Borneo

Borneo family holidays

Borneo is a nature lover’s paradise and a family holiday here offers an incredible combination of wildlife, beautiful jungle scenery and immaculate sandy beaches. The island is packed with ancient rainforest and remote river systems that are home to an incredible profusion of species. The star of the show is of course the orangutan but you can also find pygmy elephants, turtles, proboscis monkeys, gibbons and much more.

Relaxing on Pulau Tiga, near Kota Kinabalu in Sabah

On a family holiday in Borneo and also in mainland Malaysia, you can take walks through the forest canopy on elevated walkways, hop on boat trips deep into the jungle, trek through primary rainforest and snorkel or dive amidst stunningly colourful shoals of exotic fish.

Mainland Malaysia and Borneo family holidays are not just about the animals though. Borneo’s UNESCO World Heritage site of Mulu is home to the largest cave system in the world. Here you can wander through giant underground amphitheatres millions of years old. Stay with a family on a friendly village homestay and help your hosts with the morning rubber tapping, then take a walk to a waterfall for a swim.

On mainland Malaysia you can explore the lively streets of Kuala Lumpur by bike then gorge on delicious street food from the hawker stalls. Enjoy wandering through the colourful heritage streets of Malacca and Georgetown and then soak up the lush scenery of Penang National Park. See our example itineraries for more.

Family holiday in Borneo - boy on river boat trip

Travel deep into Borneo’s jungle by boat, looking for monkeys, birds and if you are lucky pygmy elephants

Why take the kids to Borneo?

A family holiday to Borneo or mainland Malaysia is always a hit with the children. It’s not only the chance to head deep into the jungle to spot many different animals, but also the sheer variety of activities on offer.

Our top activities on Borneo family holidays (and the mainland) include:

Watching orangutans play at the Sepilok sanctuary
Snorkelling in the South China Sea
Exploring the longest cave passage in the world
Staying up late to see turtles lay their eggs
Learning basic jungle survival skills
Following the world’s longest tree-based canopy walk
Taking a step back in time in colonial Malacca
Painting batiks on Penang

One day you might be crouching quietly on the beach in the moonlight, watching a mother turtle hatch her eggs, whilst the next will see you in a small long-tail boat, following narrow channels into the rainforest to search for wild elephants, proboscis monkeys and orangutans.

The day after that, you might be soothing your muscles in the pools of a hot spring, helping to make spring rolls with a local family, or lounging on idyllic sandy beaches.

For more ideas with photos of what you can do here, see our Borneo with Kids Top 10 feature.

Borneo has some of the best beaches in Malaysia

Travelling in Borneo with your family

Travel in Borneo is unlike travel in other parts of South East Asia. The infrastructure is improving all the time, but there are not the same facilities that you will find elsewhere. There are some excellent luxurious hotels – particularly on the beach – but these attach a higher price tag than in other parts of Asia. We will be able to run through the options with you at the time of booking.

If your family enjoy a serious outdoor challenge, you might like to consider climbing Mount Kinabalu. At 4,095m, this is the highest mountain in South East Asia. It takes two days to climb, with a night spent in a mountain refuge before a dawn summit. Permits are required and these do sell out some way in advance, so try to enquire early. For further details, check out Stubborn Mule’s very own Helene Cooper’s account of climbing Mount Kinabalu with her three children, aged 5-8 years old! Her daughter currently holds the unofficial record for ‘youngest climber’.

Reaching the summit of Mount Kinabalu

Family holiday itineraries to Borneo & mainland Malaysia

All of our itineraries are bespoke which means that they are tailor-made for your own specific family, taking into account the ages of your children, your interests, your budget and so on. However, to give you an idea of what you could do on a family holiday in Borneo, have a look at our example itineraries, Active Borneo (2 weeks) and Borneo In-Depth (3 weeks).

For mainland Malaysia check out Singapore and Malaysia (2 weeks).

Also, take a look at the places that you might like to visit on your trip and if you need further inspiration, see our Borneo photo gallery.

You can check out here what the weather will be like at the time you want to travel. Or simply get in touch and we’ll be delighted to advise you on the best Borneo family holidays and when to go.