Borneo holds around 6% of the planet’s biodiversity in ancient rainforest so dense it has its own weather. You’ll work alongside indigenous Dusun communities on clean water access, infrastructure and environmental restoration, then trek the Salt Trail through Sabah’s Crocker Range and out onto the Kinabatangan River — orangutans in the canopy, pygmy elephants at the water’s edge, and a boat safari through jungle restoration work with the Orang Sungai river people.

• Weather: Hot and humid most of the year. Dry season March–September, wet season October–February.
• Environment: Dense jungle, remote villages.
• Onward travel: Bus through South East Asia, or work and travel in Australia.

Costa Rica is one of the great biological crossroads of the planet: rainforest, cloud forest, active volcanoes and two coastlines. You’ll work in the remote Chirripó hill communities — among the least accessible territories in the country — before tackling a 260km trek, the longest route on any Raleigh Expedition: river crossings, serious altitude gain, and cloud forest where the resplendent quetzal nests and howler monkeys wake you at dawn.

• Weather: December–April: dry season, clear skies, warm days. May–November: rainy season, sunny mornings with afternoon downpours.
• Environment: Tropical rainforest, beaches, remote mountain communities.
• Onward travel: Hike through Peru, Chile and Bolivia on the South American circuit.

The Greater Kruger is one of Africa’s great wilderness areas, in the shadow of the Drakensberg. You’ll work with the community of Metsi on food gardens, playgrounds and infrastructure with Nourish, and alongside the Cape Vulture Conservancy clearing invasive species and thinning bush. Then the trek: up to 200km through the Northern Mpumalanga Drakensberg, climbing around 1000m a day with a full pack, camping in a different spot each night.

• Weather: October–April (summer): hot and humid, mostly sunny with heavy evening rain. May–September (winter): chilly evenings and early mornings.
• Environment: Bush, savannah and remote villages.
• Onward travel: Climb mountains in Cape Town, Kenya or Tanzania. See iconic wildlife in Madagascar.