Following six weeks in Sri Lanka in February and March 2026, we flew to Borneo to explore Sarawak over two weeks with Wendy Wu Tours.

Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, surpassed in size by only Greenland and New Guinea, is renowned for its ancient rainforests, immense biodiversity, and unique wildlife. The island is shared by Indonesia (Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), and Brunei.

In Sri Lanka, we flew out of the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo and flew to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Airlines late at night. Flight MHO178 was full and no paid upgrades were available. Our seats, right at the back of the aircraft, were small with very little legroom. There was no window. A dinner of fish curry and rice was served by charming air-hostesses. White and red wines were available but were of poor quality. I settled for Scotch on rocks.

It was an uncomfortable flight and sleep was not possible.

We landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the morning. It is the main international airport of Malaysia, located approximately 45 km south of the city. British passport holders do not require a VISA to enter Malaysia but online checkin is mandatory and a Malaysia Digital Arrival Card has to be completed and submitted before arrival. We went through immigration to enter the domestic part of the airport. There are no money changing facilities in the domestic section of the airport

The Malaysian Airlines flight MH2520 left Kula Lumpur at 11 am and landed in Kuching at 12.50 pm. Our seats were more comfortable and legroom was adequate. Chicken curry and rice was served for lunch. There was no coffee and Malaysian Airlines do not serve alcohol on domestic flights.

We went through immigration again at Kuching airport. Wendy Wu Tours guide Nagalingam Pakirisami greeted us warmly in the arrivals hall and drove us to Kuching city centre 11 kms. south of the airport.

Kuching is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak and has a diverse ethnic mix including the native Iban people, Chinese and Malay as well as many other minority groups. It is Borneo’s most stylish and sophisticated city and is known as the “City of Cats” – walkable and renowned for its riverfront, colonial history, nearby national parks and a rich, diverse culinary scene.

Our base in Kutching for 3 days was the excellent Waterfront Hotel (4*) in a stately building adjacent to the Plaza Merdeka mall. It is 3 minutes’ walk from the Kuching Waterfront’s restaurants and shops along the Sarawak River.

The tour guide briefed us at the hotel that evening and took us out to dinner. We walked along illuminated streets to a riverfront restaurant located in a small 1879 fort.

Dinner was mushroom soup, prawn salad and Lamb shanks with mashed potato and vegetables washed down with a good Spanish Shiraz.

After dinner, we walked along the waterfront and watched the light-display at the Parliament building across the river which is repeated daily at 8.30 and 9.30 pm.

It was a fabulous first day in Borneo.

Notes

Currency is the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR), denoted by “RM”. Notes are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 RM. ATMs are available in major cities. Major currencies like USD, GBP, and EUR are easily exchanged at banks or money changers. Cards can be used in cities. 

Power Sockets: Borneo (both Malaysian Sabah/Sarawak and Indonesian Kalimantan) primarily uses Type G power sockets, featuring three rectangular prongs in a triangular pattern, identical to the UK. The standard voltage is 𝟐𝟒𝟎𝐕 at 𝟓𝟎𝐇𝐳. Visitors from the UK can use their appliances directly, while those from the US, Europe, or elsewhere will need a travel adapter and, for some devices, a voltage converter. 

Publisheds 3 April 2026