Community and Conservation Gap Year Program Adventure in Borneo

What is the 8 or 4-week Community and Conservation Gap Year Program Adventure in Borneo all about?

This unique 8 or 4-week gap year program is the perfect opportunity to learn more about environmental conservation and community development, enhance key life skills, and make new friends in the wild destination of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. You will work alongside indigenous Dusun communities, help restore precious mangrove ecosystems on the Sabah coast… and then there is the Endurance Trek: an off-grid jungle trek along the historic Salt Trail through the Crocker Range, followed by river safaris and two nights at the world-famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. This team program is as much about immersing yourself in a new environment and culture as it is about self-discovery and personal development. Each Challenge Phase has set learning objectives, aimed at building your confidence, independence, and adaptability in a supportive and engaging team setting.

The full program is 8 weeks long and includes all 4 Challenge Phases:

• Community Action
• Endurance Trek – an ultimate group jungle adventure (not to be missed!)
• Environmental Protection
• The Final Challenge

The order of the phases may change. The 4-week program includes 2 Challenge Phases: the Endurance Trek plus either Community Action or Environmental Protection. There is no Final Challenge on the 4-week program, which is designed for those who want a taste of challenge and adventure but don’t have time for the full 8-week experience. If you are unsure of your next academic or professional step and are looking for a unique gap year experience and the chance to truly reflect on your goals in life, then this is the program for you.

Why choose this Environment, Community and Adventure Gap Year Program in Borneo?

• Trek deep into the Bornean jungle, sleep in a hammock under the rainforest canopy, and see Borneo’s famous orangutans at Sepilok!
• Live with indigenous Dusun communities and experience the unique culture of Sabah first-hand.
• Help protect Sabah’s rich mangrove ecosystems and river biodiversity through reforestation and mangrove rehabilitation.
• Experience what it is like to be a leader: learn about the power of planning, team effort, and the strength of working together to achieve
  goals.
• Grow both personally and professionally, learning more about yourself, your capabilities, and your passions.

Outline of the Gap Year Adventure Program

This Gap Year Adventure is for you if you like variety and don’t want to be stuck doing one thing for an extended amount of time. It gives you the opportunity to experience various aspects of local life and its challenges, but it also offers all the incredible beauty of Borneo’s jungles, rivers, mountains, and coastline. Here is a sample timeline of the full 8-week program, but bear in mind that the order of the phases may vary. If you choose the 4-week program, you will complete the Endurance Trek and either Community Action or Environmental Protection (approx. 10 days each).

Your experience starts with induction and training (3–4 days) at Fieldbase – Camp Bongkud, in the Kudat District at the northern tip of Borneo. Set close to a rural Dusun community and very similar in feel, Camp Bongkud immerses you quickly in the unique culture of Sabah. You will stay in traditional longhouses, with indoor communal spaces, toilets and cold showers. You will get to know your fellow Venturers, prepare for Expedition life and receive essential training on topics such as health and safety and cultural awareness. At the end of each phase, everyone returns to Camp Bongkud for a 2–3 day changeover to catch up with the rest of the Expedition team and prepare for the next phase. Groups change between each phase – an important part of the Expedition experience.

COMMUNITY ACTION PHASE (approx. 13 days) – You will spend around 2 weeks in the remote Dusun village of Rumantai, located between the Ranau and Telupid districts in central Sabah. You will become immersed in a Sabah native community, expanding your perspectives while learning a new way of life and teaming up with the community on solutions to local challenges. Tasks could include:

• continuing the construction of a community church guesthouse
• building a bird hide
• making and installing trek route signage

Staying with your team in the community hall (with squat and sit-down toilets and bucket showers), you will build construction skills, receive technical
training from local partners, and learn project development, planning and problem-solving with limited resources.

ENDURANCE TREK PHASE (approx. 13 days) – The most challenging but also most rewarding element of the Borneo Gap Year Program comes in two parts. Part one is a multi-day, off-grid jungle trek along the historic Salt Trail across the Crocker Range. Every day is different, including the weather and the accommodation, and you will sleep in hammocks at jungle camps (with long- drop toilets and bucket showers). Part two takes you deeper into the jungle and onto the Kinabatangan River, where you will spend time in a rainforest community with the Orang Sungai (indigenous river people), take part in an eco-tourism and rainforest restoration project, and go on river safaris.

The phase ends with two nights at the world-famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The trek may test you, but you will always have the full support and encouragement of your team to push through. Granted, there will be highs and lows, but you will be surprised how much you can grow as an individual in perseverance, adaptability, teamwork, confidence, and empathy. You will develop orienteering, route-finding and planning skills, survival, first aid and camp craft skills, and physical fitness. You will also get a feel for what it means to lead a group and make decisions under fatigue, when it is your turn to be the leader for the day.

No experience is needed to take part in the trek, just a good attitude and the willingness to adapt to various situations. Once you have completed the Endurance Trek, you will return to Camp Bongkud to rest and prepare for your next phase.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PHASE (approx. 13 days) – You will live in the coastal community of Sungai Eloi in the Pitas District of northern Sabah, where your project blends hands-on construction, environmental education and cultural exchange to protect the region’s rich mangrove ecosystems and river biodiversity. Your activities could include:

• Reforestation and mangrove rehabilitation to support local wildlife
• Raising awareness locally about environmental issues
• Species monitoring, surveys and data collection
• Habitat management

You will stay in a traditional sulap hut – an open-air shelter with squat toilets and bucket showers – and gain hands-on experience in sustainability education and project management.

THE FINAL CHALLENGE (approx. 4 days, 8-week program only) – This is where you put every skill you have developed across the Expedition into practice. Working with your team, you will set out a plan, meet your targets, push yourselves and solve problems independently to achieve a shared goal. The challenge could be project-based or endurance-based – you will find out when you get there! This phase is completely self-led: staff are there only for health and safety support and will act as part of the group. It builds physical and mental resilience, teamwork, communication, leadership, adaptability and accountability.

All Expeditions end with everyone coming together back at Camp Bongkud (Endex). Catch up with friends, reflect on your journey and what you have
learnt about yourself, and celebrate all you have achieved together.

What skills do I need to join this 8 or 4-week Gap Year Program in Borneo?

No experience or specific qualifications are needed, just enthusiasm, a sense of adventure and a flexible attitude. You must be willing to embrace the challenges of living simply and exploring a new country, and really immerse yourself in the experience. As you will be living, working and travelling as a
team, you must be respectful and considerate of others.

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