Reviews

We spent 3 nights at the lodge and loved it. We were impressed by the hospitality, perfect planning and the direct proximity to the wilderness. The accommodation is highly recommended.

We spent 3 nights at the lodge and loved it. We were impressed by the hospitality, perfect planning and the direct proximity to the wilderness. The accommodation is highly recommended.

Amazing experience and fantastic service from end to end. Clare helped us organise a great trip and was available to answer every question we had. We stayed at both Lodges and the transfers and organisation were seamless. Highly recommend.

Amazing experience and fantastic service from end to end. Clare helped us organise a great trip and was available to answer every question we had. We stayed at both Lodges and the transfers and organisation were seamless. Highly recommend.

We did the 3N4D tour spending 1 night in Selingan Island (aka Turtle Island), one of the most incredible experiences ever where you can admire the incredible work done by the rangers to preserve and protect turtles and allowing you admire closely the whole process of nesting, hatching and releasing baby turtles, always respecting the animals and advocating for their well-being. The other 2 nights we want to an amazing lodge in the middle of the rainforest, and no surprise they kept the same respect for nature and animals. We were able to spot 4 out of the big 5, crocodiles, orang utans, proboscis monkeys and different species of hornbills, only missed the pygmy elephants. The river cruises were magic and our trip guide was the best, thanks Lau for sharing so much knowledge and respect for nature.

We did the 3N4D tour spending 1 night in Selingan Island (aka Turtle Island), one of the most incredible experiences ever where you can admire the incredible work done by the rangers to preserve and protect turtles and allowing you admire closely the whole process of nesting, hatching and releasing baby turtles, always respecting the animals and advocating for their well-being. The other 2 nights we want to an amazing lodge in the middle of the rainforest, and no surprise they kept the same respect for nature and animals. We were able to spot 4 out of the big 5, crocodiles, orang utans, proboscis monkeys and different species of hornbills, only missed the pygmy elephants. The river cruises were magic and our trip guide was the best, thanks Lau for sharing so much knowledge and respect for nature.

We had a wonderful trip. The itinerary was terrific, the guide was friendly & knowledgeable, the itinerary was also great. The office staff were very helpful and the dietary requirements in our large family group were all accommodated. My only suggestion would be to make the company more discoverable! It too us quite a lot of searching to find the group, but we are so glad we did! Thank you Borneo Eco Tours, and thanks to Oviera in particular for her kind and patient help.

We had a wonderful trip. The itinerary was terrific, the guide was friendly & knowledgeable, the itinerary was also great. The office staff were very helpful and the dietary requirements in our large family group were all accommodated. My only suggestion would be to make the company more discoverable! It too us quite a lot of searching to find the group, but we are so glad we did! Thank you Borneo Eco Tours, and thanks to Oviera in particular for her kind and patient help.

Truly one of the most fantastic experiences. Such a beautiful lodge, with every detail nicely decorated, so peaceful in nature. We had a private guide with our family of 7, and he had just the right way to tell us so many interesting facts about the wildlife and the nature. And speaking about the wildlife; every safari we saw different kind of animals. A must go!

Truly one of the most fantastic experiences. Such a beautiful lodge, with every detail nicely decorated, so peaceful in nature. We had a private guide with our family of 7, and he had just the right way to tell us so many interesting facts about the wildlife and the nature. And speaking about the wildlife; every safari we saw different kind of animals. A must go!

The trip was delightful and well organized. It seems like they operate with a large number of tours as we were transferred from one guide to another based on our itinerary, but that wasn't an issue. Both guides were quite friendly and knowledgeable about conservation and were a great source of information about the things we saw on our trip.

The accommodations are good but don't expect anything fancy on turtle Island. We saw a total of four giant turtles, two of them laying eggs, as well as a bunch of other animals. Weather alternated between blazingly hot and sunny to a massive storm that pelted down rain. Be prepared for that malaysian weather.

The trip was delightful and well organized. It seems like they operate with a large number of tours as we were transferred from one guide to another based on our itinerary, but that wasn't an issue. Both guides were quite friendly and knowledgeable about conservation and were a great source of information about the things we saw on our trip.

The accommodations are good but don't expect anything fancy on turtle Island. We saw a total of four giant turtles, two of them laying eggs, as well as a bunch of other animals. Weather alternated between blazingly hot and sunny to a massive storm that pelted down rain. Be prepared for that malaysian weather.

I have been avoiding writing this review because I do not want to relieve my experience. However, I need to write this review to let people know just how amazing Boreno Eco Tours are. They helped save my son’s life and they truly care about their guests and treat them like family.

We signed up for a 7 day rainforest tour. They were wonderful about answering our numerous questions before our trip began. We arrived very late and spent our first night at the Magellan Sutera Resort in Kota Kinabalu. The hotel was dated and our room was not very nice. It didn’t really matter since we only had time to sleep there for 3 hours before we had to wake up to board our flight to Sandakan.

Our guide Jay met us at Sandakan airport. Jay was very personable, spoke excellent English, and was very warm and friendly. Our driver Edwin was very nice too. They took us to the Orangutan Sanctuary, Sun Bear Centre, and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. After dinner, Jay picked us up and took us back to the Rainforest Discovery Centre for the Night Walk. We saw lots of animals and our 5 year old son really enjoyed everything. My only complaint during this time was the food was not authentic Malaysian food and was very much geared towards tourists. Jay took on my feedback and did take us to lunch at an authentic Malaysian canteen for lunch one day.

Our son became sick overnight and started vomiting. We thought that it was due to food poisoning. Jay was great and took us to see the doctor so our son could be examined and prescribed medication to stop the vomiting. The next day, our son was still sick so Jay took us to to a larger medical clinic where he could be examined again. This doctor suspected that our son did not have food poisoning, but rather a bowel obstruction that would require emergency surgery. Jay and Edwin drove us 1 hour to a larger hospital so our son could get an X-ray to confirm the doctor’s diagnosis. After the doctors there confirmed that my son did have a bowel obstruction and did need surgery, BET transported my husband from the hotel to the larger clinic. The ambulance that transported my son to the hospital in Sandakan did not have enough space for all three of us and our luggage. Jay and Edwin followed the ambulance with my husband and luggage. At the Sandakan hospital, Jay stayed with us and picking up food and water for us. Jay refused to leave us until about 10pm when I told him he had to go home to his family. At this time, my husband and I were desperately trying to find a way to transport our son to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysian Borneo, to a private hospital that would have a pediatric surgeon available to operate on our son. (The conditions and staff at the public hospital in Sandakan were atrocious. They kept our son on a gurney outside the hospital for two hours and didn’t move him inside until we complained. When he was moved inside, he was parked in the lobby where he spent the night. Even though he had been admitted by the surgical team as an emergency patient, he was kept in the lobby with barely any monitoring. At best, the staff could be described as negligent and cruel.) Eventually, we were able to arrange an ambulance from Glen Eagles Kota Kinabalu to pick us up in Sandakan. Until the ambulance arrived, we were unsure whether or not we would all fit in the ambulance and whether there would be enough space for our luggage. Jay and Edwin offered to drive the us and our luggage if there hadn’t been enough space. It would have been a 16 hour trip for them, but they were very insistent. The next morning, Jay arrived at 7am to check in with us even though we told him that the ambulance from Kota Kinabalu would not arrive until 10 or 11am. Jay arrived with food and caffeine so we were really glad he came early. Luckily there was enough space in the ambulance to transport all of us and our luggage. (Glen Eagles in Kota Kinabalu was absolutely amazing. We received better care in better conditions than anything we would have received in the US or UK.) During our entire stay in Kota Kinabalu, Angelika from BET was in constant contact with us, checking in to make sure that we were okay and didn’t need anything. She helped us book a hotel during our son’s stay in the hospital and offered us transport. She even sent us gift basket with toys for our son and food for us. They did all of this with zero expectations of compensation. They were just incredibly kind and caring.

Our worst possible nightmare came to life during this trip and thank goodness BET was there to help us through it. We will definitely book another trip with them when we are ready to try again.

I would also recommend looking into emergency medical evacuation insurance from International SOS before embarking on a trip like this. We thought we had sufficient travel medical insurance through our credit card, but they were useless. Even though they advertised emergency evacuation service, when we called they had zero idea what we were talking about. International SOS were amazing.

Our son’s condition had nothing to do with our trip and could not be avoided. We were just very very unlucky. I can’t thank BET enough for all of their care and kindness through our ordeal.

I have been avoiding writing this review because I do not want to relieve my experience. However, I need to write this review to let people know just how amazing Boreno Eco Tours are. They helped save my son’s life and they truly care about their guests and treat them like family.

We signed up for a 7 day rainforest tour. They were wonderful about answering our numerous questions before our trip began. We arrived very late and spent our first night at the Magellan Sutera Resort in Kota Kinabalu. The hotel was dated and our room was not very nice. It didn’t really matter since we only had time to sleep there for 3 hours before we had to wake up to board our flight to Sandakan.

Our guide Jay met us at Sandakan airport. Jay was very personable, spoke excellent English, and was very warm and friendly. Our driver Edwin was very nice too. They took us to the Orangutan Sanctuary, Sun Bear Centre, and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. After dinner, Jay picked us up and took us back to the Rainforest Discovery Centre for the Night Walk. We saw lots of animals and our 5 year old son really enjoyed everything. My only complaint during this time was the food was not authentic Malaysian food and was very much geared towards tourists. Jay took on my feedback and did take us to lunch at an authentic Malaysian canteen for lunch one day.

Our son became sick overnight and started vomiting. We thought that it was due to food poisoning. Jay was great and took us to see the doctor so our son could be examined and prescribed medication to stop the vomiting. The next day, our son was still sick so Jay took us to to a larger medical clinic where he could be examined again. This doctor suspected that our son did not have food poisoning, but rather a bowel obstruction that would require emergency surgery. Jay and Edwin drove us 1 hour to a larger hospital so our son could get an X-ray to confirm the doctor’s diagnosis. After the doctors there confirmed that my son did have a bowel obstruction and did need surgery, BET transported my husband from the hotel to the larger clinic. The ambulance that transported my son to the hospital in Sandakan did not have enough space for all three of us and our luggage. Jay and Edwin followed the ambulance with my husband and luggage. At the Sandakan hospital, Jay stayed with us and picking up food and water for us. Jay refused to leave us until about 10pm when I told him he had to go home to his family. At this time, my husband and I were desperately trying to find a way to transport our son to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysian Borneo, to a private hospital that would have a pediatric surgeon available to operate on our son. (The conditions and staff at the public hospital in Sandakan were atrocious. They kept our son on a gurney outside the hospital for two hours and didn’t move him inside until we complained. When he was moved inside, he was parked in the lobby where he spent the night. Even though he had been admitted by the surgical team as an emergency patient, he was kept in the lobby with barely any monitoring. At best, the staff could be described as negligent and cruel.) Eventually, we were able to arrange an ambulance from Glen Eagles Kota Kinabalu to pick us up in Sandakan. Until the ambulance arrived, we were unsure whether or not we would all fit in the ambulance and whether there would be enough space for our luggage. Jay and Edwin offered to drive the us and our luggage if there hadn’t been enough space. It would have been a 16 hour trip for them, but they were very insistent. The next morning, Jay arrived at 7am to check in with us even though we told him that the ambulance from Kota Kinabalu would not arrive until 10 or 11am. Jay arrived with food and caffeine so we were really glad he came early. Luckily there was enough space in the ambulance to transport all of us and our luggage. (Glen Eagles in Kota Kinabalu was absolutely amazing. We received better care in better conditions than anything we would have received in the US or UK.) During our entire stay in Kota Kinabalu, Angelika from BET was in constant contact with us, checking in to make sure that we were okay and didn’t need anything. She helped us book a hotel during our son’s stay in the hospital and offered us transport. She even sent us gift basket with toys for our son and food for us. They did all of this with zero expectations of compensation. They were just incredibly kind and caring.

Our worst possible nightmare came to life during this trip and thank goodness BET was there to help us through it. We will definitely book another trip with them when we are ready to try again.

I would also recommend looking into emergency medical evacuation insurance from International SOS before embarking on a trip like this. We thought we had sufficient travel medical insurance through our credit card, but they were useless. Even though they advertised emergency evacuation service, when we called they had zero idea what we were talking about. International SOS were amazing.

Our son’s condition had nothing to do with our trip and could not be avoided. We were just very very unlucky. I can’t thank BET enough for all of their care and kindness through our ordeal.

This was hands-down, one of the best tour vacations I have ever done! Our guide, Paul was outstanding. He was helpful, kind, and knowledgeable. An absolute gem. This can also be said about all the wonderful people at Borneo Eco Tours from the bus drivers, the boat captains, staff at the lodge, etc. From start to finish this was a top-notch experience. The attention to detail was phenomenal from the pick up at the airport to the expansive knowledge of the guides. The lodge itself was beautiful and the food delicious. Come with an open mind. Nature is fickle and there’s no guarantee you’re going to see all the amazing animals from the forest but at the very least you’ll have a wonderful experience. I did see four of the big 5 though! I made core memories to last a lifetime and now I want to return to see the elephants. Thank you for treating your staff well because it shows in how they treat the guests. Well done all!!

This was hands-down, one of the best tour vacations I have ever done! Our guide, Paul was outstanding. He was helpful, kind, and knowledgeable. An absolute gem. This can also be said about all the wonderful people at Borneo Eco Tours from the bus drivers, the boat captains, staff at the lodge, etc. From start to finish this was a top-notch experience. The attention to detail was phenomenal from the pick up at the airport to the expansive knowledge of the guides. The lodge itself was beautiful and the food delicious. Come with an open mind. Nature is fickle and there’s no guarantee you’re going to see all the amazing animals from the forest but at the very least you’ll have a wonderful experience. I did see four of the big 5 though! I made core memories to last a lifetime and now I want to return to see the elephants. Thank you for treating your staff well because it shows in how they treat the guests. Well done all!!

We went to Turtle Island and to see the orangutans and stayed at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge- loved every minute and our guide Jimmy was with us every step of the way.

We went to Turtle Island and to see the orangutans and stayed at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge- loved every minute and our guide Jimmy was with us every step of the way.