My trip to Borneo

haley lester
3 min readFeb 9, 2021

Borneo is one of the most diverse and unique places that I have traveled to so far. It is the third largest island in the world, located in Asia. It is home to all kinds of land and sights to see. From the animals, rich culture, mountains, caves, rainforests, jungles, and beaches, it is impossible to run out of places to go.

Borneo is home to the worlds oldest rainforest. It is estimated to be around 130 million years old. 65% of the massive island is made up of the rainforest. Half of the worlds lumber comes from Borneo. Inside of the massive rainforest is around 1,300 different animal species. In the last 10 years only, 360 new species have been discovered in Borneo alone. I spent a lot of my time going on wildlife tours and exploring the vast jungles. I saw animals and creatures I never knew existed. Borneo is also 1 out of the 2 only places in the world that you can see wild Orangutans. Not only is the animal life there abundant, the plant life is flourishing as well. Nearly 15,000 different plants reside on the island.

Not only are there rainforests, there is a beautiful, clear ocean surrounding all sides of the island. The water is the prettiest water I have ever seen. It is a perfect location for scuba divers and snorkelers as well. There are colorful reefs and marine life everywhere off of their beaches. Borneo is also home to big mountain ranges and the largest mountain in South East Asia. Hiking and kayaking up and down these was an exhausting, blast.

The culture of Borneo is very diverse and unique. There are people here from all over the world and the locals are very welcoming. An estimated 170 different ethnic languages are spoken across the island. Most of the local men and women wear headdresses and have meaningful tattoos and markings. There is music and dance everywhere, along with cultural food and drinks. Overall, I recommend it as an amazing travel destination for adventurous individuals and families.

SOURCE:

says:, Preeti Misra, et al. “14 Intriguing Facts about Borneo.” Oyster, 15 June 2015, www.oysterworldwide.com/news/14-intriguing-facts-about-borneo/.

--

--