Borneo Rainforest Lodge captures global attention, a paradise that is safe, untouched, almost magical place
By PAUL MU
muvitet@gmail.com
Photos courtesy of Borneo Rainforest Lodge
FOR many of us here, a paradise where you could escape to feels like something distant.
A place to be found somewhere else, out of the state, out of the country– beyond the familiar surroundings.
However, sometimes, the world that we have been searching for… already exists here.
This is what was experienced by David Belcher, a journalist who recently featured the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL) in The New York Times.
In his search for a place that offers both nature and refined comfort, he found it deep within the ancient 140-million-year-old rainforest of Danum Valley, located in Lahad Datu.
To him, it is a place that goes beyond experience and reaching BRL is part of the story itself, a 90-minute flight from Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu, followed by a journey of 2 hours and 45 minutes into the dense rainforest.
What awaits is not just a destination, but an immersion.
The rainforest is ever-present, his morning begins with the sound of wildlife echoing through the trees, while the canopy walk, elevated 27 meters above the ground, offers a different perspective of the pristine rainforest.
As the night falls, the environment transforms, revealing another layer of life through the guided night safaris that were deemed “a revelation” by Belcher.
At the lodge, there was no attempt to overpower any of it. No effort to tame the forest. Instead, everything is adjusted around it.
Every small detail makes staying at the lodge feel effortless without taking anything away from where you were.
It was as he would later describe as a balance, rawness in nature without discomfort.
The feature in The New York Times marks as a proud moment, not only for publicity but validation.
“It tells the market that the lodge is not just good for Sabah, but competitive on a global eco-luxury level”, as said by the Chief Executive Officer of BRL, Freddie Coleman.
All of this was built on years of consistent effort.
Across the region, BRL has been acknowledged through the ASEAN Green Hotel Award (2026 – 2028), a reflection of its environmental practices, and by the ASEAN Tourism Association for both Best Cultural Preservation Effort and Best ASEAN Eco-Lodge titles, which speaks to more than just hospitality.
Closer to home, the Sabah Tourism Awards 2025 further reinforced this standing.
BRL received gold recognition for Best Practice in Tourism (Accommodation) and Best Practice in Tourism (Tourism Product), along with Tourism Champion Leadership (Organisation).
Its continued focus on responsible tourism was acknowledged with a silver award in Tourism Champion Sustainability, while its leadership was further highlighted with a bronze award for Individual Leadership, presented to its Chief Operating Officer, Sail Jamaludin.
But awards, as visible as they are, only tell part of the story.
On the ground, it feels simpler than that. A guide pauses mid-trail, listening before speaking. A staff member remembers how a guest takes their coffee.
A community, somewhere beyond the lodge, remains part of the rhythm of it all.
Nothing feels forced, nothing feels staged, and at some point, the question changes. It is no longer where is paradise?
It becomes something else entirely. Perhaps it isn’t something to be found far away. Perhaps it has always existed in places like this, waiting for someone to arrive, slow down, and notice.
And for a moment, deep in the rainforest of northeastern Borneo, it feels like the search is over.
Aerial view.
