Two Weeks in Malaysia: Rainforests, Rivers and the Reef

Visiting a country packed with more wildlife than you can count has been a dream of mine for years. Malaysia, with its ancient rainforests and mesmerising coral reefs, seemed like the ideal destination to make it come true. Where else can you spot monkeys in the trees one day and swim with sea turtles the next?

But planning this trip wasn’t easy! Malaysia is a big country and squeezing all its highlights into two weeks felt like trying to zip up an over-packed suitcase. We mapped out a route that included flying between regions and focused on Borneo, the wilder, more adventurous side of Malaysia.

Our first stop was Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. The name means ‘Cat’, in Malay and the city is dotted with cat statues that range from cute to slightly creepy. Aside from the feline obsession, Kuching is a charming mix of history, culture and some of the best food I’ve ever tasted.

Our absolute favourite was the Sarawak laksa, a spicy noodle soup that could make even the worst travel day better. We paired it with three-layer tea, a sweet drink with milk and palm sugar and instantly fell in love with the local flavours.

Kuching also has a wild side, so we took a trip to Annah Rais Longhouse, a traditional Bidayuh village in the Borneo Highlands. Imagine a giant wooden house on stilts, shared by dozens of families. Staying overnight gave us a peek into their way of life, surrounded by the jungle and immersed in age-old traditions.

Next, we headed to Bako National Park, the oldest national park in Sarawak and a paradise for wildlife lovers. This is where we met the park’s celebrity - the Proboscis Monkey. With its big nose and pot belly, it’s a mix of hilarious and adorable. We also spotted Bornean Bearded Pigs (basically the jungle’s coolest pigs) and long-tailed macaques doing their best to steal food from tourists.

The park’s trails took us through mangroves, beaches and dense jungle. We saw Flying Lemurs, Silver-leaf Monkeys and even a Monitor Lizard that seemed just as surprised to see us as we were to see it.

After exploring Sarawak, we flew to Sabah in the northeast of Borneo. Our destination was the Kinabatangan River, a haven for wildlife. Imagine cruising along a misty river at sunrise, camera in hand, while Orangutans swing through the trees and proboscis monkeys lounge like jungle royalty.

We took two cruises a day, one at sunrise and one at sunset. The morning cruise was magical, with the river shrouded in mist and the jungle waking up around us. We spotted Orangutans, Gibbons, Hornbills, and even Crocodiles lurking on the riverbanks. The only thing missing was a sighting of Borneo’s Pygmy Elephants…but that’s just another excuse to come back.

Our final stop was the famous Sipadan Islands. After a scenic drive (and a sobering glimpse of deforestation for palm oil plantations), we took a boat to Mabul Island, our base for four nights.

Mabul is a paradise for muck and macro diving, where you look for tiny creatures hiding in the sand and corals. But the real showstopper was Sipadan itself, a volcanic cone turned underwater wonderland. Diving here felt like swimming in a giant aquarium.

We saw Turtles, Sharks, schools of Barracudas and even found ourselves in the middle of a swirling ‘Barracuda Tornado’. It was surreal! Every dive revealed something new; Sleeping Nurse Sharks, Eagle Rays gliding past, and so many colourful fish it felt like an underwater carnival.

Leaving Sipadan was hard. It’s a place that gets under your skin. But there’s always next time, and I know I’ll be back to explore more of Malaysia’s incredible wildlife and underwater treasures.

(This blog has been written by Monika, Travel Matters’ Senior Travel Advisor. She visited Malaysia in 2020.)

Photo Credit: Laurentiu Morariu