Borneo

Borneo's rainforest has been growing for a hundred and thirty million years, and it feels like it. Trees the height of cathedrals, rivers the colour of strong tea, and in the branches, the reason most people come: wild orangutans, moving through the canopy with unhurried, thoughtful grace. Watching one watch you back is a moment that outlasts the trip. You will cruise the Kinabatangan River at dawn past proboscis monkeys and hornbills, climb into the cloud around Mount Kinabalu if you like a challenge, and decompress on beaches where turtles come ashore at night. Lodges range from research-station rustic to genuinely plush rainforest hideaways. Borneo is close to Singapore and easy to combine. For families with curious kids, it is one of the best journeys we make.