Malaysia: Borneo and the Malay Peninsula

I’ve been lucky enough to visit some incredible places around the world, but whenever anyone asks me where I’d like to go back to, I always say Borneo.

Boasting incredible wildlife (including my favourite animal, the orangutan), friendly, welcoming people and some of the best food I’ve ever eaten, it’s an unforgettable part of the world.

I visited the north-east of the island back in 2019 on a two-week tour of Malaysia and planned to write up my adventures in 2020.

But Covid hit and it seemed weird to write glowing reviews about a part of the world you could no longer go to.

So I shelved the Malaysia project and it’s been haunting me ever since, one of the many series of blog posts on my seemingly never-ending backlog.

Luckily I keep very detailed diaries when I travel and am fastidious about labelling my photos when I get home, so I have all the material I need to finally write the posts. So here goes…

A country of two halves separated by the South China Sea, multicultural Malaysia is made up of Peninsular Malaysia on the Southeast Asian mainland and East Malaysia on the island of Borneo.

The country was formed in 1963 when the former British colony Malaya joined forces with northern Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore (Singapore was kicked out of the union two years later).

The Islamic country is a federal constitutional monarchy, which means it has a king who’s elected for a five-year term and is chosen from one of nine Malay kings.

Home to some 34 million people, tropical Malaysia is hot, humid and prone to torrential downpours, the likes of which I’d never seen before (not even in Costa Rica).

I started my Malaysian sojourn in eastern Borneo, where I spent two nights in Sepilok, visiting the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (twice!), Sun Bear Sanctuary (above) and Rainforest Discovery Centre.

This was followed by a day trip to the fascinating Gomantong Caves (above), home to valuable swiftlets’ nests, scorpions, cockroaches and a ginormous pit of guano.

I then spent two days on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, searching for wildlife along the river (above) and in the surrounding jungle.

I ended my Bornean adventure in the coastal city of Sandakan, on the shores of the Sulu Sea, looking around the city centre and visiting the poignant Sandakan War Memorial (above).

From there, I flew to the mainland for an eight-day tour of Peninsula Malaysia.

Starting in the southern city of Melaka, I spent two days soaking up its vibrant culture by exploring its pretty historic centre (above).

Travelling north, I passed a busy couple of days in the modern capital Kuala Lumpur, visiting some of the city’s main sights, including the famous Petronas twin towers (above) and the wonderful Islamic Arts Museum.

I also joined a memorable street food tour and took a trip outside the city to the jaw-dropping Batu Caves.

Continuing north, I made my way to the island of Penang, where I spent two nights in colonial George Town, which is renowned for its street art (above).

Before finishing my trip with a relaxing day on the tropical island of Langkawi (below).

Over the next few months, I’ll be recounting my adventures in this magnificent corner of Southeast Asia. First up, bewitching Borneo…