Maliau Basin is in the most remote section of Sabah, close to the border with Kalimantan. It is one of the most pristine sections of the whole of Borneo and part of the WWF's Heart of Borneo Project, established prioritise conservation of the best preserved areas of the island which lie across the borders of Sabah, Kalimantan, Sarawak and Brunei.

The Maliau Basin is a huge saucer shaped depression around 15 million years old and surrounded by steep ridge walls rising to 1675m. This is one of the few areas in Northern Borneo that has never been inhabited, around 25km from rim to rim and covering 390km². The Maliau has a fascinating geology and topography, with over 30 spectacular waterfalls cascading in the headwaters of the Kinabatangan River, including the spectacular 7 tier Maliau Falls. This entire area, an additional area of forests outside has now been protected as the 588km Maliau Conservation Area. 

Although less than a quarter of the Maliau Basin has been extensively studied, it is clear that the area is a extremely species rich with a diverse range of rainforest habitats, lowland heath forests and cloud forests along the high ridges surrounding the basin. More than 1800 species of plants have been recorded and this is one of only 2 areas in Sabah (the other being Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker range) where the world's largest flowering plant, the Rafflesia exists. This plant rarely flowers and when it does it lets out the smell of rotting meat, attracting insect pollinators from far and wide across the forest. Orchids and carnivorous pitcher plants are also found in abundance around the crater rim.

In terms of wildlife, the reserve is home to at least 270 species of bird including 8 species of hornbill and 3 species of pheasants. One of these Pheasant species is the highly endangered Bulwers Pheasant. More species may yet be discovered in the Basin.

More than 80 mammal species have been recorded in the Maliau Basin and we often spot nocturnal species at night driving slowly along the entrance road. Species included civets, genets, several types of deer including Sambar, Mouse and Barking Deer. Many of Asia's rarest mammals have been recorded here, including Leopard Cats, Sun Bears, Binturongs (the largest of the civet family) and Clouded Leopards (Borneo's largest cat). Endangered Red and Grey Leaf Monkeys, Orangutans and Gibbons are among some of the primates found here. Perhaps the rarest and most elusive creature to call Maliau home is the Sumatran Rhino. This is the smallest of all rhinos but with less than 300 remaining across it's range in Asia (Peninsula Malaysia, highlands in Sumatra & Tabin Reserve in Sabah) this animal is highly reclusive is almost never seen, even with camera traps.    

There is no rainforest lodge we can send you to in the Maliau, with resident guides; but we can take you into the Maliau on your own private expedition with our expert guides and vehicles. For more comfortable accommodation we make use of a state of the art Study Centre set up in 2007. It is highly likely that you will have the whole of the Maliau Basin to yourselves if we take you there, making for a truly unique wildlife adventure deep in the Heart of Borneo. For wildlife viewing we can guide you along trails and make use of a watchtower which provides excellent viewing possibilities from an elevated perspective. There is also a canopy walkway which allows us to take you to view flora and fauna in the forest canopy. The bright and open forest canopy is home to many species - a far more productive place than forest's dark interior.

For the adventurous, there is a network of rustic adventure camps we can make use of whilst leading you on a private 6 days circular trekking expedition around this Lost World. Whilst the camps provide satisfactory cover, our guide team will need to carry in everything you need. This is a high octane adventure which at times takes you to remote waterfalls and the rim of the crater. For the steepest sections, there are long wooden ladders laid on the forest floor. The sense of wild remoteness is difficult to match, deep in a pristine rainforest wilderness in the Heart of Borneo.