orneo is an island of headhunters with blowpipes, gentle orangutans, mischievous macaque monkeys, and longhouses lining lazy rivers. It is nestled between peninisular Malaysia to the west and the Indonesian islands to the south and east. Since it is separated from the main Asian continent by the sea, it is not a well-traveled backpacker's destination. But the two Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, which share the island with the Indonesian state of Kalimantan, offer some of the best rainforest parks in the world.

This is Southeast Asia's best kept secret.

First stop: Kuching