"Intrepid explorers from Years 10 and 11 ventured to the beautiful island of Borneo for the first time this summer. Greeted with waves of tropic heat and the hubbub of Kota Kinabalu city, the first day was spent in a haze of jet lag, combined with the first taste of the delicious local food. Within a day, we were heading into the wilderness to start the real adventure.

"Everyone was excited to get the first glimpse of an Orangutan, known locally as ‘person of the forest’ due to their incredibly human looks. And no-one was disappointed. At the Sepilok sanctuary, everyone saw these incredible primates coming out of the trees for breakfast. There were also glimpses of monkeys, flying squirrels and a slender loris. The opportunity to see these rare and wonderful animals in their natural environment was truly extraordinary.

"Then our jungle trek in the foothills of Mount Kinabalu gave everyone a real taste of life in Borneo with a home stay and two nights out in the jungle. Not without hardships, the team had to get to grips with torrential rain, sleeping in hammocks, giant insects and even a few leech bites!

"The highlight for many girls was the work they did at the village project, where they were truly welcomed into home stays as members of the family. It is amazing the strength of a bond you can form in just a few days when you are living and working together. We worked very hard mixing concrete in the heat, heaving bags of gravel and decorating to make the improvements needed for the village primary school playground. The community were so delighted with our work that they put on a hilarious Karaoke evening with local dancing. Sadly it had to come to an end and we said a fond farewell to the lovely ‘jungle mums’ who had looked after us so well.

"Everyone on this trip has come back with memories that will last a life-time. We all faced challenges, both physically and mentally, as the day-to-day reality of living in a tropical climate with local village facilities, was tough at times. But overall, this was a really educational, eye-opening experience, that I hope inspires the girls to continue taking on bold new challenges."

Mrs Turner, Borneo Trip Leader