Borneo for 2,5 weeks - is "only" Sabah enough?

Hey guys - just discovered and already love this forum! :-)

I'm planning to go to Borneo at the beginning of february 2017 with 2 friends and am in the middle of the exciting preparation which keeps me in a good mood with the grey winter coming in Germany.

We decided some days ago, that we will NOT go to Raja Ampat and probably also NOT go to Kalimantan (Camp Leaky etc.), as both seems to be too much hustle / loosing a lot of days travelling. So we can travel really relaxed and get to breathe the country and stay wherever we like it without having to rush things.

So now i'm a bit worried, if Sabah will keep us busy for 2,5 weeks, and if we really shouldn't try to reach the south of Borneo as well to experience stuff we cannot do so in the north-east. Any input is appreciated - also maybe on how to quickly reach Pangkalan Bun from Sabah (the only way i found was flight to Kuching > Pontianak > Pangkalan Bun).

Any personal tipps for Sabah also highly appreciated!! :-)

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Marc

You could also go to Sarawak, or even Brunei: Borneo's a big place.

I think it's difficult for anyone to give you good advice without knowing exactly what you want to see and do on Borneo. Wildlife? Diving? Beaches? Trekking? Longhouses? Interesting cities? River trips? Borneo is pretty diverse...

There is plenty to do in Sabah...enough to fill your time....but I agree it depends on your interests.

If you want to visit longhouses there are much better options in Sarawak,for example. And Kuching is a much more interesting city than any in Sabah...

I personally think Tanjung Puting is way overrated and would hardly be worth the long trip down from Sabah.
It would be easy to fill 2,5 weeks in Sabah, but if you want to add someplace else, Brunei or Sarawak would be easier to add on than Central Kalimantan.
Incidentally, I prefer Sarawak to Sabah, and certainly Kuching to KK.

Hey guys, thanks already for your answers! Makes me feel way more relaxed.

What I/we expect i guess is a good mix of everything and getting to know the country & the people as well, so explicitly:

Wildlife: YES
Diving: only snorkeling - but yes!
Beaches: hell yeah
Trekking: easy daytrips with nice views - maybe 2 day trips
Longhouses: I and on of the friends are really afraid that it will be like a staged setup for tourists, where after the tourists where there, the people go home and sit in front of their flatscreens (like he experienced in Thailand and New Zealand). I love the idea though!
Cities: We will visit Kuala Lumpur on our way to Asia, but sure - cities, are a part of getting to know the country - so Kuching > KK, right?
River Trips: yes please! i think that was one of the biggest reasons of trying to get down to Kalimantan to go on those Boat houses to travel down a river and watch the beautiful nature.

Thhaaanks so much already! <3

Marc

No matter how much you'd love to see and do everything, it won't fit into 2.5 weeks. I think Sabah and SW Sarawak are already a bit too much for that timeframe, let alone adding Kalimantan.
The Kinabatangan River in Sabah is not exactly a trip into deepest-darkest, but combines short river tours with watching wildlife.
Longer but rather unromantic river trips are possible up the Rejang in Sarawak.
Sabah has some fake, touristy longhouses but those in Sarawak are well lived-in. However the Dayaks living in them wear modern dress, watch TV and have cell phones as part of their everyday life.
Day-long treks should be possible in any national park.
For beaches and snorkeling, head for the islands off Semporna in Sabah, or maybe the Derawan/Sangalaki archipelago in East Kalimantan.

Thanks for your opinion and tipps Laszlo!
I will return when i have more precice questions.

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