Long Pasia

Long Pasia sits at around a thousand metres in the far south-west corner of Sabah near the Sarawak and Kalimantan borders, a Lundayeh village of a few hundred people surrounded by montane forest, heath and open grassland, reached by several hours of rough logging road from Sipitang. The Lundayeh, related to the Lun Bawang of Sarawak, farm wet rice on terraces and keep a body of oral tradition tied to specific features in the landscape - stone burial jars, carved rocks, named hills and pools, each with its story, which is why walking here is done with a village guide who can tell you what you are looking at. Trekking routes lead to waterfalls, the Maga river and up towards the highland heath. Homestays in the village are the accommodation and everything is arranged through them.

What you actually see

• A Lundayeh highland village - wet rice terraces at around a thousand metres.
• Story-carrying landscape - burial jars, carved stones and named features.
• Montane forest and heath - the vegetation above the village.
• Village homestays - the only accommodation, and how visits are organised.

When to go

March to September; the road is impassable in heavy rain. Three days.

Honest expectations

Access is several hours of rough four-wheel-drive track and can be cut off by rain. Everything must be arranged ahead through the village. Facilities are simple homestays. Guides are essential.

Nearby

Sipitang is the road head on the coast; the Sarawak border is west.