abundance of Proboscis monkeys) Plus you’ll save yourself some money by returning to Sandakan that same day. The return day trip costs 212RM
Shout Yourself This Amazing Tour
By far the most expensive activity I did was to Selingan, Turtle Island. This cost me 885RM. However, there is a lot included. Hotel pick up & drop off, return boat to & from the island, lunch, dinner, breakfast, accommodation and your guide, who is a wealth of knowledge.
Do I need to remind you of the experience of a lifetime?! Witnessing Green Turtles lay their eggs, watching the eggs be transported and buried in the hatchery and releasing newly hatched babies back to the ocean.
There are a couple of ways you can experience Turtle Island.
Most activities such as the canopy walk at Mt Kinabalu, Turtle Island and Orangutan Centre charge a camera tax of between 5-10RM. If you want to take photos, make sure you take some small change.
My Final Borneo Budget
For my DIY trip to Borneo including all flights, transport, accommodation, food, entrance, taxes, tours…EVERYTHING was $952.14aud. So not only did I have 8 days and 7 night’s, but my costings were inclusive of everything.
Compared to a 6 day 5 night package tour for 4761RM = $1587aud. Of which the following was NOT included, flights from KK to Sandakan, camera taxes or any drinks. If you include flights/taxes into the equation the price is likely to be around the $1900 point.
In Conclusion
You can absolutely do Borneo on a budget, as a solo traveller. You can do it on your own terms and for considerably less than a package tour.
I saved over $800 and I didn’t even really do it completely budget. I purchased last minute flights and stayed in private rooms, in hostels.
With better preplanning and booking things well in advance, I could’ve saved myself a lot more.
It is also worth mentioning how to be an ethical visitor in Borneo. Do your research into any tour company or sanctuary that you visit. Anyone offering you the chance to hold, handle, feed, ride or interact with wild animals should absolutely be avoided.
Go On! Book that flight.
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