A proud member of National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World since 2015, Sukau Rainforest Lodge is the only ecolodge in the whole of Malaysia to have such a prestigious recognition.

The ecolodge is upping the game by offering guests a more luxurious option while exploring the incredible wildlife along the biodiverse Kinabatangan River. 20 units of new standalone luxury Borneo-inspired villas were unveiled in phases with the completion of the final unit in early 2018. The villas are a new room option for guests and is an upgrade to their 20 existing Superior Rooms.

After a successful year of this new luxury addition, an official launch for the villas was held at Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the 28th of June 2019, and it was officiated by YB Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment of Sabah.

YB Datuk Christina Liew during the ribbon cutting ceremony

The new luxury villas were been given the name Borneo Villa lending from the inspiration that was garnered when designing the units. The Bornean influences can be seen in its architecture design, to furniture and bedding, and down to the art décor and smallest wood carving details that can be found around the room.

The Borneo Villa is about 60% larger in size and comes with a private balcony with a jungle view. It is truly an upgrade from the Superior Room and offers more privacy and heightened comfort to guests even amid the jungle. It offers a truly unique experience where luxury and nature go hand-in-hand.

Besides being a proud member of National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, the ecolodge has also received the TraveLife Gold Certification for being a sustainable accommodation in 2017. One of the ecolodge’s most prominent guest is BBC veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.

The Official Launching of the Sukau Ecotourism Research Centre (SERC), which is a newly built research centre under BEST Society happened on the same day and was also officiated by YB Datuk Christina Liew. It is designed to be a physical platform to engage local and international academic institutions to conduct joint research – all to ensure that ecotourism will remain a key provider of sustainable employment and economic stability to the local communities.  Additionally, it will serve as a hub to facilitate research on the impact of ecotourism activities on wildlife. Construction work on SERC started in November 2017.

Signing of plaque by YB Datuk Christina Liew at the SERC Launching Ceremony

In conjunction with the launching of SERC, a signing of MoU between Universiti Malaysia Sabah and BEST Society, as well as Mursalin Abdullah, a local ecotourism champion and BEST Society was also done during the event.