Malaysia-Borneo travel tip

• VISA
• MONEY
• GUIDE BOOK
• HEALTH
  
• GENERAL TIPS
  • From Penang (Georgetown) to Kuala Lumpur by train
  • How to reach Bako National Park
  • Detail about Semengon National Park (Orangoes)
  • Longhouse visit

VISA

EU citienzens don't need a visa, just your passport will be enough. However take into consideration that:

• Traveling in Borneo all the way along the cost (through Sarawak, and Sabah, maybe even passing Brunei, and reenterning the Temburung district of Brunei) will allow you to have plenty of stamps. In fact every region has it's own custom stamping like hell every time you pass.
  

MONEY

GUIDE BOOK

I used the english Lonely Planet 'Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei 2009 and the Rough Guide 'Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei' 6th edition , Sept2009.
I preferred Lonely Planet, but it could be since I'm used to.

HEALTH

I had the usual vaccinations: ephatite A, B, typhus and tetanus. I know your main concern is the dilemma 'to do or not to do the antimalaric treatment?'
Against the malaria you have mainly three choises: Clorichina, Malarone and Lariam.
Clorichina is not effective in this part of the world (it's mainly for central America), but at the end I decided to take neither Malarone nor Lariam.
Along the cost the risk is low, while reaching Kapit, in the very inland of Borneo the risk exists, but I preferred to cover conveniently, using repellent and mosquito net than take antimalaric for my 7th times.

GENERAL TIPS

• From Penang (Georgetown) to Kuala Lumpur by train:

  there's a very convenient train leaving Butterworth (the mainland town in front of Penang Island) at 23.00 pulling into Kuala L. at 7.30.
  The price for the lower berth is 46RM (11€) while the upper one is 40 RM (9€).
  There's a ferry boat from Georgetown harbor at 22.00 getting in Butteworth at 22.30, from the ferry dock is 3 min walk to the station.
  

• How to reach Bako National Park
  From Kuching at 8.00 am daily there 's a bus heading to the Bako jetty in 45min. Here you have to rent a 5 people boat costing 60€ back and forth to the Park Entrance (40min sail). The best is to gather a group of people and share the cost, but take into consideration everybody must come back at the same time you'll agree with the boat keeper to pick you up.
  At the entrance you'll pay a fee and get a map: there'r several trails ranging from 2h till 12h hike. Take some water with you since you sweat like hell (there's a restaurant/ bar on the island).
  Few hours walk from the entrance there's a jaw dropping beach where you can swim.
  To come back to Kuching from the Bako Jetty you'll find plenty of minibuses.
  

• Detail about Semengon National Park (Orangoes)
  Indeed the best chances to see Orangoes are at the feeding time (9.00am). To be there in time you have to catch the bus From Kuching at 7.30am since it takes almost 1h to reach the park and once there you have 15min walk inside it. If you miss the bus, as we did, the only option is a minibus (to the nearest main town) and then a taxi. I found the visit worthwhile (honestly I was enjoying it more the Bako National Park) but don't expect to be the only one. The Park is huge so nobody can guarantee you to see them.
  To come back just stand on the main road passing in front of the Park entrance and it won't take that long some minibus will pick you up
  

• Longhouse visit
  The longhouses are for sure the most advertised highlight of Borneo. Honestely I'm not a fan of such organized tours that visit the private houses, looking at the people inside and taking picture as in a zoo, but being in Kapit we couldn't avoid to have at least a glance.
  First of all it's not something you can easily do independently, even if you manage to find where the houses are (and I'm wondering how you could) ,you will need somebody introducing you, translating you, and anyway you'll have to pay a fee to them.
  Hence you need a guide (don't expect travel agencies in Kapit), organizing a day trip, or an overnight; for sure the best experiences are the ones far from Kapit, taking at least 3 days (1 day sailing the river to reach them), however it comes at a cost.
  For the abovementioned reason and to limit the costs we opted for a daytrip finding our guide (Cristine) in the Greenland hotel (as Lonely Planet suggests) and paying 70€ for two people for the guide, the car and the fees at longhouses.
  At first we went to a poor longhouse, staying one hour inside one of the houses and visiting the school. Then after 1h driving we crossed the river to a wealthier village.
  Here we saw the village life, even visiting the surprising modern clinic, proud of showing us 6 baby had already been delivered that year.
  At the end it turned out interesting, not in particular for the longhouses (that honestly I didn't find so special), but for being the only chance we have had to see the village life; one day for me it has been enough, though.