SCV provides an introduction to the diversity of indigenous peoples of Borneo, some of whom students will engage with during the program.

Experience rural and remote Sarawak in half-day program and discover the culture and lifestyles of each including colorful traditional dress used in various ceremonies, music and folklore, architecture and history.

Enjoy a delicious meal of traditional local dishes and be treated to a display of ancient hunting techniques, traditional dance and songs of the past.

This program run with Sarawak Forestry looks at National Park

management and includes hikes into the tropical jungle and night walks in search of frogs. Kubah is recognised as having the greatest diversity of frogs of any location in the world!

The picturesque Bako National Park is reached via a boat ride along the river and out to the tip of the peninsula. Discover the varied plant and wildlife in the mangrove forests and hike across the park to secluded beaches. Most exciting is the opportunity to meet the famous Proboscis monkeys, the long-tailed macaques and cute silver-leaf monkeys., and monitor lizards.

The program includes time spent with the local indigenous community where you will help fish for your dinner, and enjoy activities such as tree planting, traditional fish trapping, shrimp paste processing and local culture demonstrations.

Bario nestles in the midst of the The Kelabit Highlands that includes the spellbinding mountain ranges in the northernmost part of Sarawak. Here you will find rolling hills and virgin jungle that’s home to 14 villages, and multiple remote longhouses. Accessed by small planes twice a day, Bario is one of the more remote indigenous communities.

The program includes an overnight stay in a village longhouse to enjoy true Kelabit hospitality and cultural engagement. Students will learn of the impact on the community of the remote setting and an aging population, as the young move to the larger cities on the coast for education, and never return. learn the secrets to the famous Bario rice and super sweet pineapples!

The Orangutan conservation centre is situated in a semi‐wild state in a high value primary jungle remnant. The orangutan come in twice a day for feeding, although during fruiting season they might not show up. Always a highlight for any visitor to get up close to these amazing creatures. Students will receive a seminar on the science and management of this significant population.

The journey starts here, in the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. ‘Kuching’ in Malay means ‘Cat’, hence the proliferation of cat statues across the town.

Kuching is the base which the program returns to between site visits and offers an enormous array of delicious local food, local bars and cafes, and importantly laundromats, to get those hiking clothes clean for the next trip. Explore the history and culture at your leisure, visit the local market and take a a sunset cruise along the river.

This center is home to those Orangutan released from illegal captivity and who require rehabilitation before being released into the wild. The program includes discussions about the biodiversity impacts of land‐use change and human - wildlife conflict. Students enjoy nocturnal wildlife walks to view the diverse inhabitants of the Kubah National park.

The highlight of the program is the Orangutan Volunteer program which sees students cleaning out cages and building new nests for the orangutan to sleep in each night.

A day visit to an oil palm plantation to gain insight on the inner workings of estates, learn about the processes, and talk to experts about environmental impact, counter-measures, and best sustainability practices. This will challenge all you think you know about oil palm!

A favorite of the program. Experience Bidayuh hospitality - food, culture and the traditional longhouse lifestyle. Learn how to make a traditional bamboo raft, before floating down the river for a foraged lunch from the jungle “supermarket” . The program includes jungle trekking and a visit to local villager’s farms.