Exploration Borneo Tours

South East Asia encompasses the largest archipelago of islands in the world. Situated among these islands is the Island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. All of our tours are focussed on the state of Sabah, perched majestically on the northeastern corner of Borneo. Sabah's coastline of 1,440 km, washed by South China Sea on the west and the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea on the East, encloses an inland area of 74,500 sq km.

Sabah, lying north of the equator, means that its climate is tropical and pleasant, and it is warm all year round.

Austronesians have occupied Sabah for at least 5000 years. The broadly classified Murut and Dudun/Kadazan settlers tribes are said to be descendants of these Austronesians. As early as the 9th century A.D., Sabah was trading with China and later the Portuguese and Spanish.

In the 1800's, several merchant adventurers secured grants of territory from the local rulers and 1881, the British North Borneo Co was set up to administer the state. This administration changed in 1942 when the Japanese invaded the country. After the world war II, Sabah was turned into a Crown Colony by the British and in 1963, it gained independence and joined Malaysia.

Sabah is a land of only 2.5 million people. Sabah's population is as diverse as its terrain. Apart from Kadazan/Dusun, Chinese and Malays, there are more than 32 ethnic communities in Sabah who speak 55 different languages, 100 dialects, 140 traditional dances and a host of cultures, beliefs and traditions.

Making one-third of the population, Kadazan-Dusuns live in the interior plains, and were originally paddy farmers, although many have ventured into other trades. The Muruts who live in the interior region near the borders of Sarawak state and Kalimantan, are agriculturists and hunters and were once dreaded headhunters and many still live in longhouses. The Bajaus live mainly along the coasts. East Coast Bajaus are sea nomads, fishing for their living, while the West Coast Bajaus are farmers and are famous for their skilled horsemanship.

Sabah's climate is tropical and it varies from 32 degrees Centigrade in lowland areas to 21 degrees in the highlands and does drop to 15 degrees around the foot of Mt. Kinabalu. At the summit, the temperature goes down to freezing point.

Rain can occur at any time of the year, however, the Northwest monsoon, from November to April, brings showers and the occassional strong winds to the east coast region. The west coast remains relatively dry all year during this period. The conditions are reversed during the southwest monsoon from May to October.

Bahasa Malaysia is the national language but English and Chinese are widely spoken.

The Malaysian currency is Ringgit (RM). You can change money or travellers check in any banks, official money changers or hotels though most establishments accept major travellers' cheques and credit cards

A service charge of 10% and a government tax of 5% are added to bills in all hotels and restaurants within the hotels. Elsewhere, tipping is not mandatory

Electricity voltage is on a 240 volts AC/50--Cycle system.

There are good telephone communications available throughout the island. Public phone booths can accept either phone cards or coins and are widely available. International calls can be dialled directly from private phones and some phone booths using phone cards. The country code for Malaysia 06 and the access code for making international calls is 00. For telephone directory information, the number is 103 for local directory and 108 for international.

Standard Malaysian time is 8 hours ahead of GMT.

The only vaccination requirements are yellow fever for those from infected areas. Cholera, small pox and malaria ahve alrgely been eliminated. Those who are visiting the remote villages are advised to take malaria prophylactics, prior to their visit to Sabah. Also, it advisable to visit your own doctors for further advice before your departure.

• A valid passport (and visa wherever applicable) is required.
• A social or Tourist Visit Pass does not allow the holder to take up employment, business or professional work.
• Business Visit Pass permits foreign visitors to enter for business negotiations or inspection of business premises. This pass cannot be used to take up employment.
• It is advisable to make Visa enquiries at the Malaysian Embassy or Malaysian consulate closest to you as regulations are subject to change.

The best time of the year to visit Sabah and experience Sabah's rich cultural diversity is during the month of May. This is the time when the Kadazan/Dusun community celebrates "Harvest Festival".

The Sabah Fest, held for 1 week in May, offers displays of tradional handicrafts, performances of dance, music and local musical instruments, a beauty contest, Mr Harvest Fetival body-building competition, buffaloes racing and many other events.