Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND
Air
Borneo is covered by a surprisingly extensive network of flights, and it's often remarkably
cheap to hop around the island by air. Air travel is the only practical way to reach some
destinations, such as Sarawak's Kelabit Highlands and Gunung Mulu National Park.
There's something incredibly exciting and romantic about buzzing over the jungle in a
19-seat DeHavilland Twin Otter turboprop - or bouncing around in a cloudburst, huge
equatorial raindrops crashing furiously on the pilots' windshield, which passengers can see
out of because the cockpit doesn't have a door.
Note: on some Twin Otter routes (eg up to Bario) there are strict limits on the weight of
both carry-ons (5kg) and checked baggage (10kg). They even weigh the passengers!
In most cases, you can buy air tickets on relatively short notice, but for a few destina-
tions, including Gunung Mulu National Park, Bario and Ba Kelalan (all in Sarawak), it's a
good idea to book ahead, especially in July and August and around holidays. Tickets for
most flights can be purchased online.
Sabah & Sarawak
AirAsia
(
www.airasia.com
)
Kuching to Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Kota Kinabalu (KK); KK
to Tawau, Sandakan, Miri and Kuching.
Batavia Air
(
www.batavia-air.co.id
)
Kuching to Pontianak.
Malaysia Airlines
(
www.malaysiaairlines.com
)
Kuching to KK, Sibu and Bintulu; KK to
Tawau, Labuan and Bintulu.
MASwings
(
www.maswings.com.my
)
Serves two dozen destinations in Sabah (including
Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau), Sarawak (including Lawas, Limbang, Bario, Miri,
Gunung Mulu National Park, Bintulu and Sibu) and Brunei, plus handles Kuching to Pon-
tianak. Has hubs in KK, Kuching and Miri. Member of Star Alliance. Allows liquids in
carry-ons. ATRs and Twin Otters board from the tail so the most accessible seats are at the
back of the plane.
