Southeast Asia, a highly-populated place with thick jungle, full of crawling spiders, deadly insects and dangerous predators? Last place you would think to wild camp. Or is it? How can you really do it in such an exotic place? Welcome to the rare guide of wild camping in SE Asia. With useful tips from an ordinary guy that did it.
I traveled to SEA with intentions to experience authentic local life, discover nature and have a meaningful journey. My mission was to explore and document remote areas (through sound & film) while wild camping for the most part. By now, traveling this way has become already quite an ordinary routine for me. I practiced it around Europe and North Africa in forests, beaches and even urban areas. But can I (or you) do it in SEA also? Well, by seeking answers on the internet, most likely not! But as always — let’s try anyway.
Here, you will not find information about the legal aspects of wild camping in SEA countries. To be honest, i was never really familiar with the local laws but i believe there is no true enforced rules that would specifically prohibit a traveler to wild camp – except in some strictly protected nature areas. For me, everything went good and believe for you can go too – as long you do it in the right way. During all 5 months traveling many different countries, i did not encounter any officials giving me any trouble, in fact, sometimes they were even happy to help. But hey, that’s my experience.
Also, I want to let you know that the style of this article tends to be focused mainly on providing raw, practical information and knowledge that I learned during my activities. It might not be a dreamy or convincing read intended to inspire a person that never even thought of doing something like this – but more somebody who is already a bit into this kind of adventures. Although (wild) camping can be also very comfortable and “instagram like” – do not expect to find this way of talking here :)
The best part of jungle exploration, wild life and nature in the entire Malaysia is Sabah – and yes you decided to skip it and opted for less.