Borneo is a land steeped in legend. The third largest island on Earth with its towering mountains, steamy rainforests, raging rivers, wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys, hornbills and legendary headhunters has long captivated the world’s imagination.

Our “Best of Borneo” adventure goes beyond the mystique to reveal the real Borneo today where massive deforestation and oil palm plantations have reduced the island’s biodiversity to a few protected sanctuaries. The Malaysian State of Sabah in the northeast part of the island offers visitors the best chances of seeing Borneo’s natural wonders. Here students can intimately watch sea turtles depositing eggs on remote beaches and hatching out young on the same night. They will visit the world’s largest orangutan sanctuary, explore Sabah’s largest cave chamber and cruise a jungle river that boasts Malaysia’s greatest wildlife concentrations in search of Borneo gibbons, pygmy elephants, rhinoceros hornbills, crocodile and the unique long-nosed proboscis monkeys.

A real highlight of this trip will be climbing the slopes of Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia. Kinabalu National Park and World Heritage Site ranges over 4 climatic zones and boasts the richest flora diversity in the world, including the world’s largest pitcher plants and rafflesia, the world’s largest flower. Rather than embark on the exerting two-day climb to the barren summit, students will hike lower elevation trails where they can study the unique plant and bird life in more detail and at a more leisurely pace.

Community service projects will include a half-day working with local elementary school children in a small rural school at the foot of Mount Kinabalu and partnering with the efforts of Borneo Conservation Trust in reforesting critical wildlife corridors along the Kinabatagan River.

Borneo has been called a “land of superlatives” and it is sure to inspire any student with a   love for wildlife, a spirit of adventure and a desire to restore part of nature’s fragile balance.