
Wild Borneo Safari, Rainforest & Retreat
11 nights from £4,795pp
Wild Borneo Safari, Rainforest & Retreat
Spend two nights in Kota Kinabalu at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria, then travel into the jungle surrounding the Kinabatangan River. One night at Sepilok Nature Lodge and two nights at Sukau Rainforest Lodge allows you to explore the waterways and view wildlife such as elephants, before going overland to the Danum Valley rainforest (staying two nights at Borneo Rainforest Lodge). Finally, enjoy four nights on Gaya Island at Bunga Raya Resort, with its white sandy beach and surrounding jungle.
Your Journey
Days 1-2 Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu
Fly via Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu where on arrival you will be transferred to Shangri La Rasa Ria Aru for a two night stay. Spend your first full day at leisure relaxing at the resort or explore nearby Kota Kinablu with its excellent shopping, local night markets and the Sabah Museum. You could also enjoy a day’s snorkelling and beach hopping, white water rafting or some light trekking in the Kinabalu National Park to see Mt Kinabalu!
Accommodation - 2 Nights
Day 3 – Sepilok Nature Lodge
TTransfer to the airport for your direct flight to Sandakan where on arrival you will be met and transferred to Sepilok Nature Lodge (approx. 30-40 minutes).
This resort lies next door to the well-known Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, where semi-wild orangutans roam freely. That makes it ultra-convenient for visiting the centre but the lack of physical barrier between the centre and the resort means it’s very possible you’ll spot orangutans swinging through the trees while you’re lolling in your hammock on your veranda.
However, don't visit today as you'll be heading there tomorrow. This afternoon you could visit the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary at Labuk Bay, or alternatively go to the nearby Rainforest Discovery Centre. The canopy bridges there will get you closer to nocturnal creatures like flying lemurs, flying foxes and slow loris.
Accommodation - 1 Night
Days 4 – 5 Sukau Rainforest Lodge
On your first day you’ll be met Sepilok Nature Lodge by Borneo Eco Tours, who will transfer you to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. After an introduction to their work, you'll have the unique opportunity to visit the free-roaming area feeding platform. It's a remarkable experience, allowing you to witness the Orangutan, our closest relative, undergoing rehabilitation to thrive once more in their natural habitat. During your visit, you'll enjoy a captivating stroll through the lush Tropical Lowland Dipterocarp Forest of Borneo, immersing yourself in the vibrant ecosystem.
Your journey continues with a visit to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. This remarkable centre has made tremendous strides in improving the living conditions of rescued sun bears and providing them with the space to exhibit their natural behaviours within a 2.5-hectare enclosed forest. It's a day filled with awe-inspiring wildlife encounters and conservation efforts in action.
After lunch you’ll journey two hours overland to Sukau Rainforest lodge, a simple but comfortable lodge on the banks of the Kinabatangan River. Settle into your accommodation and later this afternoon take a river cruise in search of wildlife and birds and enjoy candle light dinner overlooking the riverbank followed by a slide show and interpretation by a naturalist guide.
On your Second Day take an early morning river cruise up the Kinabatangan River to Kelenanap oxbow lake, one of the best times to view the spectacular wildlife of the region, you will see plenty of different species of monkeys including the fascinating proboscis monkeys this region is famous for and with any luck you’ll see Orangutan in the wild. After breakfast, proceed for an educational tour along the lodge’s Hornbill Boardwalk with their in-house naturalist. In the afternoon, proceed for another river cruise for more wildlife spotting.
Accommodation - 2 Nights
Days 6-7 Danum Valley, Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Travel by road south to the town of Lahad Datu where you change vehicle and travel by 4WD into the pristine Danum Valley and Borneo Rainforest Lodge, one of Asia's best wildlife lodges. Spend the next couple of days exploring the rainforest with your ranger guide. Wildlife is prolific here and you have a good chance of seeing pygmy elephants, wild orang-utans, gibbons and a range of striking birdlife. There is also plenty of activity from river tubing, swimming in waterfall pools, jungle trekking and if weather permits heading out on night safaris.
Accommodation - 2 Nights
Days 8-11 Gaya Island - Bunga Raya Resort
After another morning at the lodge for a last jungle wildlife trek enjoy some time to freshen up before travelling back to Lahad Datu to fly back to Kota Kinabalu. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Jessleton Wharf where you are whisked away to Bunga Raya by speedboat. Enjoy 4 nights (or more if you have time) to relax on the island when you stay at Bunga Raya Resort. Enjoy the beach and the spa, head off on jungle treks with expert ranger guides or enjoy snorkelling and scuba diving. It is also easy to visit Kota Kinabalu and enjoy a range of excursions if you can drag yourself away from the island!
Accommodation - 4 Nights
What's Included
11 nights from £4,795 per person
- International flights included from the UK
- Includes domestic flights
- Includes return airport and in-destination transfers
Package price shown is based on travel in April - June and September - November 2027. Exact pricing is dependent on exact departure dates and availability at the time of booking. Please contact our team of experts for further information and your bespoke quote.








Best time to travel
Borneo is best visited from March to October, when the weather is generally drier and conditions are favourable for wildlife viewing and outdoor adventures. The wetter months can bring heavier rainfall and lush landscapes, while the drier season offers excellent opportunities for spotting orangutans, exploring tropical rainforests and discovering the island’s remarkable biodiversity.
Booking Process

1. Make an Enquiry
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2. Speak to a Specialist
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3. Tailored Itinerary
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4. Book Your Trip
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Accommodation
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View ItineraryFAQs
British passport holders don’t need a visa to visit Malaysia.
The currency is the Malaysian ringgit.
The flight time from London to Kuala Lumpur is around 12 hours.
The time difference is GMT +8 hours.
Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Polio and Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccinations are currently recommended and Malaysia is deemed to have a risk of Malaria and the Zika virus. If you’re entering Malaysia from a Yellow Fever zone, possession of a valid Yellow Fever inoculation certificate is required but for any current travel health advice, you should seek guidance from your GP at least four to six weeks prior to travel.
Speak to our Specialists

Chris Gardner
Senior Travel Specialist

Beth Burns
Travel Specialist

Katie Owen
Travel Specialist

Sophie Barton
Travel Specialist

Georgie Osborne
Travel Specialist

Bethany Preston
Senior Travel Specialist & Team Leader

Antony De Liseo
Senior Travel Specialist

Lucy Barry
Travel Specialist

Nick Prentice
Senior Travel Specialist

Why Choose Turquoise?
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We are one of the few remaining family owned and run operators of our size. We have direct relationships with every single destination, island, resort and hotel we work with, in order to deliver exceptional and truly personalised service.
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What Our Travellers Say
“As enthusiastic retirees with a serious case of wanderlust, my wife and I now travel abroad at least four times a year.We'd been subscribed to The Turquoise Holiday Company mailing list for years, but it wasn't until we spotted a special offer for Thailand in November 2019 that we finally booked our first holiday with them.Interestingly, a few months earlier, while waiting for a flight to the Maldives in June 2019, we noticed another couple travelling with a Turquoise travel bag. At the time, we thought little of it, but looking back, it was perhaps an early sign that we were about to discover a travel company that would become our go-to specialist for luxury holidays.Our first experience with Turquoise was excellent and gave us the confidence to book a Maldives holiday for June 2020. Then, of course, COVID struck and brought the travel industry to a standstill. What impressed us most was the way Turquoise handled an incredibly difficult situation. Rather than leaving us in limbo, they worked tirelessly to rearrange our holiday multiple times, adapting to constantly changing restrictions and circumstances. Eventually, in November 2020, despite flying with a different airline and staying at a different hotel than originally planned, we were able to enjoy a much-needed Maldives escape when many other travel plans around the world had simply been cancelled altogether.That experience cemented our trust in The Turquoise Holiday Company. Since then, we have booked many holidays through them and now use them for the vast majority of our trips abroad.What consistently sets Turquoise apart is the quality of its people. Every member of staff we have dealt with has been knowledgeable, professional, friendly and exceptionally thorough. Their expertise, attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile give us complete confidence that every aspect of our holiday is being carefully managed.In an age where genuine customer service can be hard to find, The Turquoise Holiday Company continues to deliver it in abundance. We would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone looking for a travel agent that combines expert knowledge, outstanding customer care and absolute professionalism. They have played a major part in some of our most memorable travel experiences, and we look forward to booking many more adventures with them in the years ahead.”
“Right from first contact, Bethany & colleagues were great. Bethany adjusted the holiday offered several times to get it just how we wanted it, & it was everything she said it would be. We went to Coco Bodu Hithi & it was amazing, I thoroughly recommend it. Turquoise have a great app which was really useful & they were there for us all along the way, even sending me updates on flights. I recommend them 100%.”
“Everything was so efficient from our very first contact. We are not seasoned travellers so the support/help/advice we received from Lucy all the way through was so reassuring. Even the daftest question was never too much trouble. Looking forward to booking again for 2028 - we wouldn’t dream of looking forward alternative travel agents. Thank you so much 🥰”
“I am so thankful we used Turquoise Holidays! From start to finish they were exceptional. A shout out to Martha who designed and organised our honeymoon for us - she took the stress out of planning, understood the vision and put together our dream holiday. She was a pleasure to work with and it was beyond anything we could have imagined. I can’t tell you how relieved we were to have all of our transport and transfers sorted the other side. Especially for a trip like ours with lots of flights and travel, using Turquoise Holidays made it so much easier. We also used the concierge services to book activities and they were so helpful and kind. Will definitely use Turquoise again, I can’t wait for our next holiday!”
“Sophie was brilliant from start to finish. From the very first email she was professional but also had that friendly touch. Any amendments I wanted to our honeymoon plans she came back with the updated itinerary. Even after 5 iterations she was still incredible with the responses. I would highly recommend using turquoise travel and we will definitely be using them again”
“Amazing Family Holiday and just what we asked for! We wanted a resort and location that was approriate for small kids but had all the luxuries for adults, and Turquoise holidays provided a great service. Commincation was great and they took all the pain out of the small details and provided an excellent service and the value was outstanding!”
“Just got back from a fantastic Holiday in Mauritius with which I booked the Holiday with Turquoise Holidays. This is my first time I have booked with this company and I will have no hesitation in booking again, from start to finish the correspondence I had with Milly and the rest of the team at Turquoise as been outstanding. Thankyou Neil & Jane”
“Enjoyable trip to Canada.Jonty made excellent recommendations as always, hotels were great in every respect.Highly recommend Turquoise for their advice and insight into places and hotels at a very good price point. We have used many times in the past and will continue do use again in the future.”
“Mrs Stone organised all my flights details and extra help extremely well.”
“This was the best travel agent experience we have ever had. We went on a bespoke 5 week trip to Australia. Our agent, Stuart, designed a trip exactly matching our requirements and really listened to us when we described the brief. What came through strongly during the course of the trip was Turquoise’s ability to not just source the best properties/accommodation, but the best rooms in those properties. Likewise with the tours and activities that they organised — everything felt highly curated and considered. When any queries arose or we wanted to change the bugs, the team was super-responsive through the app. We will definitely use them again have recommended them to many friends.”
“We had a really good time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The blend of activity and adventures in Sri Lanka mixed with the relaxation and tranquility of the Maldives, worked extremely well and the itinerary put together by Turquoise was excellent.Overall we were very impressed with Sri Lanka and whilst hectic at times enjoyed our busy agenda. We found all the accommodation wonderful and food was plentiful and enjoyable. We were pleased to have climbed the two rocks to see the sunset/sunrise albeit a bit daunting when we realised the climbing challenge ahead.Special mention has to go to our driver/guide Mahesh who was excellent and really helped make our trip run smoothly. He was knowledgeable, practical and always prompt.In fact our only hiccup occurred when trying to leave the Notary House to fly to Male. We had booked a 4am alarm call, bags to be picked up at 4.20am and “breakfast to go” ready for 4.30am. Fortunately we had used our own phone alarms as we awoke to a completely silent hotel, no alarm call, no bags collected and no breakfast, and no driver.We did however just about hear a car hooting and on seeing some lights at the end of the long drive to the hotel set off and found Mahesh. However, the gates were padlocked shut and Mahesh was locked out and we were locked in! Fortunately Mahesh had a number for the hotel and after ringing several times, an apologetic staff member appeared and unlocked the gate and off we went. Phew !After making our plane we successfully arrived in Male and took the speedboat to Velassaru. We thought the island was impeccably well kept and had obviously been recently modernised in many areas. Our room - 205 - was perfectly positioned close to the Chill Bar, and ideal for drinking cocktails and watching the sunset, yet only a small walk from all other amenities including the buffet restaurant where we ate all our meals. We found the breakfast plentiful and varied but thought the offerings for dinner were less extensive than on other islands( maybe we were a bit spoilt at Six Senses last year ! ). We were also disappointed that given we were half board had we wished to use any of the other 3 à la carte restaurants for dinner then this was additionally chargeable albeit with a 30% discount.And yes, sadly the view from our villa of Thilafushi was certainly not ideal or romantic but overall we still agreed that Velassaru was a lovely island with everything you would expect from a trip to the Maldives.Overall we were very satisfied and would consider doing a similar trip again and definitely using Turquoise albeit I think we would allow for a longer journey from Male and take the seaplane even if that did eat into a bit more of our holiday time.Thanks again to Anthony for listening to our requirement and tailoring our trip to suit our needs.Steve ( and Cathy )”
“Always so helpful, professional and efficient, thank you once again!”

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