Sarawak, Borneo

See our gap year, career break and extreme expeditions to Sarawak, Borneo.

Culture

Sarawak in Borneo is amazingly culturally diverse, with approximately 30 different ethnic groups including the Kelabits, Penan, Dayaks, Dunsun, Murut and Kadayan. One of these, the friendly and fascinating Penan, is the oldest tribe in South East Asia still using traditional hunting weapons today, and both the Penan and Kelabits still live in traditional longhouses. The official language is Bahasa Malay and English is widely spoken.

Carpeted in lush tropical rainforest, the land of the fabled White Rajahs is home to over 250,000 species of flora and fauna such as the elusive Proboscis Monkey, the South East Asian Elephant, giant moths, flying squirrels, horn-billed birds, colour changing lizards, and many endangered species like the tiger and rhino. Borneo is in fact the only place in the world where you can see the majestic orang-utan in the wild.

Geography

Borneo is the fourth largest island in the world, made up by East Malaysia's Sabah and Sarawak and Indonesia's Kalimantan to the south. Sarawak, the largest of East Malaysia's states and by far the most exotic, is to the north west of Borneo. Mount Kinabalu is just one of the many delights in this adventurer's paradise of intricate cave systems and unexplored jungle.

Wildlife

The Orangutan only exists in the wilds of Borneo and can be found in the forests of Sabah and Sarawak where sanctuaries have been established to protect their numbers. Borneo is home to over 250,000 species of flora and fauna, including the elusive Proboscis Monkey, the South East Asian Elephant, Giant Moths, Flying Squirrels, Horn-billed birds and color-changing lizards.

East Malaysia, Borneo; Sabah & Sarawak

Trekforce have been leading expeditions to both Sabah & Sarawak for over 6 years and have developed strong relationships with project partners working with them on large scale initiatives including planting over 250,000 trees in under 4 years. Trekforce lead two month expeditions to complete sustainable and worthwhile projects deep in the rainforests of the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, Borneo. Spending time with the Penan, Kelabit and Dayak peoples. Programmes can be extended to include volunteering as teaching assistants in rural communities in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak.