After You Land: Borneo

Kota Kinabalu is the place to start. It is a great base for trips to islands off the coast. Mengalum Island is around an hour away from the city, while trips to Sapi and Manukan just take 20 minutes. Either way, you'll be greeted by passing sea turtles and colourful coral reefs.

No matter where you are, you can't miss Mt. Kinabalu in the distance. It's the country's highest mountain and considered very safe to hike up via one of the two standard trails. You can also opt to take the Via Ferrata if the usual 2-day hike doesn't sound extreme enough for you...

A trip on the old North Borneo Railway is probably a more relaxing way to travel through the jungle. It's designed for tourists and only runs twice a week, but it gives you access to more rural areas without hiring a car.

Borneo is one of only two places in the world where you can see orangutans in the wild (the other being Sumatra), and that's definitely easier if you have your own transport. It's about a 6 hr drive from Kota Kinabalu to eastern Sabah, where you'll have the best chances of spotting the ginger giants.

From there, you can drive to the Kinabatangan River to pick up a boat tour to spot them hanging by the river or head to Deramakot Forest Reserve to be taken off-road in a 4x4. You can save yourself some time on the road with a cheap domestic flight to Sandakan, where you can also join organised tours.

It's possible to save a bit of cash and make your own way to the boat tours without a car, but public transport there isn't great - this blog gives you a good idea of how to go it alone.