Intrepid Travel and UK Youtuber team up for a Borneo adventure in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Intrepid Travel has teamed up with a British travel YouTuber to bring his audience to Sabah for wildlife and nature exploration. Initially planned for 2020, content creator Karl Watson and his 15 followers finally embarked on an 11-day tour to the Land Below The Wind in April 2023 with the help of Intrepid Travel. They were from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, Malta, and other countries.

Karl began working with Intrepid Travel in 2019 to organise comprehensive bespoke group excursions worldwide. Intrepid Travel is a global adventure travel company operating for over 30 years. The company’s initiatives are centered around sustainable and responsible tourism, community engagement, and reducing their environmental impact. Karl said the partnership initiative with Intrepid Travel allows him to pick his favourite destination, customise the itinerary to be more sustainable, and sell it on his website and YouTube.

“We organised the first customised group tour to Morocco since it is closer to Europe, less expensive, and exotic. When it came time to choose a second destination for a bespoke group tour, I knew I wanted someplace very different from the cities, marketplaces, and culture of Morocco.

“I’ve been considering a trip to Borneo because I like nature. So, I looked at Intrepid’s Borneo itinerary, did my research, and said to myself, ‘Yes, let’s go on a full nature wildlife adventure,’” he explained. He added that Sabah was supposed to be their second bespoke group tour destination but ended up being the seventh after the trip was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Karl, who has been creating travel documentaries for 10 years with over 227,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, said Sabah’s beauty entranced him and that wildlife watching was one of his favourite moments of the trip. While praising Sabah for its unique wildlife and natural beauty, Karl also remarked on its rich cultural heritage and welcoming multiethnic population.

“I came for the wildlife but was won over by the people. This trip is a perfect introduction to Borneo, and I would like to come back to explore Sabah deeper, especially the national parks and off-the-beaten paths,” he said.

During the journey from April 3-14, the group scaled Mount Kinabalu, went on a river cruise down the Kinabatangan River, and explored Sandakan to learn about conservation efforts at the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre as well as Selingan Turtle Island, among others. On April 13, the Sabah Tourism Board hosted a Ramadhan dinner for the group at Hotel No 5, where they were able to try local delicacies and were delighted by the traditional dance performance.

ENDS.