Volunteering in Borneo guide

Borneo volunteering vacations typically range in length from one to four weeks, during which time you may be accommodated in shared jungle lodges at a wildlife center, or even with local Iban or Dayak tribes, sharing meals and bedding down in their traditional longhouse, depending on the project you’re involved in.

You may be working either in Malaysian or Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan). Malaysian Borneo, comprising the states of Sarawak and Sabah, covers most of the island’s north, and has two prestigious orangutan rehabilitation centers: Matang, just outside Sarawak’s capital, Kuching, and Sepilok in the far northeast of Sabah. Volunteering in Kalimantan spans Tanjung Puting National Park; Samboja Lestari, a tranche of restored rainforest near the city of Balikipapan, and the renowned Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary with some 400 residents, and a superb rehabilitation and reintroduction programme.

Some trips involve a lot more actual volunteer work than others. There are itineraries that resemble standard wildlife watching tours, with a day or so helping out at an orangutan rehabilitation center for instance, perhaps with enrichment tasks, between jungle treks and handicrafts lessons. Other itineraries are much more conservation focused and can mean six-day weeks of physical labour such as helping to build enclosures, in hot and humid conditions. Trips can either be small group tours, following a fixed itinerary on set dates, or tailormade giving you greater flexibility on when you travel. In both cases you will be working alongside a group of other volunteers as well as full time project staff, so this is fantastic for getting to know like-minded people, and also a great way to make valuable connections if you’re interested in pursuing conservation as a career.

Depending on the nature of your trip, where you’re based and the precise needs on the ground at the time of your visit, you might be helping out with a wide range of conservation related tasks:

Tree planting and weed clearing to regenerate the jungle Building and constructing facilities such as enclosures and guard posts Building orangutan release sites Feeding animals, cleaning enclosures and enrichment, such as encouraging orangutans to build nests and forage Education and awareness activities in local communities and schools Wildlife monitoring in the rainforest and on the river by boat Spending time with Iban or Dayak communities, the custodians of the rainforest, to learn about their role