Three Destinations. One Decision. Which Raleigh Expedition is Yours?
2026 | Raleigh International | 5 min read
Borneo, Costa Rica, South Africa. Three of the most extraordinary places on Earth, and three very different Expeditions. If you're trying to choose between them, here's everything you need to know - the projects, the landscapes, the adventure, and where to go once it's over.
BORNEO
Ancient, wild & unlike anywhere else
Borneo is the third-largest island in the world and one of the most biodiverse. Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo, is where Raleigh operates – home to ancient rainforest, 6% of the planet’s biodiversity, and the kind of terrain that takes most visitors completely by surprise.
THE PROJECTS
You’ll be doing practical, physical work alongside indigenous Dusun communities.
- Live: In remote villages with limited access to the facilities
- Take Action: On grassroots infrastructure – community halls, drainage systems, toilet blocks. Environmental conservation projects, including Mangrove planting and rehabilitation.
Did You Know? Over 50% of Malaysia’s mangroves are found in Sabah, and each year thousands of hectares disappear. You could help change that.
THE ADVENTURE
The Borneo Adventure Challenge is unlike anything else in the Raleigh programme. It splits into two parts:
- The Leadership Trek along the Salt Trail through the Crocker Range – off the beaten track and rarely seen by tourists
- The Jungle Adventure – takes you to Batu Puteh, a Sungai native community on the Kinabatangan River, where you’ll work on eco-tourism projects, go on river safaris, and visit the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary. One of only four in the world.
*5 Week Expeditions undertake a different kind of Adventure Challenge, and 4 Weekers will take part in only the Project phase
WHAT BORNEO FEELS LIKE
Hot, humid and relentlessly alive. Temperatures sit between 27°C and 32°C year-round, with afternoon rain that arrives fast and leaves just as quickly. Pack a waterproof and accept you’ll use it daily. This is not a destination for people who need comfort. It’s for people who want to feel genuinely far from home.
AFTER THE EXPEDITION
Borneo sits at the heart of South-East Asia, which makes it a natural launchpad.
- Fly west to peninsular Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Penang for the food, the Cameron Highlands for cooler air.
- North to the Philippines for island hopping and world-class diving.
- South to Bali, then Lombok, Flores, and Komodo if you have time.
- Vietnam or Thailand if you want to keep moving through the region.
COSTA RICA
Biodiversity, volcanoes and Pura Vida
Costa Rica contains roughly 5% of the world’s total biodiversity in a country smaller than Scotland. It has over 200 volcanic formations. 25% of its land is protected. And it runs almost entirely on renewable energy. It’s also, genuinely, one of the best-set-up countries in the world for younger travellers – good infrastructure, active hostel scene, and a philosophy – Pura Vida – that’s woven into daily life. It translates as ‘pure life’. Spend a few weeks here and it stops feeling like a tourist slogan.
THE PROJECTS
The community project works alongside local indigenous communities on construction and infrastructure. The work is hands-on and foreman-led.
- Take Action: Classrooms, community halls and other essential infrastructure
- Learn: Languages, traditions and local knowledge
The environmental project works with local conservation partners across Costa Rica’s protected ecosystems – guided by people who’ve spent their lives in these landscapes.
- Work: Reforestation, wildlife monitoring, habitat restoration or community environmental education.
THE ADVENTURE
The 19-day trek* crosses Costa Rica from cloud forest through tropical lowlands to the Pacific coast. Five ecosystems. River crossings, altitude, humid lowland terrain. The trek ends with sea turtle conservation on the Pacific – a finish that’s hard to beat.
Every person in the group rotates through the Day Leader role: responsible for navigation, group welfare, and the evening debrief.
*Distance varies for Venturers on the 5-week Expedition. 4-week Venturers do not take part in the Adventure Challenge.
WHAT COSTA RICA FEELS LIKE
Pura Vida – pure life – is the national philosophy. It means live simply, move at your own pace, appreciate what’s in front of you. You’ll hear it constantly and feel it quickly. Wildlife appears when you slow down: sloths, howler monkeys, sea turtles, scarlet macaws.
The climate is tropical, dry from December to April, wetter and more dramatic from May onwards.
AFTER THE EXPEDITION
Costa Rica sits at the centre of Central America.
- Head south to Panama for Bocas del Toro archipelago island hopping.
- North into Nicaragua for volcanic landscapes and surf – check travel advisories first.
- Guatemala for Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and the best Spanish language schools in the region.
- Fly to Colombia – Medellin, Bogota or Cartagena – and you’re in South America in two hours.
SOUTH AFRICA
Wildlife, mountains, and a country that surprises people
South Africa is the destination most people hadn’t seriously considered until they went. The wildlife is what draws people in. The landscapes, the food, and the sheer scale of the country are what make them stay longer than planned.
THE PROJECTS
The community project works with the Metsi community near the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, alongside local NGO Nourish.
- Take Action: Educational infrastructure, food gardens and farming structures, development of Nourish’s eco-village including its recycling centre, hygiene stations and community pathways.
The environmental project works with the Cape Vulture Conservancy in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere – a UNESCO-recognised landscape and home to one of South Africa’s last Cape Vulture nesting sites.
- Take Action: Invasive species removal, re-vegetation, erosion control, snare sweeps and wildlife monitoring – with expert-led daily briefings throughout.
THE ADVENTURE
The South Africa Adventure Challenge is over 200km in 19 days* – one of the most ambitious treks Raleigh runs.
- The Route: Begin in the warm lowveld, flat and open, before the route climbs into the Northern Drakensberg: steep paths, cold nights, long days at altitude. The final section follows the famous Panorama Route – Blyde River Canyon (the third-largest in the world), the Three Rondavels, God’s Window, Mac Mac Falls.
The landscapes are extraordinary. The effort required to walk through them is what makes it mean something.
*Distance varies for Venturers on the 5-week Expedition. 4-week Venturers do not take part in the Adventure Challenge.
WHAT SOUTH AFRICA FEELS LIKE
Hoedspruit is hot, flat and genuinely wild – big sky country on the edge of the Greater Kruger, where elephant, lion and leopard move through the landscape around you. Dry season runs May to September, which is when Raleigh’s June cycle falls. Cooler nights, incredible wildlife viewing, and the Drakensberg escarpment rising to the west. It doesn’t feel like anywhere else on the programme.
AFTER THE EXPEDITION
Make the most of your time in South Africa:
- Visit Cape Town for vineyards, penguins and the chance to climb Table Mountain
- Take an extended break in Kruger, to make the most of South Africa’s safari scene
- Follow the famous Garden Route
Hop on a flight to:
- Zimbabwe for Victoria Falls.
- Botswana for the Okavango Delta.
- Tanzania for a trip up Kilimanjaro
Need more Expedition information?
Hear from Raleigh Alumni about life on Expedition
You'll find everything in one place about your Expedition
Send us an enquiry with what you'd like to know more about
About the author
RACHEL SILCOCK | Digital Marketing Assistant | Raleigh International
Rachel is the Digital Marketing Assistant for Raleigh International. She’s a huge advocate for the transformational nature of adventure, and when she’s not working you’ll likely find her in the great outdoors, either running, thru-hiking or crewing for hot air balloons.
