Borneo Family Holiday Guide: What It’s Really Like With Kids
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We spent several weeks travelling across Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo as part of our family gap year — and it ended up being one of the biggest highlights of the entire trip.
Borneo had always felt like a dream destination: pristine rainforest, extraordinary wildlife, and those once-in-a-lifetime experiences you usually only see on nature documentaries. What genuinely surprised me, though, was just how easy it was to experience all of this with kids.
This is a place where you can watch orangutans swinging through the trees, head out on rainforest night walks, and glide quietly along the Kinabatangan River spotting wildlife — all without exhausting travel days or hardcore trekking. You can balance real adventure with downtime on beautiful beaches and in family-friendly resorts, which makes a Borneo family holiday far more achievable than many parents expect.
If you’re wondering whether Borneo with kids is realistic, affordable, and enjoyable for the whole family, here’s everything you need to know.
Table of Contents
- Where is Borneo?
- How do you get to Borneo?
- Why visit Borneo on a family holiday?
- Where is best to visit in Borneo with kids?
- How easy is it to visit Borneo with kids?
- Is Borneo safe for families?
- What ages is Borneo best for?
- Is Borneo expensive?
- How much does a Borneo family holiday cost?
- What to pack for Borneo with kids
- How Borneo fits into a longer family gap year
- Download your free Borneo family holiday itinerary
- Planning a trip to Borneo?
Where is Borneo?
Borneo is an island in South East Asia famous for its incredible biodiversity and wildlife spotting opportunities. It’s split between two countries — the northern stretch of the island is part of Malaysia, whilst the southern part is Indonesian.
As well as vast expanses of jungle, Borneo also boasts amazing white sand beaches and clear blue seas (plus some of the best sunsets in the world). This mix of rainforest and coastline is what makes it such a brilliant family destination.
How do you get to Borneo?
Most international flights connect through either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. From there, it’s a 2–3 hour flight into Kota Kinabalu in Sabah or Kuching in Sarawak. AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines both fly these routes regularly.
There are also direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan, which is the quickest gateway to some of Sabah’s biggest wildlife highlights, including Sepilok and the Kinabatangan River.
If you’re transiting through the capital, our guide to Kuala Lumpur on a budget with kids breaks down exactly how much to expect to spend and where to stay as a family.
Most families opt to visit Sabah when planning a Borneo family holiday. This is where you’ll find the famous Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok, outstanding wildlife watching along the Kinabatangan River, beautiful beaches, and even diving over towards Semporna in the far east of the state.
Why visit Borneo on a family holiday?
Lush jungle teeming with life. Stunning white sand beaches. Clear turquoise seas. Spectacular sunsets. Orangutans.
You really can pack so much into a Borneo family holiday, even if you only have two weeks. And best of all, you can balance nature-based adventures with plenty of time to relax by the beach — the best of both worlds when travelling with kids.
The opportunity to see orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, and a whole host of rare birds in the wild is what draws so many families here. And while Borneo might sound remote and challenging, it’s actually far more accessible than you might imagine.
Where is best to visit in Borneo with kids?
Malaysian Borneo is made up of two states: Sabah in the north-east and Sarawak to the south. Whilst both offer amazing access to nature, most families choose to focus on Sabah — and for good reason.
When you’re planning your trip, where you base yourself in Borneo can make a big difference, especially when travelling with kids and trying to balance wildlife experiences with downtime.
Visiting Sabah
Sabah is relatively easy to navigate and really packs a punch in terms of wildlife. It’s home to:
- the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
- the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
- the Rainforest Discovery Centre
- the Kinabatangan River
All of these experiences are close enough together to combine easily without long travel days.
We share our full experiences visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, taking a Kinabatangan River safari with kids, seeing the sun bears and joining rainforest night walks at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in separate detailed guides.
Sabah also has some fabulous stretches of beach and clear, calm seas. Concentrating on this region means you can enjoy unforgettable animal encounters and relaxed beach days in a relatively short space of time.
Sarawak with kids
While much of our time in Borneo was spent around Sepilok and the Kinabatangan River, we also explored Kuching, which offers a completely different experience. This laid-back riverside city is a great base for families and has plenty to see and do.
If you’re planning to visit this part of the island, check out our Kuching itinerary for ideas on how to spend your time.
There are plenty of great activities for families, from waterfront walks to cultural sites — you can see more ideas in our guide to what to do in Kuching.
One of the highlights from this part of our trip was visiting Bako National Park, where we spotted proboscis monkeys and explored jungle trails right by the coast.
Sarawak may not have quite the same draw as Sabah, but if you’ve got the time it’s absolutely worth the additional detour.
How easy is it to visit Borneo with kids?
Honestly, this was the biggest surprise of our entire Borneo adventure.
Despite the wild landscapes and dense rainforest, travelling around Borneo with kids was genuinely one of the easiest experiences of our family gap year. Overland journeys are short, flights are frequent, and many of the main wildlife experiences are designed to be accessible.
If you stick to the main destinations — Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Sepilok, and the Kinabatangan River — the longest overland journey you’re likely to do is around 1–2 hours.
And even with this easy-going travel, you’re still going to get right into the Borneo rainforest and see plenty of amazing animals and birds in the wild.
Our 2-week Borneo itinerary for families shows exactly how to pace these experiences without overloading kids.
Is Borneo safe for families?
This is one of the biggest questions parents ask — and the short answer is yes.
Tourist areas in Malaysian Borneo, particularly in Sabah, are well set up for visitors and rely heavily on responsible wildlife tourism. The main nature experiences are guided, regulated, and designed to keep both visitors and wildlife safe.
Wildlife encounters — such as river safaris and night walks — are led by experienced local guides. You’re not wandering alone through the jungle, and most animal viewing is done from boats or designated walkways.
Be aware that government advisories (such as the UK FCO here) state that there is a risk of kidnapping from the islands off the East of Sabah (popular dive locations). They advise against travel to these islands for that reason. However, this only applies specifically to the islands and NOT to mainland Borneo.
As with anywhere, common-sense precautions apply: supervise kids, follow guide instructions, and respect wildlife. We felt comfortable throughout our time in Borneo and found it to be a safe, welcoming destination for families.
What ages is Borneo best for?
Borneo works best for school-age children who enjoy animals and nature and can cope with early starts for wildlife spotting.
That said, younger kids can still enjoy a Borneo family holiday, particularly if you focus on:
- orangutan centres and boardwalks
- short river safaris
- beach and resort stays
The key is pacing. Mixing intense wildlife days with downtime around pools or on the beach makes a huge difference.
Is Borneo expensive?
Borneo is excellent value for a family holiday. While flights to get there can be pricey depending on where you’re travelling from, the cost of accommodation, tours, food, and transport once you arrive is very reasonable.
It’s also a great place to stretch your budget a little. You can stay in genuinely luxurious, family-friendly resorts — like the Shangri-La Rasa Ria — for far less than you’d expect to pay elsewhere. You can read our full review of staying at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria with kids to see why it worked so well as the final stop on our Borneo trip.
How much does a Borneo family holiday cost?
Costs will vary depending on your travel style; below are some rough costs to help with your budgeting.
Accommodation (family of four)
- Kuala Lumpur (two-bed apartment with access to pools and gym): c.£35-50/US$47.50-68 per night
- Basic family room in Sepilok: £60-70/US$81.50-90 per night
- Family room in Sepilok at a resort with pool: £150/US$204 per night
- 2 nights on the Kinabatangan River as part of a tour (including safaris, meals & transfers): £400/US$543
- Family Room at Shangri-La Rasa Ria in Toa Kinabalu (including breakfast): £120-150/US$163-204 per night
Activities (family of four)
- Rainforest Discovery Centre (day visit): £17/US$23
- Night walk at RDC: £26.50/US$36
- Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre: £22/US$30
- Sun Bear Conservation Centre: £27.50/US$37.50
Internal flights
- Kuala Lumpur → Sandakan: £300/US$408
- Sandakan → Kota Kinabalu: £100/US$136
- Kota Kinabalu → Kuala Lumpur: £250/US$340
Other daily costs in Borneo
Food and transport are very affordable compared to Europe or North America.
To give you an idea:
- £6–20/US$8-27 per meal for four
- £1–2/US$1.36-2.72 for short Grab taxi rides
- £20–25/US$27-34 for longer airport transfers
- £3.50/US$4.75 per load of laundry
You can read the full breakdown of exactly what a two week Borneo family holiday with kids would cost in our curated itinerary here.
What to pack for Borneo with kids
A few things made our Borneo trip much easier:
- lightweight long-sleeved tops for sun and insects. We love the Nosilife range from Craghoppers – it’s all lightweight and designed for travel AND it comes with built in mosquito repellent.
- good walking shoes or trainers – absolutely essential. Crocs will only get you so far!
- binoculars for wildlife spotting
- a small torch for night walks
- reef-safe sunscreen and insect repellent
How Borneo fits into a longer family gap year
Borneo works brilliantly as part of a longer Southeast Asia trip. It pairs well with mainland Malaysia, offers a completely different experience from cities and beaches, and provides meaningful, educational travel for kids.
We found it to be completely different to the rest of Southeast Asia. And it offered by far and away the best wildlife spotting opportunities – after Borneo everywhere else felt a bit underwhelming.
Its mix of adventure and comfort makes it ideal mid-trip — when you want something special without exhausting everyone.
If you’re putting your itinerary together, take a look at our favourite places to stay in Borneo to help you decide where to base yourself.
Download your free Borneo family holiday itinerary
This post gives an overview of what a Borneo family holiday looks like. If you want the exact route, accommodation links, costs, and travel logistics in one place, we’ve put together a free downloadable PDF.
The itinerary is based on our real family trip and is designed to save you hours of planning.
👉 Download your free 2-week Borneo itinerary here
Planning a trip to Borneo?
Check out our other posts for more reviews, tips, and essential information for Borneo and beyond across wider Malaysia, including:
