World Challenge Trip to Borneo

A report on Churcher's College student's epic World Challenge trip to Borneo this summer.

'It’s a jungle out there’ has appeared on the T-shirts of World Challengers for decades, but this year the team stepped into a world of orangutans, giant insects and many, many curious critters as we ventured into Borneo.

We touched down in steamy Kuching, Sarawak region’s oldest city, and discovered that the humidity was something to be reckoned with. Acclimatisation needed to be achieved quickly as we were soon plunged into the rainforests of Baku National Park. Our trekking was accompanied by the calling of macaques, the grunting of wild boar and some amazing close encounters with the big-nosed proboscis monkeys, which are unique to Borneo.

Back on the mainland, we visited Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, where we were warned that, as it was fruit season, we’d be lucky to see an orangutan, as food was plentiful. Five minutes later, we found ourselves within touching distance of an absolutely ginormous male who decided to hang about and observe us for half an hour. Memories are made of this.

Hopping on a flight across the country to the Sabah region and the capital Kota Kinabalu, or KK for short, we were immersed in city life and spent time experiencing the night markets, local dishes and general hustle and bustle.

But the urban jungle was no substitute for the real thing. Our official jungle trek phase out of our base camp at Kiulu saw the team sleeping in hammocks between the trees. By day, lush, dense forests contrasted with the open paddy fields. Dripping in sweat, the team embraced the experience and fell asleep looking at the stars… through mozzie nets, of course! We spent time visiting the local community in a traditional village and embraced a chance to try the infamous durian fruit. Reviews were varied!

Our community initiative this year was one of the best we have ever experienced. Surrounded by jungle on one side and the sea on the other, Kudat is a town on the very tip of Borneo. We were welcomed in like long-lost relatives and then spent five days living alongside our new family, contributing to a sustainable project that aims to preserve local traditions and methods of food production. We worked in the paddy fields and experienced the entire process: from paddy to plate. So amazed were we at the amount of time and effort it took to produce a bowl of rice that we vowed never to throw food away again.

The peak of our journey, both figuratively and literally, was summiting Mount Kinabalu – the highest mountain between the Himalayas and the island of New Guinea. The two-day mini-adventure saw us stop at Laban Rata Rest House at 3,273m after a long day of climbing. Then it was up at around 2am, finally needing our warm clothing, and armed with headtorches, for the summit push to Low’s Peak at 4,095m. Having pulled ourselves up the final granite stretch, we drank in the morning sun and prayed that our trillions of photos of the panoramic views would do it justice.

What an amazing country! I keep being asked my thoughts on the trip and, overwhelmingly, my response is always what wonderful people we met and what incredible wildlife we saw. But man alive! It was HOT!

October 2026