How this site makes money
Plainly, so you can weigh what you read here accordingly.
Through commission on bookings. Enquiries sent from this site go to Remarkable Borneo Travel & Tours, a licensed Sabah operator; if you book, the operator pays this site a commission out of its margin. You pay the same rate as booking direct. There are no paid placements, sponsored posts, display advertising, or sale of enquiry data. You can bypass the site entirely by approaching a licensed operator or Yayasan Sabah yourself.
Recommendations that cost bookings are listed below as evidenceCommission on bookings
We are an independent guide, not a tour operator. When you send an enquiry through this site, it is passed to a licensed Sabah tour operator who handles the permit application, guides, transfers and camp bookings.
If you go on to book, we may receive a commission from that operator.
Three things follow, and all three matter:
- It costs you nothing extra. The commission comes out of the operator's margin. You pay the same rate you would pay approaching them directly.
- It does not change what we recommend. Which is easy to claim, so see below.
- You can avoid it entirely. Approach a licensed Sabah operator yourself, or apply to Yayasan Sabah directly. Everything on this site is free to read either way and the permit page explains the process whether or not you enquire here.
How you can check we are not simply selling
Every site with an affiliate arrangement says its recommendations are unaffected. Here is what we publish anyway, all of which costs us bookings:
- We recommend Danum Valley over Maliau for wildlife sightings, first-time visitors and families, and we do not earn from that.
- We list six situations where the answer to "is it worth it" is no.
- We tell corporate enquirers that Maliau is not a retreat venue and that most briefs are better served elsewhere in Sabah.
- We tell people not to plan a trip around rafflesia and point them at other Sabah sites.
- We state plainly that some attractions cannot be visited on any bookable package.
- We refuse to publish permit fee figures we cannot verify, even though a confident number would look more authoritative.
The honest limit. We have a commercial relationship with an operator, and no disclosure statement makes that disappear. Read this site as what it is: a guide with a financial interest that tries hard to be accurate, not a disinterested authority. Compare it against other sources, and confirm anything that matters with the operator or Yayasan Sabah before you pay.
What we do not do
- No paid placements. Nobody pays to be described favourably here.
- No sponsored posts presented as editorial.
- No display advertising.
- No selling of enquiry data. Details you submit go to the operator handling your trip and nowhere else. Set out in the privacy policy.
If any of that changes, this page changes with it.
Studies Centre stays from RM3,500, treks from RM4,990 — every package compared on one page.
Disclosure questions
Does booking through this site cost more?
No. Any commission comes out of the operator's margin, so you pay the same rate you would pay approaching them directly.
Can I book Maliau Basin without using this site?
Yes. Approach a licensed Sabah tour operator directly, or apply to Yayasan Sabah yourself. Everything here is free to read either way and the permit page explains the process regardless.
Do you get paid to recommend particular operators?
No operator pays for favourable coverage, and there are no sponsored posts or paid placements. We do earn commission on bookings that result from enquiries sent through this site.
What happens to my enquiry details?
They go to the licensed operator handling your trip and nowhere else. We do not sell enquiry data. The privacy policy sets out how personal data is handled.
Read the rest, then decide
Enquire here if the guide has been useful. Go direct if you would rather. Both are fine.
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