Borneo - Exotic Island ParadiseWritten by Walter Rajah
SABAH is Malaysia's premier nature adventure destination situated in northern tip of Borneo Island, third largest island in world. Sabah is popular for its wildlife conservation attractions, rain forest, surrounding nature and islands, beach resorts, tropical white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, and its warm and friendly people. If you are thinking of visiting Borneo, these places of interest and activities will whet your appetite!Mount Kinabalu Let me begin with my favorite place and definitely not to be missed if you are visiting Borneo, Mt. Kinabalu (4,093m). It is summit of Borneo and tallest mountain in South East Asia. This mountain is sacred to locals. Thousands from around world have trekked to its peak. At feet of this mountain is Kinabalu National Park, a botanical paradise where rare plants are found: rare orchids, nepenthes pitcher plants and rafflesia, largest flower in world. Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre If you haven't heard yet, most popular native of Borneo is Orang Utan. The world-famous Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre enables visitors to come in close contact with these amazing animals. This sanctuary allows visitors to witness an exciting conservation programme in action. Set in 43 square km of beautiful rainforest, sanctuary helps once captive Orang Utans learn to fend for themselves in wild. Watch how these orphaned Orang Utans being taught to climb, and then go to a platform where you can witness them coming in from within forest for their daily meals of milk and bananas. Danum Valley Rain Forest If nature is close to your heart, then this next destination I am going to introduce you is a must visit, Danum Valley. Danum Valley is nestled deep in rain forest of Borneo where nature is at its most pristine. As you travel deeper and deeper into jungle, you will suddenly come across a magical paradise of Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL), erected overlooking magnificent setting of Segama River and flanked by tall hill ranges. BRL is an impressive resort, designed by naturalists and built on stilts using traditional timber materials, and has comfort of a 3-Star Hotel. I totally recommend Danum Valley to those who yearn to see wildlife in a primeval Borneo rainforest - rare Sumatran rhino, proboscis monkeys, Orang Utan, elephants and over 275 species of birds. Tunku Abdul Rahman Island Park
| | Borneo - Sandakan Wildlife SearchWritten by Walter Rajah
Sandakan is situated on East Coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. On its West is interior mountain range and on East is Sulu Sea. Sandakan is definitely a dream location for travelers interested in wildlife and nature. Our Sandakan Wildlife Expedition brings you closer to three of worlds most exciting conservation programmes: Turtle Conservation on Turtle Island Parks, Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center in Sepilok and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. In addition, this expedition takes you to Gomantong Caves where largest collection of edible birds' nest is found. Turtle Island Park The Turtle Island Park, lying some 40Km north of Sandakan and close to Philippines border, comprises of a group of three beautiful tropical islands - Pulau Selingan, Pulau Bakungan Kecil and Pulau Gulisan. The total park covers an area of 1,740 hectares embracing not only three islands but also surrounding coral reefs and sea. Pulau Selingan and Pulau Bakungan Kecil seem to attract Green Turtles to come and nest here while Hawksbill Turtles prefer Pulau Gulisan. No obvious reasons can be found for these turtles' choice of nesting areas. The Green and Hawksbill Turtles come ashore to nest all year round but best time to visit is between July to October because more turtles come to lay their eggs during this period. However, at least a few turtles do come up to nest every night of year. Turtles normally arrive on islands after dusk. While waiting for sun to set and arrival of these turtles, there are many activities that you can explore. The tropical white sandy beaches are ideal for relaxing and tanning whilst crystal clear water is fantastic if you fancy snorkeling or watching beautiful sea lives and corals. The park is also a great spot for a BBQ picnic under long hours of golden sunshine. You can also wander around island to witness how many turtles have arrived in island previous few nights as these turtles leave their marks on sand. The Park Rangers will inform you after first sighting of incoming turtles. You will be escorted to nesting turtle by rangers to watch eggs being laid. Clutches of freshly laid eggs are then excavated and transplanted to protected turtle hatchery, with minimum delay, to ensure that other wild predators, mainly monitor lizards, do not eat or destroy them. After a period of incubation, eggs will hatch and hatchlings will be released to sea. The release of hatchlings is normally done early morning or night and are released at various locations on islands again to avoid wild predators. When hatchlings are released on shore, they scatter in all directions and instinctively head for sea. Once they enter water, they are washed ashore by incoming waves, but after a few attempts they swim strongly out to sea. The hope is for these hatchlings to survive rough sea and to one day return to Turle Island Parks. Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre The most popular native of Borneo is Orang Utan; one of nature's most endangered animals. Located 25Km from Sandakan is world-famous Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre which has been around since 1964. Set in 43 square km of protected and beautiful rainforest at edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve, sanctuary helps once captive Orang Utans learn to fend for themselves in wild. This sanctuary also enables you to come in close contact with these amazing animals and witness an exciting conservation programme in action. However, you are restricted to walkways and are not allowed to touch these animals in order to protect them from any diseases. The centre also provides medical care for orphaned and confiscated Orang Utans as well other wildlife such as Gibbons, Sumatran Rhinos and Elephants.
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