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Family Volunteer Adventure in Malaysia
Family Volunteer Adventure in Malaysia

Borneo, Malaysia

Family Volunteer Adventure in Malaysia

Trip Highlights

  • Volunteer with your family and do something meaningful, get to work for wildlife conservation, Habitat Restoration, Community Development, and Education
  • Work for uniquely designed programs for families so that each member gets to actively participate 
  • Excellent opportunity to spend a week with your family doing something worthy
  • Explore the picturesque destination of Sabah in Borneo and make the most of your weekend
  • Learn more about the animals dwelling in the rainforests, their lives and how to conserve their natural habitat
  • Gain first-hand international work experience and make a difference through your active contribution
  • Savor the tastes of delicious Malaysian cuisine
  • Meet some amazing travelers from different parts of the world

Overview

Overview

What can be better than experiencing a volunteer vacation with your family while spending a week amidst the wilderness of the Sabah region in Malaysia?

Volunteering Solutions has curated this amazing & affordable Family Volunteer Adventure Program in Malaysia, which will enable you to experience the goodness of local living, apart from contributing meaningfully towards the conservation of the flora & fauna.

As a volunteer, you & your family will get to live amidst the mysterious Borneo Rainforests and work at the region located along the Lower Kinabatangan River. This wildlife sanctuary is home to singing gibbons, orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sun bears, hornbills and the pygmy elephant as well as a host of other rarely seen wildlife. You will contribute significantly towards habitat restoration work by planting trees and maintain planting sites important for orangutans and pygmy elephants.

A perfect program for wildlife and nature enthusiasts, one can have a meaningful learning experience as well. It'll be an opportunity for you to get closer to nature, and observe the little things that tourists often tend to miss out. It'll also be a learning experience for your children, who will definitely learn how to value nature and grow up to be responsible travelers.


Program Requirements

Program Requirements

A minimum of two pax is required to do the trip. The minimum age requirement to join this program for children is 8 yrs (accompanied by their parents). No previous experience is required, but one must have the zeal to work hard in the outdoors. Volunteers need to have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. They should bring energy and enthusiasm to make a difference. Participants must be in good health, physically fit and willing to work outdoors. There will be a Skype interview, and only after selection, your application will be confirmed. In case you are not selected to be a part of the concerned program, a full refund will be provided.


Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

In a span of just 7 days, you and your family, in association with coordinators, will be carrying out the following:

Wildlife Population Observation - This entails cruising along the river to observe the endangered wildlife roaming the forest along the river banks. A lot of time is spent observing wildlife and their habitat. This will be done from a boat cruising along the main river and its tributaries within the wildlife sanctuary.

Habitat Restoration - The most crucial activity in ensuring the survival of wildlife. You will take part in tree-planting, nursery care, and seedling generation, sapling maintenance, mulching, composting, clearing invasive species and tree growth data recording.

Education Project - You can spend half a day on school children working on conservation issues that the children deal with on a daily basis. You will be provided with a framework and the coordinator will guide you in the planning of this session.

Community Development - This involves the development of a continuous project with the community of a local village. You will learn some skills required for their daily livelihood upgradation and maybe assist them as well.

Jungle Trekking - As an introduction to the flora and fauna of the rainforest, you will go for a trek to understand what the rainforest traditionally offers the inhabitants in terms of medication, food & survival.

Cultural & Community Interaction - Contributing back to the community is a big part of this project. Most lunch and dinners will be in the private homes of individual villagers. You may get to hear about their daily lives, chat with the children, learn their family structure and see how the Orang Sungai have been living off the rivers and jungles for centuries.

Note: Not all activities will be included on your itinerary. Changes to the activities will occur subject to weather conditions, school calendar, community and project requirements.


Schedule

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival at Sandakan Airport and transfer to accommodation. Meet all your fellow volunteers during the Welcome dinner. A short Briefing Session will be held on this day. (Meals -D)

Day 2 to Day 5 - You'll be traveling to Sukau, which is your Program Location. There will be a short orientation, followed by a health & safety talk. You'll commence your project work under the guidance of your coordinator. It'll be an immensely enriching journey, observing the people and the wildlife, and living amidst nature. (Meals - B,L,D)

Day 6 - Travel to explore the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sun Bear Conservation Centre & Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.(Meals - B,L)

Day 7 - Check out and transfer to Sandakan Airport.(Meals -B)

Note: Itinerary is subject to change without prior notice.


Living

Living

Airport Transfers

A representative from the local team will be there at the Sandakan Airport to pick you up and transfer your to the accommodation.

The nearest airport to the Sabah Region is Sandakan Airport (SDK), which is a domestic airport. Hence, you'll have to book your flights to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA/KLIA2) or Kota Kinabalu International Airport, and then take another flight to Sandakan Airport.

Accurate flight details (flight number, airline, departure city, time of departure and arrival) are crucial to ensure pick up at the correct time. 

Make sure that your flight arrives before 4:00 PM on the arrival date, and on the departure date, book a flight that departs after 11:00 AM from Sandakan Airport. Departure transfer will also be provided by us.

Accommodation

You and your family will be provided with dorm-style accommodation. There are shared warm water showers and toilets. A communal kitchen and basic cooking facilities are available. The washing machine is also available.

At Sukau, you'll be staying at a Village style B&B, in order to get a feel of the local living.

Families of 3 or more members may be split into 2 or more rooms depending on room structure and availability. Room layout and structures vary vastly from lodge to lodge. Dormitories are used on the first night and all families will share one single dormitory.

Meals

Meals are Malaysian-style village food cooked in local homes or small restaurants. Food that are easily available in your home country will not be available and it will not be possible to cater to special diets and medical needs. Individuals who require special meals will have to bring their food.

Orientation

There will be a detailed Program Orientation, that’ll enable you to know more about the conservation center and what kind of work is carried out there. You’ll also be guided and instructed on the ways in which you need to act and how you can provide your best services while being a part of this project. Our coordinators will be available 24/7, to offer any sort of assistance that you may require.

During your Free Time

During your free time, you can head out and explore Borneo’s wilderness and spend some time hiking through the jungles. Over the weekends, you can plan a trek to Kota Kinabalu and feel the eeriness of the rainforests. You’ll also get to spend time exploring the rural areas, converse with the local people and get to know more about their lives amidst nature. It’ll definitely be worth experiencing.

Note: Families of 3 or more members may be split into 2 or more rooms depending on the availability of rooms. Please let us know beforehand in case you have any room preferences. Also, this is a volunteering endeavor and we request you not to expect extremely luxurious accommodation. We'll ensure that you get to have a comfortable, 'home away from home' experience while living with us.


Dates

Dates

2024

2025

January
February
March
April
May
June

11

July

11

August

11

September

11

October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June

11

July

11

August

11

September

11

October
November
December

Past Date

Available

Unavailable

Filling Fast


Costs

Costs

7 Days £808

Please Note: -An application fee of £179 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment.

Note : Children between 8 - 12 years old are charged a discounted program fee.

What are you Paying for?

  • Pre Departure Information and Support
  • Conservation contribution to the project
  • All facilities and equipment for conservation work
  • English speaking Project Coordinator
  • 1 Work T-shirt for each participant
  • All activities, tools & materials included in “Project Days”
  • 6 nights at designated shared accommodation
  • Airport Pickup from Sandakan Airport (SDK) and transfer to accommodation 
  • Arrival transfer from airport to Sepilok lodging
  • Transfer from Sepilok Lodging to project site accommodation
  • Departure transfer to Sandakan Airport (SDK)
  • Project introduction and orientation in village project site
  • Boat and river transfers on "Project Days"
  • Entrance fees to Rehabilitation & Conservation Centers
  • Welcome dinner on arrival day in Sepilok
  • Selected meals as per the Itinerary
  • Govt Taxes
  • Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)

What's NOT included?

  • International Airfare
  • Visa Fees
  • Vaccinations
  • Medical & Travel Insurance
  • Any single supplement accommodation charges
  • meals and accommodation when travelling independently or on off Days
  • Personal expenses

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