Reviews

We saw the Borneo Big 5!!!!! Our guide, Yaya, was the best. With 30 years of experience, perfect English, and a friendly way of interacting with people, he deserves 6 stars. The lodging was great considering it is in the middle of nowhere (but that’s where the wildlife is). Room was clean and comfortable. Bed was big and pillows were soft. Food was plentiful and had a good variety to choose from (including desserts—coffee was dark and strong favored just as I like). The only real downside side was the side trip to Gomantong Cave. If I had known about the cockroaches I would not have booked it.

We saw the Borneo Big 5!!!!! Our guide, Yaya, was the best. With 30 years of experience, perfect English, and a friendly way of interacting with people, he deserves 6 stars. The lodging was great considering it is in the middle of nowhere (but that’s where the wildlife is). Room was clean and comfortable. Bed was big and pillows were soft. Food was plentiful and had a good variety to choose from (including desserts—coffee was dark and strong favored just as I like). The only real downside side was the side trip to Gomantong Cave. If I had known about the cockroaches I would not have booked it.

My 2 friends and I contacted Borneo Eco Tours to extend our vacation after a group trip in Borneo. We were hoping to increase our opportunities to see Orang Utans in the wild. Borneo Eco Tours set us up for 3 nights at Deramakot in the Bornean Rain Forest. We stayed at very basic accommodations run by the National Forest Service. However individual tour companies arrange for your food, jeep and guides once there. We were all pleased with the food and we had the best jeep there. But best of all were the wonderful guides! We had a jeep driver, a spotter and a guide. All 3 were great at spotting and pointing out animals and birds. Our guide was so knowledgeable and likable. It was obvious that that these guys love their work and love sharing the wildlife with their clients. The experience was all we hoped for and we saw many OrangUtans, Leopard Cats, Civets, and more. We saw so many beautiful birds and interesting insects. I highly recommend Borneo Eco Tours. They responded to all our questions promptly and thoroughly and planned a great trip!

My 2 friends and I contacted Borneo Eco Tours to extend our vacation after a group trip in Borneo. We were hoping to increase our opportunities to see Orang Utans in the wild. Borneo Eco Tours set us up for 3 nights at Deramakot in the Bornean Rain Forest. We stayed at very basic accommodations run by the National Forest Service. However individual tour companies arrange for your food, jeep and guides once there. We were all pleased with the food and we had the best jeep there. But best of all were the wonderful guides! We had a jeep driver, a spotter and a guide. All 3 were great at spotting and pointing out animals and birds. Our guide was so knowledgeable and likable. It was obvious that that these guys love their work and love sharing the wildlife with their clients. The experience was all we hoped for and we saw many OrangUtans, Leopard Cats, Civets, and more. We saw so many beautiful birds and interesting insects. I highly recommend Borneo Eco Tours. They responded to all our questions promptly and thoroughly and planned a great trip!

My husband and I have just had a fantastic experience with Borneo Eco Tours. We booked the 4D/3N Sandakan Wildlife Safari, which includes one night on Selingan Island (one of three Turtle Islands) and two at Sukau Rainforest Lodge up the Kinabatangan River. From my first enquiry, communication with Lisa was clear and helpful.

We were collected from our Sandakan hotel (the Elopura) by Shirley, our guide for Selingan Island. Shirley is very knowledgeable and ensured we were looked after at all times. There were 30 guests on the island, travelling with a variety of tour companies. Some were guided, and others not. The Chalet accommodation is basic, but the rooms each have a private bathroom (with cold shower). All meals are buffet - we enjoyed trying local treats, but most things we were familiar with. Everything was delicious and the staff were cheerful. There is a limited amount of beer available at the restaurant, but they ran out the night we stayed. There is no other alcohol available so, if it's important to you, consider BYO. We noticed they do not have a corkscrew.

Your afternoon on the island is free time, and the beach is the perfect place to spend the day. Just be aware, I had read on the Chalet's website that snorkel gear was available to hire, and this was not the case.

The turtle experience begins sometime after dinner, whenever the first turtle is found laying eggs on the beach. The timing is random, and we were lucky our night started early, around 9pm. The second part of the evening is seeing the new eggs transplanted to the hatchery. After that the day's baby turtle 'harvest' is released on the beach, each hoping to be part of the 1% which survive to become adults.

Our second day was long, starting with 7am departure from Selingan Island, with visits to the Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre, and the Sunbear sanctuary (optional), before transferring to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The Orang Utan stop was the highlight, particularly as we were unable to find any Orang Utans in the wild later, despite the best efforts of our wonderful Rainforest guide, Yunus. He was amazing, and we could not have asked for a better guide up the Kinabatangan river. Another hint - the trip up the river is done at speed, and the noise from the outboard motors is loud. I suggest earplugs/earbuds.

The Lodge was fantastic - our Villa room was quite luxurious after the simplicity of the previous night's accommodation. Again, staff were helpful and cheerful. The buffet was extensive, particularly given the remote location. A range of drinks was available to purchase at the bar.

We went on three river excursions with Yunus and saw a wide variety of different animals. Our highlights were the large herd of pygmy elephants, and numerous encounters with our favourites - the proboscis monkeys. They are such fun!

Thank you Borneo Eco Tours, we have memories to last a lifetime.

My husband and I have just had a fantastic experience with Borneo Eco Tours. We booked the 4D/3N Sandakan Wildlife Safari, which includes one night on Selingan Island (one of three Turtle Islands) and two at Sukau Rainforest Lodge up the Kinabatangan River. From my first enquiry, communication with Lisa was clear and helpful.

We were collected from our Sandakan hotel (the Elopura) by Shirley, our guide for Selingan Island. Shirley is very knowledgeable and ensured we were looked after at all times. There were 30 guests on the island, travelling with a variety of tour companies. Some were guided, and others not. The Chalet accommodation is basic, but the rooms each have a private bathroom (with cold shower). All meals are buffet - we enjoyed trying local treats, but most things we were familiar with. Everything was delicious and the staff were cheerful. There is a limited amount of beer available at the restaurant, but they ran out the night we stayed. There is no other alcohol available so, if it's important to you, consider BYO. We noticed they do not have a corkscrew.

Your afternoon on the island is free time, and the beach is the perfect place to spend the day. Just be aware, I had read on the Chalet's website that snorkel gear was available to hire, and this was not the case.

The turtle experience begins sometime after dinner, whenever the first turtle is found laying eggs on the beach. The timing is random, and we were lucky our night started early, around 9pm. The second part of the evening is seeing the new eggs transplanted to the hatchery. After that the day's baby turtle 'harvest' is released on the beach, each hoping to be part of the 1% which survive to become adults.

Our second day was long, starting with 7am departure from Selingan Island, with visits to the Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre, and the Sunbear sanctuary (optional), before transferring to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The Orang Utan stop was the highlight, particularly as we were unable to find any Orang Utans in the wild later, despite the best efforts of our wonderful Rainforest guide, Yunus. He was amazing, and we could not have asked for a better guide up the Kinabatangan river. Another hint - the trip up the river is done at speed, and the noise from the outboard motors is loud. I suggest earplugs/earbuds.

The Lodge was fantastic - our Villa room was quite luxurious after the simplicity of the previous night's accommodation. Again, staff were helpful and cheerful. The buffet was extensive, particularly given the remote location. A range of drinks was available to purchase at the bar.

We went on three river excursions with Yunus and saw a wide variety of different animals. Our highlights were the large herd of pygmy elephants, and numerous encounters with our favourites - the proboscis monkeys. They are such fun!

Thank you Borneo Eco Tours, we have memories to last a lifetime.

Our tour with Borneo Eco Tours was absolutely fantastic. Our advice: book your trip with this company! We enjoyed every part of it, and everything was incredibly well organized. The guides had an impressive amount of knowledge and made sure to involve us in everything they saw, discovered, and knew. Thanks to them, we learned something new every single day about Borneo’s flora and fauna.

We felt safe and very well taken care of. A lot of effort goes into the transport and logistics to make sure your journey runs smoothly. They were always on time and always friendly.

We did a 10-day tour through Deramakot, Sukau, and Danum Valley. Even though the accommodations and guides varied across these locations, everything was of a very high standard, allowing us to enjoy an unforgettable time in the jungle without any worries. We saw so many amazing animals, and the plant life was simply stunning. It was pure enjoyment from start to finish.

What made it even more special was that my boyfriend proposed to me during this trip, and Borneo Eco Tours went above and beyond to support him in planning this special moment. That is what makes this company so unique: they always think along with you and are genuinely there for you.

We would book with them again in a heartbeat!
Thank you so much, Borneo Eco Tours! A special thanks to Mr. Eddie, Mr. Jolias, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lao, Ms. Jean, and Ms. Oviera!

Our tour with Borneo Eco Tours was absolutely fantastic. Our advice: book your trip with this company! We enjoyed every part of it, and everything was incredibly well organized. The guides had an impressive amount of knowledge and made sure to involve us in everything they saw, discovered, and knew. Thanks to them, we learned something new every single day about Borneo’s flora and fauna.

We felt safe and very well taken care of. A lot of effort goes into the transport and logistics to make sure your journey runs smoothly. They were always on time and always friendly.

We did a 10-day tour through Deramakot, Sukau, and Danum Valley. Even though the accommodations and guides varied across these locations, everything was of a very high standard, allowing us to enjoy an unforgettable time in the jungle without any worries. We saw so many amazing animals, and the plant life was simply stunning. It was pure enjoyment from start to finish.

What made it even more special was that my boyfriend proposed to me during this trip, and Borneo Eco Tours went above and beyond to support him in planning this special moment. That is what makes this company so unique: they always think along with you and are genuinely there for you.

We would book with them again in a heartbeat!
Thank you so much, Borneo Eco Tours! A special thanks to Mr. Eddie, Mr. Jolias, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lao, Ms. Jean, and Ms. Oviera!

We did the 3 days & 2 nights Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari by Overland travel, and it was a great experience! The tour guides, especially our own tour guide Bennie, took great care in ensuring we got the most out of trip despite the unpredictable nature of wildlife spotting. They are very punctual and the stay at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge is a very unique and beautiful experience. We saw all of the Borneo Big 5 as well as other animals, such as river otters, monitor lizards, kingfishers, silver langurs, and many other birds. While you might not always be guaranteed great photos or even seeing the Big 5, the tour guides do their best to make sure you have the best experience there. There is a lot of travel involved to get to Sandakan and the Sukau Lodge, so be prepared for that. But there's never a dull moment!

We did the 3 days & 2 nights Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari by Overland travel, and it was a great experience! The tour guides, especially our own tour guide Bennie, took great care in ensuring we got the most out of trip despite the unpredictable nature of wildlife spotting. They are very punctual and the stay at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge is a very unique and beautiful experience. We saw all of the Borneo Big 5 as well as other animals, such as river otters, monitor lizards, kingfishers, silver langurs, and many other birds. While you might not always be guaranteed great photos or even seeing the Big 5, the tour guides do their best to make sure you have the best experience there. There is a lot of travel involved to get to Sandakan and the Sukau Lodge, so be prepared for that. But there's never a dull moment!

Borneo Eco Tours (Sandakan Wildlife Safari) were outstanding – everything was perfectly organised, guides were knowledgeable and friendly, and the whole experience felt authentic and unforgettable. Our guide Farhan was exceptional, he had a vast amount of passion and knowledge. This tour is highly recommend!

Borneo Eco Tours (Sandakan Wildlife Safari) were outstanding – everything was perfectly organised, guides were knowledgeable and friendly, and the whole experience felt authentic and unforgettable. Our guide Farhan was exceptional, he had a vast amount of passion and knowledge. This tour is highly recommend!

The hotel was beautiful with great service and food! Our guide, Bennie, was fantastic. We actually saw the Borneo Big 5 on our first evening. She also focused on the little animals. We were constantly finding new animals...Snakes, 5 species of monkeys, kingfishers, hornbills and monitor lizards. What a great experience!

The hotel was beautiful with great service and food! Our guide, Bennie, was fantastic. We actually saw the Borneo Big 5 on our first evening. She also focused on the little animals. We were constantly finding new animals...Snakes, 5 species of monkeys, kingfishers, hornbills and monitor lizards. What a great experience!

We chose the Sabah Rainforest Safari having looked at a number of other tour operators. First to say Borneo Eco Tours are hugely professional with outstanding service and accommodation is high quality. They have a genuine commitment to the environment and the wildlife with sustainability and eco friendliness a key consideration throughout.
The tour itself was excellent and we absolutely loved both the Sukau and Utan Rainforest lodges. All the guides were brilliant and very knowledgeable without exception. So I need to give a special mention to our guides Gerard, Yamin, Jay and Isam who really made our tour. We saw 4 out of 5 of the Borneo Big 5, with orangutans being the only ones we did not see in the wild but did obviously at Sepilok. I was so glad our tour included the Utan Rainforest as this was well worth the long bumpy road.
The only thing was the start of the tour felt slow and rather long drawn out staying too long in Kota Kinabalu and would have liked to have flown to Sandakan directly after Mount Kinabalu rather than the early morning flight the next day which meant we were tired for Sepilok and the boat trips.
The botanical garden at Mount Kinabalu is stunning and well worth the trip.
A mention also to Oviera in the office too who was hugely helpful throughout our booking process.
I highly recommend this company to anyone wanting to do a Borneo tour.

We chose the Sabah Rainforest Safari having looked at a number of other tour operators. First to say Borneo Eco Tours are hugely professional with outstanding service and accommodation is high quality. They have a genuine commitment to the environment and the wildlife with sustainability and eco friendliness a key consideration throughout.
The tour itself was excellent and we absolutely loved both the Sukau and Utan Rainforest lodges. All the guides were brilliant and very knowledgeable without exception. So I need to give a special mention to our guides Gerard, Yamin, Jay and Isam who really made our tour. We saw 4 out of 5 of the Borneo Big 5, with orangutans being the only ones we did not see in the wild but did obviously at Sepilok. I was so glad our tour included the Utan Rainforest as this was well worth the long bumpy road.
The only thing was the start of the tour felt slow and rather long drawn out staying too long in Kota Kinabalu and would have liked to have flown to Sandakan directly after Mount Kinabalu rather than the early morning flight the next day which meant we were tired for Sepilok and the boat trips.
The botanical garden at Mount Kinabalu is stunning and well worth the trip.
A mention also to Oviera in the office too who was hugely helpful throughout our booking process.
I highly recommend this company to anyone wanting to do a Borneo tour.

We've booked a tour from Sandakan over Sukau to Lahad Datu with Borneo Eco Tours in Summer 2025. We were 4 people with 2 children aged 8 and 11.

We've stayed in two different lodges (Sepilok Forest Edge Lodge and Sukau Rainforest Lodge) and had multiple transfers with ship and car.

Overall, the experience was top notch and I can highly recommend them.

- Transfers were smooth with no waiting time. Most of the time it was just the four of us in a minibus. Drivers were friendly and competent and even accommodated extra stops to e.g. buy some drinks.
- The lodges were excellent. Small number of villas (maybe 20-40), very friendly personnel, great food.
- The excursions were accurately described, with guides speaking good english and being friendly and accomodating.

Be aware that:
- In the Sukau lodge, all excursions happen via boat. There is a "trail" through the surrounding forest, but it is very short.
- The morning excursions happen early, around 6:30am. There is a small breakfast served before, and a full breakfast after. This makes sense because that's when you see most animals, but can be a bit strenuous.

We've booked a tour from Sandakan over Sukau to Lahad Datu with Borneo Eco Tours in Summer 2025. We were 4 people with 2 children aged 8 and 11.

We've stayed in two different lodges (Sepilok Forest Edge Lodge and Sukau Rainforest Lodge) and had multiple transfers with ship and car.

Overall, the experience was top notch and I can highly recommend them.

- Transfers were smooth with no waiting time. Most of the time it was just the four of us in a minibus. Drivers were friendly and competent and even accommodated extra stops to e.g. buy some drinks.
- The lodges were excellent. Small number of villas (maybe 20-40), very friendly personnel, great food.
- The excursions were accurately described, with guides speaking good english and being friendly and accomodating.

Be aware that:
- In the Sukau lodge, all excursions happen via boat. There is a "trail" through the surrounding forest, but it is very short.
- The morning excursions happen early, around 6:30am. There is a small breakfast served before, and a full breakfast after. This makes sense because that's when you see most animals, but can be a bit strenuous.