Sandy - Borneo - Apr 2024

I ventured to Sabah with hubby and friends — a bucket list destination for me forever. I’m terribly afraid of snakes (even typing the word gives me the willies)…so I always think Borneo is one snake pit.  Wasn’t I pleasantly surprised to not see ANY in the fabulous rainforest lodges that we stayed.

First off, a night in Kota Kinabalu to shake off the travel dust, then off to a night at Sepilok Lodge. This place is getting renovated with a pool so that’ll be nice. It was fine and a great base to visit some decent sanctuaries in the area … proboscis monkeys (our favorite), a wildlife refuge, sun bears and the orangutan sanctuary. All very well done and not too ‘zooey’.

Then, off to Sukau Rainforest Lodge which we all loved. We arrived at lunch time and were enjoying a leisurely lunch when our guide asked us if we were ready to leave right now. Of course, we were. We were rewarded with the crossing of ‘too many to count’ pygmy elephants crossing the river. We observed them for a long long time and it was incredible. Most of the wildlife encounters here happen by boat… wonderful birding (hornbills!), monkeys, crocs, etc. etc. etc. Our guides were just amazing at spotting tiny things up in the trees … oh yeah, now I see that.  Wow. This place is a must-do on your Borneo itinerary.

Off to Borneo Rainforest Lodge, which is just as lovely and deserving of all the accolades it gets. A total notch up from any other lodge in the region for sure. Here, our hikes paid off with elephant, orangutan and so much more. The guides were super fun and full of knowledge, and our leech socks actually worked. Again, this is a must-do if traveling to Borneo.

Lastly, we ended up at Kapalai Dive Resort for 5 nights. When we told people we were going there for 5 nights, they questioned this … and I can see why. I’d love to recommend this place, but it just wasn’t managed all that well. It really is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been and the snorkeling was terrific, especially with the turtles. I didn’t dive here as my travel mates weren’t divers and they wouldn’t allow a tank or 2 to check things out (even though the dive operation was certainly not busy…). If this place had better management, food, attitude, bar….it could be one of the world’s most desirable destinations. Loads of guests came for a day or 2 to put on outfits and have their photos taken, so there was that... Thankfully, we were able to make our own fun here so we survived. The actual resort is nice and it’s built completely over the water …. so imagine my surprise when my good mates warned me that there was a ‘you know what’ on the dock! What the heck.