Pre-departure Meeting – 23rd June 2014

Calling all Borneo students and parents

There is a pre-departure meeting at Malton School on Monday the 23rd June 2014 at 6:30pm.

This is the final meeting with the organisers to cover any last minute questions and queries and make sure everyone is ready for the expedition. Details will also be provided about what you need to do on departure day. A draft itinerary and confirmed flight details should also be available at the meeting.

Where are the camps?

Borneo is an island situated south of Thailand and Cambodia. It is split between three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Camp Borneo is located in Malaysian Borneo.

Malaysia is made up of 13 states, the second largest state is Sabah and it is in this region that you will find the camps.

All of the camps are located in the North and West of Sabah. There are camps close to the tip of Borneo as well as a camp along the Kinabatangan River and on the Island of Mantanani, off the West coast of Sabah.

Other facts about Borneo

• Capital – Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia but Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Sabah region
• Climate – Borneo is close to the equator so the climate is generally hot and sunny all year round, however there is also scattered and unpredictable rain so it is worth bringing waterproofs!
• Time difference – Standard Malaysian Time is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (7 hours ahead of British Summer Time)
• Area we’re visiting – Sabah
• Currency – Malaysian Ringgit (RM)
• Language – The national language is Malay however English is widely spoken
• Religion – The majority of people in Sabah are either Muslim or Christian
• Plug Sockets – The sockets in our camps are all UK 3 pin
• Flight Time – Approximately 15 hours in the air however there are likely to be stop overs on the flight route