Maliau Basin is one of the world’s finest remaining wilderness areas. It encompasses over 390 square kilometres of pristine rainforest in the south-central part of Sabah, Borneo, in Malaysia. The rainforest is so dense that less than 50 percent of it has ever been explored. Today, the Maliau is awaiting UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

“Load up quick, bad weather, come very quick!” These are the last words you ever want to hear when you are a passenger in a tiny 20-seater plane flying into the rainforest. As the engines whirred into life, I wondered for a split second whether or not I’d bought enough supplies to last a trek to the nearest village should the plane crash. Risky or not, the flight into the interior of Sarawak only served to highlight the nature of the trip that was to come – remote and, at this point, reckless.

Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies (BEST) focuses on the sustainable development of Borneo’s local communities, utilising the benefits of tourism to provide opportunities for employment and income. On a cultural safari tour to North Borneo, for example, travellers are brought to the heart of an indigenous Rungus village, where they can stay in a longhouse with a family for a night and truly immerse themselves in the fascinating culture.

Meeting our ‘ancestors’ is a must when you pay a visit to mysterious Borneo. Sharing over 90% of their DNA with humans, the orangutans, or ‘red apes’, are one of the most endangered species of the 13 types of primate found on the island. In Sabah, one of the best spots to see orangutans is at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, located approximately 25 kilometres from Sandakan.

With the finalists of Wild Asia’s 2010 Responsible Tourism Award now announced, the honourable endeavours of six small- and medium-sized hotels and tour operators that champion responsible practices in the travel industry are being celebrated. The first of the finalists to have received a visit from the Wild Asia team was the Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa in Malaysia.