Brunei/Borneo

[Englishman2010]

I'm going to Brunei for 2 weeks in April, and hope to use it as a base for exploring Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo. It doesn't look that big on a map, but I'm aware the terrain is mountainous with thick jungle with few good roads. I've been told Kota Kinabalu in Sabah is a 6 hour car drive from Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei).
Does anyone have any experience of travelling around Borneo, and can you give some ideas of what to do and see?

If anyone else is planning on going to Brunei from Manila, flights are not great. Only Royal Brunei and Cebu Pacific fly there. RB operate 2 flights daily (and they are not cheap), CP fly once every 2 or 3 days at something like 2 AM in the morning

[Rosie1958]

Hi Englishman

Well you are certainly getting about a bit this year!

I've been to Kota Kinabalu in Borneo and flew there from Singapore a few years ago. The airport could certainly be described as undeveloped (!) We stayed at the Shangri-la resort just outside KK which was lovely and were able to take a helicopter ride around the bay. There were plenty of watersports available too. A popular destination for tourists is the Orangutan sanctuary which is located on a island but one needs to get up at silly o clock to fly there so we took the easy option and went to a much smaller but more local one at the Rasa Ria.

The main attraction at KK appears to be the mountain. The town was quite empty when we were there with a few dodgy looking characters on street corners closeby to the Filipino night market. It's also quite smelly in places as the sewerage system is one of open drainage.

The surrounding vegetation is very luscious and a mosquitos paradise ....... despite taking the necessary precautions we were still feasted on nightly.

I hope that you enjoy the experience

[Tawi2]

Did some training years ago in Sabah,also been to sarawak and kalimantan.You can actually get boats from sulu and jolo over to Sabah and vise-versa though its not exactly legal,touristy things?Do Mt Kinabalu,orang-utans at sepilok or do a jungle trek hoping to see their wild cousins?Dive with Sabah-divers?Depends what sort of person you are?If your adventurous try and take a trip up to the southernmost philippines or across to turtle islands.The malaysian government still pay a peppercorn rent to the sultanate of sulu for sabah Load of pinay/pinoy illegals working in Sabah,an ex-girlfriend of mine was one of them.

[Englishman2010]

Thanks for the tips Rosie and Tawi, it all sounds good to me.

I'm not your typical western tourist who needs 5 star luxury, i like to get off the beaten track away from tourists and am happy to rough it with the locals. I'll be staying with a Pinoy family in Brunei anyway, but that's more to do with the Western Hotels in Brunei charging £200 a night

[Arthur Little]

Sounds great, Ian ... I've never been to either of these two countries. And come to think of it, if I were to go to Borneo at the present time - when I'm re-cultivating my facial hair - there'd be every chance of me being mistaken for the fabled 'Wild Man!'

[Englishman2010]

Sounds great, Ian ... I've never been to either of these two countries. And come to think of it, if I were to go to Borneo at the present time - when I'm re-cultivating my facial hair - there'd be every chance of me being mistaken for the fabled 'Wild Man!'

You're too much of a Gentleman to be mistaken for a wild man Arthur

[bruneicop]

HI Englishman, Kota Kinabalu is certainly the best destination to start your trip, ( I believe you can get a bus up as well, if you have no one to drive you), you can also get ferries that go that way. (not expensive and safe, Brunei makes sure the Malaysian registered boats conform to International standards or they are not allowed in Brunei waters.

Fromr KK you can take trips to the Jungle / rainforests and the Orangutan sanctuary's), the roads are fine in Brunei itself, (i havent driven up to KK, but i have a few friends who have often, and they said its no problem.

Hotels are expensive in Brunei, but there are deals to be had sometimes. (If you let me know nearer the time, I can see what I can do at the Empire Hotel. (place is stunning), and i can normally get it for 80 pounds per night. The biggest problem with Brunei is getting around, you really need a car as the local buses can take forever, (car rental isnt too bad at 30 pounds per day) I can give you a number if you need this. .

http://www.asiaexplorers.com/brunei/kuala-balai.htm , this is a strange day out, never seen so many skulls before!!, if your base is Bandar, catch a lift to Kuala Belait, and get the ferry form there (much cheaper), there are hotels up in Kuala Belait as well, but they are expensive (and crap) as its near Shell Brunei's headquarters. I would have offered a a rorm at my place but we will be away form here by then. (plenty of pinoy's in Brunei)

ENjoy your trip, let me know if you need any more info on Brunei and I can try and help

[Englishman2010]

Thanks for your help Bruneicop I'm guessing from your name that you have more than a little inside knowledge

I'll be staying about 15 mins outside BSB with my mahal and her Pinoy ex pat family who've been there for 8 years, so hoping they have lots of good ideas too.