Tag Archives: jungle trekking

Manukan Island, the Most Popular Island of Sabah

With over 200,000 visits annually, Manukan (Pulau Manukan) is the most frequented island by domestic and international tourists. It is only 15-minute away by boat ride, almost a no-brainer choice for people who want an island day trip near to Kota Kinabalu City (KK).

However, to be fair, the reason Manukan Island becomes the most famous island is not just because it’s “convenient.” It does have three other outstanding factors that make this beautiful island of South China Sea a favorite destination.

Factor #1. Manukan has long stretch of white sandy beach

Its long beach spans about 1,500 Meter at southern side of the island, facing a bay of crystal clear and tranquil sea. The water is so calm and shallow that it’s also suitable for non-swimmers. Families feel safe to let their kids playing in the water. No matter how far their children go, parents still can have a clear open view on what’s going on.

Manukan is the second largest island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP in short), and its beach is vast. Though Manukan has hundreds of visitors every day, there is still enough big space for everyone. You won’t accidentally trip over a carpet of tourists sunbathing on the beach.

Factor #2. Manukan has the Most Developed Facilities

Tourists can find almost everything they need there, from toilet, shower room, restaurants, water sport activities, souvenir shop to accommodation. You can go to Manukan empty-handed (must bring cash!) and buy your things such as food, sunscreen and beachwear on the island. But please be informed nothing is cheap on the island.

Another thing I like about Manukan is its forested shore. After a swim in hot day, we can retreat to the shade, rest on the bench and enjoy the gentle sea breeze. It can be quite cooling under the trees.

There are a few lifeguards keeping an eye on the sea. They also know how to deal with injury caused by jellyfish sting and sea urchin. For crime prevention, there are some police on the island too.

Factor #3. Manukan Island has the Best Snorkelling Spot

Among the five islands of TARP, Manukan Island ranks top as a snorkelling site. Though its coral reef is not of world class, it’s still a wonderful treat to nature lovers. Sighting of Nemo is guaranteed. You can even see Nemo from the jetty, with thousands of other fishes.

In fact, many Hong Kong celebrities have been to Manukan Island. Usually they come to Manukan as personal trip and try to stay low profile. Don’t be surprised if you find WuChun or other superstars laying just next to you in Manukan.

The following is a 3-min video for you to see more beauty of Manukan:

Entrance Fee

You need to purchase ticket (which they call Conservation Fee) to enter the island. The table below is the ticket rates. Don’t forget to add return boat transfer and terminal fee (about RM30 in total, ≈US$9) to your travel budget.

Nationality	Adult	Below 18	Below 6	60 & above
Malaysian	RM8	RM5	Free	Free
Non-Malaysian	RM25	RM20	RM20	RM20

Conservation fee with effect from 1 Jan 2023

*Rates updated in Jan 2023. The entry is free for visitor with disability.

Pic: the jetty of Manukan Island, you can see many fishes under it.

Activities

You can have fun with many water sports on Manukan Island. The most popular and recommended activity on Manukan is Snorkelling. You can rent the snorkelling gears easily on Manukan or boat terminal on mainland. It’s ok if you don’t know how to swim, just wear a life jacket.

Consider this island is only 7 KM away from KK City Center, the variety of soft and hard corals on Manukan is really impressive. Nevertheless, you need to know where to look for them. Do not snorkel at the side full of people. The Best Snorkelling Location is in deeper water at the left of the jetty (when you face Manukan Island) and far away from “tourist beach.”

When you enter the water, you will see mainly sandy bottom for the first 10 Meters, then the corals become denser and denser, at last you will reach a large “coral garden” about 25 Meters away from shore. The water is only 4 to 7 Meters deep at this distance so the visibility is very good in sunny day.

Corals are the home of fishes, of course you will see many types of fishes such as Sergeant major, Trigger fish, Parrot fish, Butterfly fish and Cleaner Wrasse. The coral area is big and got so many stuffs to see, sometimes I spend 2 to 3 hours have fun snorkelling.

Last year, I bumped into a huge school of foraging fishes, thousands of fishes formed a long line and swam in same direction. I followed them and they didn’t seem to mind. On the way, many other fishes in different colors and species also joined the group. This is such an incredible phenomenon!

Pic: tourist trying out Scuba-doo (underwater “scooter”)

Below is a list of activities and prices just FYI. Get extra cash ready if you plan to play these:

Activity	Fee per person (in RM)	Fee (in US$)	Duration
Sea Walking	250	≈76	30 Min
Scuba-Doo	250	≈76	30 Min
Parasailing	90	≈27	15 Min
Banana Boat Ride	40	≈12	15 Min
Flying Fish	70	≈21	15 Min
Jet Ski	165	≈50	30 Min
Discovery Scuba Diving	300	≈91	2 dives

Tip: These are just Listed Prices. No harm to haggle.

Ladies, be careful when some “friendly” locals approach you and offer “snorkelling tour.” There were cases these so-called guides took their female guests to deeper water, making them panic, then took the opportunity to molest them. Just report to the police on the island if that happens.

Manukan Island Resort

You can overnight on Manukan Island if you love it so much. Manukan Island Resort is the only accommodation on Manukan and they have about 20 units of single and double storey chalets. The accommodation fees* range from RM560 (≈US$170) per room to RM1,500 (≈US$450) per chalet. You may look at their online booking page for room details and updated prices.
*full board package which includes accommodation, meals, island entrance fee and boat transfer

Pic: Hill Side Chalets near the beach

There are two types of villa, i.e. Hill Side Chalet and Beach Chalet. Hill Side Chalets have sea view but Beach Chalets don’t. FYI, camping is not allowed on Manukan Island.

Pic: Hill Chalets are on a slope and have fantastic sea view

Pic: Beach Chalets can be a bit noisy when tourists walking pass the place during daytime (8:30am-4:30pm)

For reservation, you may book the room online or contact Sutera Sanctuary Lodges (management of the resort) at:
Website: www.suterasanctuarylodges.com.my
E-mail: info@suterasanctuarylodges.com.my
Phone: +60 88-308914, +60 88-308915, +60 88-308916
Cellphone: +60 17-8335022
They also have a reservation center for walk-in guests (opposite to reception / ticket counter of Manukan).

Restaurants

Food and drink are readily available on Manukan Island but sold at “tourist price”. If you are price-conscious, I would advise you to bring your own food. Barbecue (BBQ) is forbidden on Manukan (some outdated websites say you can BBQ on the island).

Pic: Koktas Cafe offers the cheapest food. You can have rice and fried noodle from RM4 to RM14.50 (≈US$1.30-4.40). Light meals are also available for a few dollars. You may look at their list of food and prices (as of Apr 2015). Koktas Cafe opens from 8:30am to 4pm daily.

You will find many outdoor food stalls behind the beach. I asked one of the buffet stalls that seem to serve decent food. The price is RM86 (≈US$26, 6% GST tax included) per head and walk-in customer is accepted. They open from 11am to 2pm.

There are dozens of other makeshift food stalls belong to travel agents. They normally sell it as part of island tour package which costs about RM150 (≈US$45), which includes boat transfer, lunch buffet and snorkelling gears. They would accept walk-in customers if there is enough food.

Another restaurant, Arang Barbecue House also sells lunch buffet for RM86 per person. They open from 11am to 2pm.

Pic: Perahu Restaurant

Perahu Restaurant is the most established restaurant on Manukan Island. You can dine in their air-conditioning room. Sometimes they close for group function. They open from 11:30am to 4pm. Yes, beer and alcoholic drink are available here. Below is a summary of their menu (Prices as of Apr 2015 and subject to 6% GST tax) for your quick reference:

Fried Noodle, Nasi Lemak, Chicken Rice: RM26 (≈US$8)
Sandwich, Burger, Fish & Chips: RM35 (≈US$11)
Coffee: RM14 (≈US$4.30)
Tea: RM12 (≈US$3.60)
Soda Drink (e.g. Coke): RM10 (≈US$3)
Fruit Juice (Orange, Pineapple, Watermelon): RM19 (≈US$5.80)
Beer: RM28 per tin (≈US$8.50)
Cocktail, Wine, Whisky, Vodka, etc.: RM28 (≈US$8.50) per glass

Other Facilities

This section is an overall of other facilities on Manukan Island. You may refer to the following layout map for location of these amenities:

Snorkelling gears can be rent next to Koktas Cafe. The rental fee for a set of snorkel, mask, fins and life jacket cost RM25 per day (≈US$7.60). You need to deposit RM70 (≈US$21), which is refundable when items return in good condition. Do bring more cash. Here is a list of all items available for rent (prices as of Apr 2015). You also can purchase other things such as beach wear, snacks, ice-cream, potato chips, instant noodle and cookies from the same shop.

Pic: public toilet and shower room of Manukan Island. It is divided into male and female sections, each has about 10 rooms. There are some shower heads outside to rinse yourselves. Two things I don’t like about this toilet – it is a bit too far away from the beach, and its floor is always wet. I wish it has dry surface for me to put my bag. Anyway, it’s not too bad.

Pic: toilet and shower room. Some doors have broken locks.

Pic: interlock walkway on Manukan, quite well-maintained

Pic: WW2 bombshells

The Marine Education Center of Manukan Island is used to exhibit some marine specimens such as seashells, turtle and corals. Currently it is close (since 25 Mar 2015) for construction of a Marine Touch Pool and may open again in June 2015. Now what they show are only a skeleton of Bryde’s whale and a shark head photo booth outside the hall.

FYI, there is no man-eating shark at Manukan Island.

Besides, there are football and volleyball fields in the center of island. For Muslims, Surau (prayer room) is available too. I wish they have locker service so I can store my belonging because I can’t bring my wallet to snorkelling. Without locker, life will be a bit difficult for solo traveler to Manukan.

Sunset Point

If you like jungle and have time to spare, you may go to Sunset Point in western edge of Manukan Island. Day trip tourists have to leave the island before 5pm so most of them don’t bother to walk 1.5 KM to Sunset Point that has no sunset. I’m not sure whether that can motivate them, if I tell them two rare mangrove trees, which are critically endangered and only 200 of them left in the wild, are found at Sunset Point.

There are two ways to reach Sunset Point, one by rugged and unpaved jungle trail and another one by jogging track. Do you love bugs and birds? If it’s a BIG yes, take the jungle trail, otherwise follow the jogging track. The bonus of exploring jungle trail is a chance for sighting of Philippine Megapode, a chicken-like bird with red face. If you are the first one entering the jungle trail in the morning, you would spot this elusive bird.

The jogging track is mostly flat path and probably accessible by wheelchair. Along the way, you would see some beautiful trees with interesting barks. The soil on Manukan is not fertile, so most trees are short and slim, with dense ferns, palms and vines growing among them. By the way, swarm of mosquitoes is present during wet season but can be none in dry month. Bring your insect repellent just in case.

Pic: the broken shelter at Sunset Point

After 45 minutes, I arrived Sunset Point. I didn’t even sweat because the track is well-shaded by tree canopy. Look at the photo above, do you see a narrow path at the left? Just follow that narrow route under dense Pandanus trees to descend to the beach. It’s a bit steep so please proceed cautiously.

Pic: view of Sulug Island from the Sunset Point. It is a rocky shore without nice beach. The scenery is nice anyway.

Pic: rare mangrove trees

Finally I saw the rare mangrove trees. They are locally known as Berus Mata Buaya (means “Eye of the Crocodile”). Its scientific name is Bruguiera hainesii, and only about 200 of them left in the world (mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia). I’m so happy that we have two on Manukan. I have no idea how they got here. These two trees look like a couple. Perhaps they purposely chose this sunset viewpoint as their landing spot? So romantic. There are two seedlings growing next to them. Seem like they are starting a family. Not only that, both trees were flowering and fruiting during my visit. Singaporean plant scientist Prof Dr Jean Yong said, “having the tree here is equivalent to China having pandas.” I got close-up video of these trees if you want to see more.

Overall, Manukan Island is a wonderful destination. I recommend it to tourists who don’t want to travel far to our east coast for island trip.

How to get there

Manukan Island (see Location Map) is a public marine park which accepts walk-in tourists. You don’t need to apply a permit or book any tour package to go to Manukan Island. Return boat transfer to Manukan is readily available from 8am to 4pm at any one of the boat terminals in KK City. Please note the last boat returning to KK City departs at 4pm or 4:30pm (unless you stay in resort).

More Photos

For better and bigger photos, please check out 100 latest photos of Manukan Island in my photo album:

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Loop Trail of Mt. Kinabalu, the Best Hiking Route of Sabah

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(Update: Mesilau Trail is permanently closed, and day hike to both Timpohon and Mesilau trails is no longer allowed) The space to climb Mt. Kinabalu is always full, so many tourists don’t have the chance to climb the highest mountain of Malaysia. Don’t be disappointed if you are one of them, because you still can try Loop Trail, which allows you to hike up to 2,745 Meters asl (asl = Above Sea Level), about half the height of Mt. Kinabalu (4,095M). The height of Mt. Kinabalu is not the reason why it’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The real treasure of Kinabalu Park is its high density of endemic flora & fauna, which you can see along the Loop Trail. I would say it’s one of the Best Hiking Trails in Malaysia.

The Loop Trail

Loop Trail is a day-trip easy to arrange and you won’t be under pressure to conquer the mountain. You only need to hire a Mountain Guide and pay a small fee. More on this later. Please note the Loop Trail (in orange color) in the 2D trail map below:

You can pick one of the starting points for Loop Trail, namely, Timpohon Gate and Mesilau Gate, and both trails join at Layang-Layang after 4 KM (2.5 Miles) and 6.2 KM (3.9 Miles) respectively. At Layang-Layang, Loop Trail visitors have two options, (1) turn back to where they begin, or (2) proceed to another Gate. Loop Trail visitors are forbidden to take the Summit Trail after Layang-Layang, and no, you can’t camp in the shelter.

Timpohon Vs. Mesilau Trails

Timpohon Trail is shorter and easier, Mesilau Trail is longer but the view along this trail is more beautiful (EVERYONE says that). Timpohon Trail is mostly uphill trail so descending is fast and easy. In contrast, Mesilau Trail is a series of ascending and descending trails, so turning back is almost as challenging as going up. Anyway, it’s not mandatory to finish the loop trail. You are free to stop at any time and head home.

Below is a table that shows you 3 types of route you can do in Loop Trail:

Route	Distance	Remark
Timpohon Gate → Layang-Layang → Timpohon Gate	8KM (5 Miles)	The Easiest route, take 3 to 5 hours.
Mesilau Gate → Layang-Layang → Timpohon Gate	10.2KM (6.34 Miles)	Recommended route to get the most of Loop Trail. Take 5 to 7 hours. Tip: start the climb from Mesilau in the morning, for clear view of Mt. Kinabalu (would be covered by fog after 9am)
Mesilau Gate → Layang-Layang → Mesilau Gate	12.4KM (7.7 Miles)	Hardest route. May need over 7 hours. You have to be very fit. Some trail runners do this loop as a training.

*The number of hours taken is highly dependent on your physical fitness.

Though Loop Trail ends at the altitude of 2,745 M (9,006 feet), you already reach a height taller than the second and third highest mountains of Malaysia, i.e. Mt. Trus Madi (2,642M) and Mt. Tambuyukon (2,579M)! Overall, along the trail there are shelters with toilet, water tank to refill water (it’s untreated water from mountain stream, use water purification tablet if you have sensitive stomach) and support such as stairway, hand rail and wooden plank. The trail is well-marked and there is no leech (a blood sucking critter), bear and Bigfoot.

Things to Do

Besides hiking, the following are some fun activities to keep yourselves entertained during the walk:

Birdwatching: 17 endemic montane birds of Borneo live in Kinabalu Park, e.g. Chestnut-hooded Laughing Thrush, Friendly Bush Warbler
Flora & Fauna Watching: you will find exotic orchids and pitcher plant next to the trail. Some plant may look ordinary but they can’t be found in other parts of the world. Don’t pluck or collect anything. It’s an offense in national park.
Photography: The majestic landscape, lush forest, pretty flowers, etc. are good subjects for photo taking.
Or just sit and watch, enjoy the nature. A few squirrels will come near to you.

Temperature drops every 1°C for every ascending of 100M, so it’s cooler the more you move up. The temperature ranges from 16 to 25°C (61-77°F), but it can be quite warm in daytime, especially in a vigorous walk. Be warned though, the trail would turn into creek during heavy rain and the experience could be quite awful.

Registration and Fees

The climbing fee for Loop Trail is RM5 for Malaysian and RM10 (≈US$3) for foreigner. You MUST hire a Mountain Guide (from Sabah Parks) to go with you. The service of a Mountain Guide costs RM203 (≈US$57, rate of year 2015) per day and he can bring up to 6 climbers, which means you can share the guide fee with other hikers. For example, there is a group of 6 foreigners, each of them needs to pay RM10 climbing fee and share the cost (about RM34) of hiring one Mountain Guide, so each person only spends RM44 (≈US$12.22). If you go solo, you still have to pay the full amount.

Pic: This is the tag (permit) for Loop Trail visitor. The tag for Summit Climber has photo of Mt. Kinabalu imprinted.

Pic: Kinabalu Park HQ. The registration and payment counter is behind this building, and you can hire transport to Timpohon Gate in the small office at the left.

If you start your Loop Trail from Timpohon Gate, you can register and hire your Mountain Guide at Kinabalu Park HQ. Passport or MyKad is required for the registration. Please note Timpohon Gate is 3.4 KM (2.1 Mile) away from Kinabalu Park HQ (by asphalt road) so you may want to hire a (one-way or return) transport to send you there. The phone number of Kinabalu Park HQ is +60 88-889888 in case you have more questions.

Pic: Mesilau Gate and Sabah Parks are in Mesilau Nature Resort

If you plan to depart from Mesilau Gate, you better inform the Sabah Parks office there by phone (+60 88-871550) so your Mountain Guide will wait for you at Mesilau (as most of them stations in park HQ).

For those who can afford to pay more for a better experience, you may hire tour guide (from travel agent, someone who has good knowledge on flora & fauna). Please note all payment is by Cash Only.

Below are some photo walk-through so you know what to expect.

Timpohon Gate → Layang-Layang (4KM one way)

Timpohon Gate is the trailhead for Timpohon Trail, which is busier and shorter than Mesilau Trail. You will see many climbers start their summit trail here. Porters also use this path to carry supplies (e.g. tourist’s luggage, rice bag, gas tank, water tank) to the accommodation on mountain.

Pic: Timpohon Gate. You can buy snacks, drink and basic supplies (e.g. raincoat) in the building.

Pic: You need to show your tag (permit) to the Checkpoint at the left, before you hit the trail.

After 300M, you will see Carson Waterfall at your left. If you see large volume of water, it might be raining in higher ground.

Pic: the first shelter you will reach is Pondok Kandis (Pondok = Shelter), which is named after an edible but sour mangosteen (in Dusun language). At 1,981.7M asl, you are in the transition zone between lowland rainforest and montane cloud forest, where you start to see mosses, ferns, orchids, etc. Most of the time you will walk on the ground mainly consists of metamorphic rocks from here to Mempening Shelter.

Pic: Ubah Shelter, the 2nd shelter at 2,081.4M asl, it’s named after wild guava tree. The signage says red leaf monkey could be spotted around there, but I never see one.

You can enjoy the scenery better than other climbers as you are not in a hurry to conquer the mountain. Just relax and enjoy the beautiful surrounding.

Pic: 3rd Shelter, Lowii Shelter at 2,267.4M asl, which is named after Nepenthes lowii pitcher plant. You would see some pitcher plant such as Nepenthes tentaculata if you explore the bush next to this shelter.

Pic: distance marker (in Kilometer) and trail map to show your current location.

Pic: Mempening Shelter (2,515M asl), named after a species of Oak (family Fagaceae). In this shelter, you will hear many climbers start mumbling about the exhausting hike. You can tell them they are not even half way yet LOL.

At this point, you have entered the Montane Forest (Cloud Forest) above 2,500M, the surrounding will look misty and mossy, and so distinctly different from vegetation in lowland.

Pic: To survive the long trek, you have to to eat whatever you find along the trail, like the giant earthworm that comes out after heavy rain. Just kidding. If you are very lucky, you will spot Kinabalu Giant Leech, the predator of giant earthworm.

Pic: The last shelter of Timpohon Trail, Layang-Layang Shelter at 2,702M asl, it’s named after a Bornean swiftlet (Collocalia dodgei). This is also where ultrabasic forest begins, which is made up of orange soil that is high in acidity, with high concentration of magnesium and zinc while low in phosphorus. You will see a lot of endemic plant from now on. Unfortunately, you will reach Layang-Layang junction within 10 minutes, where you need to turn back to Timpohon Gate or proceed to Mesilau Gate.

Mesilau Gate → Layang-Layang (6.2KM one way)

Mesilau Gate is 1,933M asl and located in Mesilau Nature Resort. This trail is longer and more challenging than Timpohon Trail, but you will be paid off by nicer view. Only a small number of climbers taking this trail to the summit, so it’s more pristine. The trail is also narrower and not that well labeled. A few sections are steep and slippery (after rain). You will be fine if you are careful.

Pic: Sabah Parks office and Mesilau Gate in Mesilau Nature Resort

Pic: the registration and payment office is just next to Mesilau Gate

Pic: start of Mesilau Trail. Enjoy the 6.2 KM hike!

Pic: mountain and forest in fog

I only tried Mesilau Trail once and it was raining. It was so misty that I wasn’t able to take some good photos to show you. Please believe me that the scenery along Mesilau Trail is better than Timpohon Trail.

Pic: Schima Shelter, the 1st Shelter.

Pic: Bambu Shelter, the 2nd shelter.

In average, there is one shelter for every one KM. All the shelters on Mesilau Trail are smaller and less developed than those on Timophon Trail.

Pic: bridge over West Mesilau River

Pic: Tikalod Shelter

Pic: Don’t ask your guide how many KM left. You will always get the same answer, “We are near”. Read the distance marker.

Pic: Lompoyou Shelter

Pic: There are some viewpoints in open area. Too bad the view was obstructed by dense fog during my visit.

Pic: Magnolia Shelter

After 6KM, you will reach the Layang-Layang junction, where you should descend to Timpohon Gate or turn back to Mesilau Gate.

Layang-Layang

Layang-Layang is the meeting point of Timpohon and Mesilau Trails. The summit trail beyond this junction is off limit for Loop Trail visitors.

Pic: Layang-Layang Shelter (left) and Staff Quarters

Pic: warning to visitors without permit.

Pic: Layang-Layang Shelter. The Layang-Layang junction is less than 10-minute walk further up.

Pic: Layang-Layang junction

Pic: final warning to climbers at Layang-Layang junction. You are not allowed to move further up if you don’t have the permit to climb Mt. Kinabalu.

Pic: signage at Layang-Layang junction (Laban Rata and Gunting Lagadan Hut are the accommodation on the mountain)

Things to Bring

The following is a list of items you should bring. Try to pack light. When you climb a mountain, you can feel every Kilo of the weight. Also, wearing comfortable hiking shoes will help a lot (best if it’s water-proof).

Backpack (preferably with rain cover)
Water bottle (with water of course)
Pack lunch and snacks (no restaurant available on the trail)
Fleece or Windbreaker (It can be cold when it’s windy)
Raincoat (a Must-Have)
Sunblock lotion (UV on mountain is higher)
Walking pole
Camera (with spare batteries & memory cards)
Extra socks
Pain killer (for altitude sickness or knee problem)
Torchlight or LED Headlamp (just in case the sky turns dark before your trip ends)
Cash

Photos taken on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Zip Borneo, the longest zipline in Borneo

Zipline (Flying Fox)

Zipline is the highlight of Zip Borneo and no vigorous exercise is required for the extreme excitement, so I tried it first. The zipline is double-cable system with a total length of 320 Meters (about 1,050 feet). If you do it, you have more gut than 40% of population, because about 3 or 4 out of 10 participants chicken out, when they see the enormous height.

Pic: zipline over Kiulu River

The zipline has two sections. First, you zipline 210 Meters from the tall tower to cross Kiulu River, then use another 110-Meter zipline back to Zip Borneo.

Pic: view from top of 18-Meter-high zipline platform

I peeked from the edge and the height made me sweated. My legs turned weak and I sat down. I knew it’s perfectly safe but it took me some times to convince my restless mind that I’ll be ok.

The staff fastened the carabiners of my harness to the zipline and asked “Are you ready?” I blurted, “NO! Not yet…” He understood that I was struggling, just like most other participants, so he waited for me patiently to get myself mentally ready.

That took me a lot of courage to say, “Ok, I’m ready.”

When I was gliding on zipline, it’s not as scary as I thought. Everything was moving so fast. The view of forest and river from above was so breathtaking that I wished the ride could last longer.

Then my zipline came to a halt and I proceeded to second zipline. The feeling during preparation was still like being on a gallow though, lol.

Pic: ready to zipline to back to other side.

Pic: photo of river and forest taken during the flight. Nice huh?

Pic: ending point of second zipline

The ziplining took last than a minute in total. I estimate the highest speed is around 35KM/Hour. It’s a blast and no regret (I want more actually..).

You may watch the 1-min video below to see what I experienced:

“If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never realize what you can become.”

High Ropes Challenges

For next activity after zipline, I purposely went for the most frightening one, the high ropes challenges, which is 10-16 Meters above ground. High rope is not for the weak-hearted, you may go for climbing or abseiling, if high rope is too much for you. In fact, I hesitated at first because it looks like something far exceeding my comfort zone. High Ropes consist of 6 challenges with varying degree of difficulty and require different balancing skills.

The first challenge is Spaghetti Walk. I needed to walk on a foot cable and used the hanging ropes to cross to other pole. During high rope challenges, participant is attached to an overhead cable with two carabiners so it is very secure.

I thought it was easy. After a few steps, the foot cable wobbled like mad and I had problem to balance. The guide shouted, “you have to keep moving, the longer you stop, the more it wobbles!” Oh dear, I already got nervous in first section.

The second challenge is Burma Bridge. This challenge is the easiest one. Probably I’m so used to suspension bridges of Sabah and both are similar.

Just keep calm and go on. Don’t think too much. All these activities aren’t challenges at all if done at floor level. However, when I was 16 Meters above the ground, my subconscious keeps telling my body that I was in danger, making every move so hard.

Then I proceeded to Swinging Steps, the third high rope challenge.

This section requires you to cross with series of swinging wood planks. Not too hard if you have long legs but a misstep won’t be fun.

Pic: you can almost read “Thanks God I Survive” on her face lol.

Ok, here comes the most challenging section, the Tension Traverse. It has two long ropes from both sides at an angle. I had to hold both ropes to balance and move to other side. It doesn’t even look possible.

Honestly, I was freak out. It’s hard to balance and my body kept leaning back and forth, and the foot cable wobbled. My heart raced, mouth turned dry and my legs shivered. I fought very hard to overcome my fear and to stay focus. I was kind of stuck in the middle and the ropes were heavy. Luckily there were pretty girls watching so I didn’t want to act like a wuss. I moved inch by inch, and completed this challenge without a fall.

Pic: this is how it looks when you try Tension Traverse, a nerve wracking experience that will definitely trigger your survival instinct, as if it’s a dead or alive matter. My advice? Don’t give up.

Postman’s Walk, the fifth challenge. You only have two cables to hang on.

The last challenge is Cargo Net, which looks like one of the obstacles in military training, but we do it high in the air. It’s quite tiring.

Next time I’ll appreciate more what those action figures do in the movie, to save the world, and whatever. To Watch and to Do are two different stories, but you only learn to handle fear by doing things.

Fees & Types of Activities

Zipline costs RM40 (≈US$11.50) per ride. Zipline Combo package costs RM100 (≈US$29), for one ziplining and one activity of your choice (High Ropes, Climbing or Abseil). You only pay RM180 (≈US$51) to try all 4 activities of Zipline Ultimate package. Please visit their website for updated pricing and follow their Facebook for latest promotion (10% to 50% off sometimes). Recommended age for children is 6 years and above.

Zip Borneo also conducts other outdoor activities such as white water rafting, biking and jungle trekking. Do bring sunblock lotion and insect repellent with you.

Pic: Adventure Centre of Zip Borneo in Kiulu. It is surrounded by beautiful forest and river.

Pic: Dining area. Toilet is behind this building.

They also provide BBQ lunch and return transportation for a fee.

Pic: located next to Kiulu River, this is also a nice place for camping (only available as part of activity program).

Pic: you also can enjoy a swim in the river after the activity, if you are not in a hurry to go home.

How to get there

Zip Borneo is located in Kiulu (see Location Map), about 41 Kilometers away from Kota Kinabalu City. When you approach Tamparuli Bridge, enter the road with brown signboard that says “Kiulu Water Rafting”.

Pic: junction to Zip Borneo

The road of Kiulu is paved road with two way lanes. The condition is ok but watch out for potholes, uneven surface and landslide.

Pic: you will see about 3 neon yellow Zip Borneo signs along the road

After about 7 KM of driving in Kiulu, you will see the last sign at a junction. Turn into it and drive 300 Meters on a cement road in a village and you will reach Zip Borneo.

If the weather is good, you would see Mt. Kinabalu on the way.

More Info & Contact

Operation Hours: Tue – Sun, 9am – 5pm
Phone: +60 13-8088075 or +60 88-269289
Fax: +60 88-258289
Email: fly@zipborneo.com
Website: www.zipborneo.com
Facebook: ZipBorneo

For more photos, you may check out the photo album:

Year 2014 is full of bad happening, but we also learn that we really need a lot of courage to pull through different hardships. Hope the challenges at Zip Borneo will take you to a new height. Happy New Year!

Photos taken in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Lupa Masa Jungle Camp in Borneo Rainforest

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Some people prefer to camp in park equipped with Wifi, air-conditioning and cozy bed. To truly appreciate the nature, some campers want to get away from civilization totally and live among trees and wildlife, like Lupa Masa Jungle Camp. Lupa Masa means Forget Time in Malay language, you would lose sense of time there when you forget about your Facebook, your computer and your boss.

Lupa Masa is located between Borneo rainforest and lower montane forest at the foothill of Mt. Kinabalu, the UNESCO Natural Heritage Site of Sabah. To visit the camp, I met the camp manager, Michael from Scotland, at Poring Hot Springs. He marries a sumandak (girl) from Tamparuli and able to speak Malay fluently. He already blends into the community and now behaves more like a Sabahan wearing a “orang putih” skin (Caucasian). However, he hasn’t fallen in love with Durian yet.

Pic: Michael crossing a stream with a gas tank

Michael got some groceries from Poring and led the way. We walked on a gravel road in village and plantation for about 10 minutes, then we entered a soil trail that took us deep into the forest. The forest is an aged regenerated secondary forest that gives us much needed shade in muggy day. The trail is mostly mildly inclined, with a short section of steep slope.

Pic: nature trail to Lupa Masa

The walk was supposed to take about 30 minutes. I was carrying two bags weighed over 15Kg and one of them broke, so it took me an hour to reach the camp. Since this camp is near the boundary of Kinabalu Park and situated between rainforest and cloud forest, you would see wildlife from both habitats. This attracts naturalists who are expert in snakes, mammals, birds, etc. to stay in Lupa Masa. A snake expert even found 12 snake species in a day. But please note that wildlife sighting is depend on luck.

Camping in Lupa Masa

My “room” is only a basic hut with raised floor and a canvas roof over my head. Albeit being pounded by heavy rain a few times during my stay, the roof didn’t leak. It is near the edge of campsite and far away other shelters, so I feel so alone at night.

Pic: my private “chalet” surrounded by greenery

As there is no wall between me and the wood, I was fully exposed to the wildlife territory. In the morning, I was always waked up by a flock of noisy Buff-rumped Woodpeckers, and countless chirping birds came to check me out. Then cicada took the afternoon shift to continue the rainforest choir, at night it was the sound of frogs and crickets that sent me to dream land. I was like an outsider. Perhaps I should have tried to join their orchestra by making some rhythmic calls too.

Pic: my bed on bamboo floor

My bed is a few camper beds enveloped in mosquito net. Mosquito is the most active during dusk and I would find 4 or 5 of them bumping the net from outside. In other time, there were very few mosquito in the campsite. The temperature here during daytime is about 25°C (77°F) but can drop to 15 (59°F) or below at night. The camp provides blanket or you can bring your own sleeping bag. There are a few wires for me to hang my cloth between the poles in the hut. My clothing never turned dry in cold and humid days though.

Pic: camping tent in longhouse

If you want more privacy, you can choose to stay in shelter that has camping tent. In Lupa Masa, there are 6 shelters that can host up to 25 campers. The accommodation costs about RM70-90 (≈US$22-28) per night. Food is included, mainly vegetarian meals because they don’t have fridge to keep the meat. Some of the food that I had there were rice with curry vegetables, French toast, oat meal with fruits, fried rice, etc.

Night Walk

Night Walk is the highlight of Lupa Masa. You can see far more animals in the dark as most wildlife are nocturnal. You can choose easy walk that takes 2 to 3 hours, or long challenging trek that requires you to cross river and climb steep hill with more rewarding sighting. The guide fee is RM30 (≈US$9.40) per hour, RM75 (≈US$24) if 3 hours. You can share the cost with others if you go in group.

Michael seemed to be more excited than me in night walk. After dinner, we started our night safari on foot at 8pm. Spotting animals in the dark is no easy task because of their camouflage. You need a good torchlight and great eyesight. Anyway, you won’t need both when Michael is around, as he is an excellent spotter. Even if he showed me the things he found, it still took me quite a while to see it. His secret is to look for light reflection in animal’s eyes.

Pic: big juicy stick insect, endemic to Borneo

In case it rains, you better bring a raincoat. Leech is expected, so wear your anti-leech socks. I didn’t get any leech bite though there were many leeches around. We shined our torchlight to every corners to find those critters hiding in burrows, tree holes, bark, river rocks, shrubs and fallen log.

Pic: sleeping birds. Note the kingfisher has only 3 claws.

We saw a number of sleeping birds on the trees. It’s interesting that they turn into “fur ball” while asleep.

Frog are everywhere. I saw and heard many of them after rain, e.g. Lesser River Frog, Black-spotted Rock Frog, Giant River Frog, Montane Litter Frog. Some leaped away before I got close enough to take a photo. “You have to approach them like a Ninja,” Michael said.

Pic: a big long-horned beetle

Other animals that we spotted included Small-toothed palm civet, long-legged millipede, Agamid lizards, white lantern bug, spider, scorpion, tree-hole crab, dead-leaf grasshopper, trilobite, geckos, katydid and a green pit viper.

Pic: a giant forest snail

Suddenly Michael paused and smiled, “How much you would pay me for spotting a horned frog?”

Oh yeah, we found a Bornean Horned Frog, no, two!

Bornean Horned Frog looks like a little devil. Actually it’s a gentle frog. Its “horn” is an extension of its eyelid, to make its body shape looks like a leaf.

From his tattoo, obviously Michael is also a fan of horned frog lol.

Pic: a moth which was infested by parasite fungus which turned it into a “zombie.” This fungi can mind control its host to climb to the higher spot, to spread its spores.

Pic: Beware of aggressive fire ants on forest floor. Their stings can penetrate sock and very painful hence the name.

Pic: animation to show luminous fungus with the light on and off

Then Michael showed me something really special but we needed to turn off our torchlight. It’s luminous fungus that glows like green neon light on a decaying log. The glow is quite bright in the dark. We saw a few glowing mushroom too.

Some “trophy species” of wildlife photographers such as Western Tarsier, Slow Loris, Bornean Leaf Nose (snake), Wallace’s Flying Frog and Caecilian (a limbless amphibian) are known to be present at Lupa Masa, but you will need some luck to see them.

Day Walk

During daytime, you can take a stroll in the campsite or surrounding forest. Walk slowly and quietly in the morning, you would find a lot of birds around the camp. This place is great for birding because flock after flock of sunbirds, flowerpeckers, bulbuls and other forest birds frequent this camp during dawn and dusk. I saw Orange-bellied flowerpecker, Crimson-breasted flowerpecker, Broadbill, Ashy Tailorbird and Kingfisher during my stay.

Lupa Masa campsite is a garden by itself, planted with vegetables, fruit trees and flowers. The blooming orchid here attracts butterflies such as Rajah Brooke butterfly, tree nymph and birdwing butterflies in different colors.

Pic: Ginger flower that looks like a birthday cake (Species: Etlingera fimbriobracteata),

The boundary of Kinabalu Park, the most bio-diversified forest of Borneo, is just a few minutes walk away from the camp. The jungle is well lit by daylight, so you can enjoy the view of standing tall trees. The zappy Pygmy squirrel, the smallest squirrel in the world, is commonly seen busy moving up and down tree trunks. Look high above you would find bird’s nest fern and wild orchid on the trees.

Pic: a fig fruit that looks like red chili

Lupa Masa is one of the few places where you can find three types of corpses flowers, namely Rafflesia, Rhizanthes and Titan Arum (Samurai Flower). Their flowers take many months to bloom, so you should be very happy if you see such rare sighting.

River & Waterfalls

During hot day, one of the favorite activities of their guests is to soak in the icy river or pond of Lupa Masa Waterfall nearby. You can enjoy the cleanest (and Chlorine-free) flowing water from Mt. Kinabalu.

Pic: clean and unpolluted river from Kinabalu Park is only 10 Meters from the camp.

The water is shallow so it is safe for a swim, or you can just sit in the river for a free massage from river current (do bring beer with you).

Pic: you can tell how clean is the water from the photo. It’s so crystal clear that I can’t see the water. Sometimes otters and kingfishers forage for fishes here too.

Pic: Lupa Masa Waterfall near the camp (7 minutes walk)

For those who are adventurous, they can hike one hour uphill to explore the “hidden” waterfall, which is five times bigger than Lupa Masa Waterfall.

Amenities

The camp was started by Tom in 2010, with the concept of providing authentic jungle experience, so the amenity is basic. The campsite has solar panel and power generator but electricity supply is not available most of the time, so you better bring a torchlight (with spare batteries). There is no outlet to charge your phone and battery. No Wifi in camp, but my phone can receive 2G connection, slow but able to use Whatsapp and SMS.

Pic: activity hall where guests can sit around and relax

You can sit at the deck facing the river and dense forest, looking at starry sky and firefly. Tom said, “I’m so glad that this forest wasn’t turned into a paddy plantation.” Looking at the beautiful trees and river, I can’t agree more.

Pic: table where guests can have meal, chit chat and playing cards.

Pic: “mini-bar” for you to buy some soft drink, beer and wine. The hanging object is a shed snakeskin.

Pic: reading corner. Guide books on animals such as birds and snakes are available.

Pic: kitchen. The lucky guest would see Slow Loris around here at night. I saw an ant mimic spider the other day.

Pic: the toilet with creative door design.

Pic: you can choose to sit or squat

Pic: bathroom with bamboo shower head. The water is from the river, very cold and refreshing (I advise you to bath before the cold evening approaches).

Contact

To stay in Lupa Masa, you need to contact the camp to book a place prior to your visit.
Tel: +60 11-32024500
E-mail: LupaMasaBorneo@gmail.com
Website: LupaMasaBorneo.com
Facebook: LupaMasaRainforestCamp
(Now this camp is managed by Top Peak Travel)

The camp also welcomes volunteers. You can get free stay and meal if you contribute some labor work. There is no fixed requirement but you need to have special skill such as cooking, carpenter and house-keeping. You may contact them for more details.

Pic: photos with Michael (left) and Tom (right). I look like a dwarf next to them lol. Thank you for your hospitality!

Tom has stayed in Borneo for 15 years. He is actively helping the local communities across Sabah and Sarawak to develop their local attractions. One of his latest project is Lupa Masa Longhouse in Kudat. You may visit the website of his company (Adventure Alternative) for more info.

Getting there

You can take a bus to Ranau town from Inanam Long Distance Bus Terminal (see Location Map) or Kota Kinabalu Merdeka Field (see Location Map). The fare costs about RM15 one way (≈US$4.65) and the bus reaches Ranau in 2 hours. In Ranau, get a cab or bus at taxi station (see Location Map) / bus terminal (see Location Map) to Poring Hot Springs (where the staff meets you), the fees are RM40 (≈US$12.50) and RM10 (≈US$3.10) one way respectively and the ride takes about 25 minutes. It takes 30 minutes to walk to the camp from Poring.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album to see more pictures of Lupa Masa:

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Sepanggar Island (Pulau Sepangar), the new island destination of Kota Kinabalu

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To enjoy a weekend on island, people of Kota Kinabalu city (KK) always visit Sapi, Manukan or Mamutik Islands. Though Sepanggar Island (Pulau Sepangar) is only 12 minutes by boat ride from KK, it was like a “nobody island.”

Twice the size of Manukan Island, Sepanggar Island looks like a giant manta ray from the sky (see location map) and ten of thousands of motorists see it from the busy road along Tanjung Lipat every day, but most don’t even know the name of this big island.

Pic: beach of Sepanggar Island

Sepanggar Island has all the elements such as nice beach and swaying cocnut trees to be a tropical island destination. When the neighbouring islands get really crowded with tourists, Traverse Tours sees the potential, they develop Sepanggar Island into a new attraction and name it Mari Mari Sepanggar Island.

Now you have another choice of island, besides those in nearby Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Instead of promoting Sepanggar Island as a cheap and mass tourist destination, this island is meant for visitors who want to stay away from the noisy crowd and chillax at a tranquil seaside.

You can laze around its white sandy beach and do nothing, or you can try scuba diving, discovery scuba diving (no diver license required), snorkelling, kayaking, fishing and jungle trekking. Sepanggar Island is a protected forest reserve and covered by thick tropical rainforest. The highest point is 160 Meters, where you can have a panoramic view of Likas Bay, Sepanggar Bay and Kota Kinabalu city. I haven’t explored their jungle but I think its undisturbed forest has interesting fauna and flora waited to be seen.

Pic: you can see Kota Kinabalu city from Sepanggar Island. The night view should be nice.

Last month I was in a 1-hour fishing trip around Sepanggar Island in the morning. My travel agent prepared the fishing rod and bait for me.

Pic: the sea of Sepanggar Island is also a fishing spot for local fishermen. There are 8 dive sites near this island.

Our boat passed by Sepanggar Island Water Village. The water was so clear and we saw a juvenile turtle swimming among corals.

Pic: Sepanggar Island Water Village (Kampung Pulau Sepangar)

We caught a few fishes about the size of a palm. You would get big fish if you are lucky.

We enjoyed our lunch buffet after the fishing trip.

Then we just relaxed at the beach side and felt the gentle breeze.

Pic: from the beach, you can see Mt. Kinabalu at the left and Gaya Island at the right.

Pic: Dive Centre (left) and Activity Centre (right) of Mari-Mari Sepanggar Island. They also have proper toilet, changing room, lockers, activity hall and dining area for the guests.

Pic: Forestry Department doesn’t encourage them to cut the trees so the centre is inside lush wood. Surprisingly there was very few mosquitoes during my visit.

Pic: for student group who wants to overnight on the island, there is a wide sleeping area to accommodate them.

Island Accommodation (Chalets)

The island has 1 unit of Beach Chalet (Double bed) and 5 units of Hill Chalets (3 units with Double Bed, 2 units with Twin Bed). All rooms are equipped with attached bathroom & soap dispenser, stand fan and towel rack/bar. Beach Chalet is near the beach and has great sea view. If you love to be surrounded by trees, you may stay in Hill Chalets on the slope but you need to take a short walk to the beach.

Pic: Beach Chalet with nice sea and night view of KK city.

Pic: Beach Chalet

All chalets can accommodate up to 3 people but it is a tight fit, so they recommend just 2 Adults + 1 Child for the Hill Chalet while the Beach Chalet can accommodate 3 Adults.

Pic: Hill Chalet inside the forest

As all facilities depend on solar power, electricity usage is kept to a minimum and there are no charging options in the room. However, they have a charging station at the reception area where you can charge your electrical appliances safely.

Their Beach Chalets and Hill Chalets have opened and now available for booking. You may download the Pre-Summer Promotion package for details (valid from 11 May – 30 Jun 2015).

IMHO, Sepanggar Island is a suitable playground to organise small private beach party and group outing. You can enjoy BBQ and beer at the beach, watching sunset and KK city night view and then spend a night on the island.

How to get there

The tour to Sepanggar Island starts from RM180 (≈US$57). To visit the island, below is the contact of the agent:
Company: Traverse Tours
(The tour operator has a counter (No.12) in Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, where their boat departs to Sepanggar Island)
E-mail: sales@mantananiisland.com, mantanani@traversetours.com
Tel: +60 13-883 4921 (Hotline), +60 88-260 511, +60 88-260 522
Website: www.mantananiisland.com
Facebook: Mantanani-Kechil-Island-Sabah-Borneo

However (I wish I don’t need to mention this), I need to tell you that you will see rubbish on the sea and other corners around Sepanggar Island. Most of these garbage are from the water villages of Gaya Island. I hope the government will relocate those villagers ASAP to inland, to solve the littering problem once and for all, because it is also affecting other nearby islands and island resorts. Other than that, the service and location of Mari-Mari Sepanggar Island is great, so it deserves to be the next popular destination.

More Photos

You may check out album of Sepanggar Island for more photos.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area, the Best Camping Site of Sabah

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Personally, I think Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area (or Taliwas Park) in Lahad Datu is the Best Camping Site in Sabah. Whether you like rainforest, river, waterfall or lake, Taliwas Park has all these. The park is also very well-managed (by Yayasan Sabah Foundation) and camper-friendly.

Pic: beautiful Pandan Lake of Taliwas Park

However, Taliwas Park is not commercialized, so very few hear about it. Actually I learnt about Taliwas Park by accident, when I was cycling there last year.

Last year I went to Taliwas Park for a cycling trip. I did a few photo-shooting near the camping ground, because the rainforest there looked so fresh and lively under the morning rays. Taliwas Park itself is a fully-protected forest reserve.

Pic: check out the tall and dense trees above our heads!

We followed a gravel trail from the campsite of Taliwas. In about 300 Meters, we arrived an open space and Pandan Lake was just in front of us.

I was so excited about the scenery (really, because there aren’t many nature lakes in Sabah). The weather was perfect, I love the reflection of lush trees and blue sky in the lake, so I took a lot of pictures. You can click the photos to enlarge them.

Pandan Lake is a great place for picnic. Visitors also come here for bird watching, wildlife sighting and kayaking.

Pic: a huge and old strangler fig tree in the park

Below is a video of Pandan Lake:

My “discovery” of Taliwas Park was started with a cycling tour with Bike and Tours in Lahad Datu. We started at Silam junction which led to a long gravel road flanked by dense wood, oil palm plantation and village houses. For safety, a 4WD will accompany the cyclists.

Pic: cycling in the countryside of Lahad Datu

This area is very near to the forest reserves. If you are lucky, you would see herd of Bornean pygmy elephants on the road. The cycling distance was about 20 KM and we stopped at Taliwas Park for a dinner.

Pic: Tisha busy cooking food in Taliwas Park

Then you can enjoy a candle light dinner next to the river of Taliwas. There is no restaurant in the park, so Simon and Tisha (from Bike and Tours) prepared the food and setup the table for us. They made some BBQ seafood, mashed potato and chicken wings, which were really delicious. It’s a very creative way of dining for honeymooners lol.

Camping Ground & Amenities

Ok, let’s see more about Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area (Taliwas Park), so you know why it is an excellent camping site. Taliwas Park is 39 KM away from Lahad Datu town (see Location Map). The road 20 KM before Taliwas Park is unsealed and can be muddy in wet season, so you better go there by 4-Wheel Drive (or by cycling like what I did). The park has water and electricity supply.

Pic: entrance of Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area

Pic: the camping ground of Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area is vast and can accommodate hundred of campers.

Pic: the river in Taliwas Park is shallow and clean, very suitable for a swim. The water is so clear that I can see many big fishes swimming. Sorry, we are not allowed to catch them.

Pic: the toilet and bathroom of Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area

Pic: the cooking and dining area of Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area

Pic: Barbecue grill stand and bench in the park

Pic: the activity area, where group of campers can gather here to do some activities.

Pic: they even have a small stage for function

Pic: shelter in Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area

Pic: verandah

Pic: above is the layout map of Taliwas Park, you can click it to enlarge.

If you like waterfall, you can trek an hour in a jungle trail to reach there. Someone posted some nice photos of camping and Taliwas Waterfall, which I don’t have.

Fees & Contact

Pic: Reception and Information Building at Taliwas Park. You must check-in here before you enter the campsite. For booking and enquiry, please call them at +60 89-880825 / +60 89-823110 / +60 89-823111, or e-mail to Ms Fevayati Jimang (feva_fj@yahoo.com) / Ms Zalilah Ali (alizalilah@yahoo.com).

Pic: office of Taliwas management (named Danum Valley Field Centre)

The management of Taliwas Park also has an office opposite to Lahad Datu Airport. Below is their opening hours:
Mon-Thu: 8am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
Friday: 8am-11.30am, 2pm-5pm
Sat & Sat: closed
Taliwas Forestry & Recreation Area has a Facebook page too if you want to in touch with them online.

Please note Malaysia school holiday is the peak season for schools and nature clubs to organise holiday camp or educational tours in Taliwas Park. The park can be crowded and noisy during that period. Anyway, the park is quite empty in other times.

Above is the list of services and charges (fee in Malaysian currency (RM), RM1 ≈ USD$0.33) I copied from their Facebook page, quite exhaustive. They really know what campers need and cover everything from charter transport, renting camping tent, guide service, cooking utensils, packed meals, pillow, sleeping bag, etc. The camper almost can come here without bringing anything (except some clothing to change, cash and personal toiletries).

More Photos

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Do you know any other nice camping ground in Sabah? Please share with me.

Photos taken in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Tumunong Hallu Beach, the Coastal Forest of Borneo

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Whenever people talk about forest conservation, they would think that only the inland rainforest is worth protecting. Malaysian estate developers love to build condominium and resorts along seaside, as the sea view property is more marketable. As a result, there are very few pristine “beach forest” (coastal forest) left in Sabah, and most of us don’t know that the coastal forest of Borneo is also an important part of our forest ecology matrix.

Pic: Tumunong Hallu is at the coast of Darvel Bay, far behind is Mt. Silam.

Tumunong Hallu Conservation Area, which is along the coast of Darvel Bay, Lahad Datu (see location map), is one of the best examples of Borneo coastal forest and the first coastal conservation area. This 5.8-KM² fully protected forest is managed by Yayasan Sabah Foundation for research and education purposes. They consider opening the area for tourism too in future, as the beautiful beaches there are suitable for recreational activities. For now, it is a hidden treasure.

Thanks to Bike and Tours, I learnt about Tumunong Hallu last year. Tumunong Hallu is about 20 KM from Lahad Datu town and accessible by road, but we go by boat so we could cruise around the islands of Darvel Bay. We saw mangrove forest, water villages, fish farms and fishing platform on the way.

Then a marine police patrol approached our boat. I sweated a bit because I thought we entered the restricted area.

Well, it happens that they know our boatman and would like him to help sending something to Tumunong Hallu, phew…

I also saw a lot of fishermen and fishing structure named Selambau (see photo below). Seem like everyone lives in Darvel Bay fish for a living.

Pic: Selambau fishing structure built by Sea Bajau fishermen

The Beach of Tumunong Hallu

After an hour, we arrived the beach of Tumunong Hallu.

Pic: Tumunong Hallu and its beautiful sea water.

Since you can view the following photos, I don’t need to write too much to describe how inviting and tranquil the sea water is…

The seabed is rocky with layer of smooth silt, and the beach is covered by dark sand, all these are the characteristics of forested beach.

Besides the land, Tumunong Hallu also includes the sea area with rich marine biodiversity such as coral reef, and two nearby islands, i.e. Saranga and Tabun Islands, into its 1,600-Hectare conservation area.

Pic: shelter and kitchen near the beach. This place is nice for camping too.

Pic: The shore is carpeted by lush Silam grass.

Hiking

The researches show that Tumunong Hallu has 81 plant species comprising coastal and inland vegetation. The best way to explore the interesting mixture of mangrove and dipterocarp forest here is by jungle trekking.

We tried the shorter nature trail that is only 3 KM one way (then taking a boat back to starting point). If you have more time, you can hike the longer trail to the hilltop, which takes 4 to 5 hours, to have a nice view of the beach and forest.

Two forestry rangers, Yapdi and Azwan, were accompanying us and share some interesting facts about this forest. The trail is easy to walk and the jungle is not warm and humid as the rainforest, due to the sea breeze.

The soil here is quite fertile, evidenced by a big earthworm I found on forest floor.

Pic: we took a short climb to Ara Viewpoint, which is a knoll near to a beach.

There was strong scent of Kayu Malam tree in the air of this slope. This wood is a famous aphrodisiac among local ladies if I’m not mistaken.

Pic: Nova cooling off on Ara Viewpoint. Note the dense Pandanus trees at her background.

Pic: nice sight from Ara Viewpoint

We also checked out the Nunuk Beach not far away.

Pic: Nunuk Beach

Pic: a lonely mangrove tree

The coastal forest is not just a collection of dull trees. Among mangrove, seaside hill and beach forests, there are some interesting and unique trees, such as the Keruing tree below.

Pic: this Keruing tree looks like being vandalized. Actually the “cut” is a natural feature of its bark.

Pic: the tree in the coastal forest can be big and tall too, like the Nunuk Tree shown in photo above.

Pic: beautiful white stripes on the bark of Nunuk Tree.

Pic: Bao-Bao tree, a softwood with white bark

If there are trees, there must be wildlife. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife, but studies say some birds (e.g. Great slaty woodpecker) and mammals (Long-tailed Macaque, Barking deer, Sambar deer) are the residents of this forest. We were hungry after one hour of hiking, so we took a boat back to the starting point for lunch.

Amenities at Tumunong Hallu

As this beach is not frequented by tourists, the facilities are basic but good enough for camping. There is no resort, restaurant and shop here. If you want to cook, you have to bring your own cooking utensils and gas stove.

Pic: shelter and a kitchen (at the right)

Pic: toilet and changing room

Pic: small kitchen with sink and water supply, benches and table for dining.

Pic: enjoying lunch with Nova, my partner in crime, and Simon from Bike and Tours. Don’t know why. Food always tastes great at seaside.

Pic: Yummy Indian food prepared by Tisha and Simon from Bike and Tours, the curry and sour vegetables were so appetizing… They really know how to cook and present the food. This friendly couple receives a lot of positive feedbacks at TripAdvisor.

Hey, we were at the beach so we must soak ourselves in warm tropical sea water to conclude the tour. The whole beach was ours to enjoy. Overall, it’s a wonderful experience.

The video below shows the beach of Tumunong Hallu:

More Photos

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Even though Tumunong Hallu is not a popular destination now, being unfamous doesn’t mean that it has no potential. If it is open to public in future, you must visit this place. At the moment, you can arrange a tour with Bike and Tours for a trip to Tumunong Hallu.

Photos taken in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Tabin, the Sanctuary of Borneo Wildlife

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Located in east coast of Sabah, Tabin Wildlife Reserve is one of the best kept lowland rainforest of Borneo. I don’t want to hide the fact that most lowland of Sabah is now blanketed by oil palm. Tabin is surrounded by sea of oil palm, making it an oasis of the ecology desert (oil palm). In fact, this 112,000-hectare protected forest reserve harbors some of the rarest and endangered Bornean animals such as Pygmy Elephant, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Orangutan.

Last month I visited Tabin for 3 days. Though large part of Tabin is secondary rainforest being logged in the past, the forest regenerates really well over the decades. Tabin also has 9,000 hectares undisturbed primary forest known as the Core Area. Do you know that there are nearly 1,000 tree species in 50-hectare area of Borneo rainforest (Temperate Forest is up to 100 species only)?

Macaques

Guess what was the first animal I saw in Tabin. Can you recognise the “aliens” below?

Pic: “Aliens” in Tabin

LOL they are actually the butt of pig-tailed macaques, a common but cheeky monkey. At the left is a male with its testicles, the sexy red butt at the right belongs to a female ready to mate.

In late afternoon, you would see dozens of macaques gathering on the ground feeding, socializing and grooming one another. Tabin Resort doesn’t feed them so they keep a distance from human. But you better lock the door and leave nothing outside your room, because these monkey know how to open door and ransack your stuffs.

I was surprised to see a long-tailed macaque among a herd of pig-tailed macaques as if it’s one of the members. Wonder if both species speak the same language.

Pic: Bornean Gibbon foraging on a fruit tree. You can always hear their “whoop-whoop” loud and long call early in the morning at Tabin.

There are 9 primate species in Tabin, but gorilla isn’t on the list (though the movie says King Kong is from Borneo). The most famous primate here is Orangutan. Tabin is one of the releasing spots for rehabilitated orphan orangutan from Sepilok. To ensure they can survive in the wild, rangers will track and evaluate the new comers for 2 weeks.

Tabin Wildlife Resort

Tabin Wildlife Resort is the only accommodation and tour operator in Tabin Wildlife Reserve. To visit Tabin, you can book a full board tour package with them (Accommodation, meals, transport, activities and guide services are included). They also offer special tours such as bird-watching and frog camp. Please note walk-in tourist might not be entertained.

Pic: River Lodge of Tabin Resort

After an hour of bumpy ride on 44-Kilometres of unsealed road from Lahad Datu town, I checked-in to River Lodge of Tabin Resort around noon. River Lodge is just next to Lipad River and you would see foraging animals at the river bank sometimes.

The chalet looks small from outside, but the room is really spacious and completed with attached bathroom/toilet, private balcony, air conditioner, ceiling fan and hot water shower. The accommodation is comfortable and electricity supply is available 24×7. I’m happy.

Pic: Hill Lodge of Tabin Resort

For honeymooners, Hill Lodge offers more luxurious and private space, so nobody can hear what you both busy doing in your room. I think it’s great for family too.

Pic: Sunbird Cafe of Tabin Resort

Sunbird Cafe is where I have my buffet meals (and free flow of coffee) and it is the gathering point for all activities. The cafe has Wifi so you can check your Facebook, but the line would be slow if too many guests are sharing the connection.

Dusk Drive & Night Safari

Compared to my jungle trips in other places of Sabah, the activities at Tabin are really leisure, nothing made me gasping for air there. But I sweated a lot, as rainforest is warm and humid, when the dense trees trap the heat and moisture under their canopy during daytime.

We started our Dusk Drive at 5pm. Unlike Africa, where you can see hundred of animals on open grassland. In Borneo, you need to look quite hard for the animals hiding among the dense wood. Luckily, the guide does the job for us. A napping monitor lizard high on a tree set off the excitement.

As the habitat of about 260 lowland bird species (FYI, oil palm estate only hosts 9 to 12 species), Tabin is a favorite destination of bird-watchers. Out of 8 hornbill species in Tabin, I saw 4 of them (Oriental Pied Hornbill, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Wrinkled Hornbill and Bushy-crested Hornbill) during my stay. If you are a hardcore birder, they will bring you to Core Area (virgin forest) to look for Blue-headed Pitta and Blue-Banded Pitta, which are endemic to Borneo.

Pic: Crested-serpent eagle is the most common eagle here. We also spotted Wallace’s Hawk-eagle and Changeable Hawk-eagle.

Pic: Bornean Falconet

The highlight is Bornean Falconet (a.k.a. White-fronted Falconet), which is endemic to Sabah and the smallest raptor in the world (about the size of a palm). There was a group of three perching on a tree very far away from us. Fortunately, our guide let us to have a better look with his high-power telescope. I tried to photograph them through the scope but the photo was blur, well. 🙁

Then we heard a loud roar from the elephants deep in the forest beside us. “It was a mother calling its calf”, our guide said. Though there are 200 to 300 elephants in Tabin, sighting of them is not guaranteed. We waited there for over 15 minutes but no sign of them coming near. When I almost gave up, two Bornean pygmy elephants emerged from the wood behind our truck! After wandering on the gravel road for a while, both of them headed to a neighboring plantation for juicy young shots of oil palm. Somehow this smart mammal figures out the time when electrical fence is being turned off lol.

The daylight was out soon and lot of fireflies flickering on the trees, but we didn’t stop the fun drive. On the way back to resort, our guide turned on the spotlight and here we went for a night safari. Besides a pair of sleeping Rhinoceros Hornbill on the tree, we saw other nocturnal animals such as Common Palm Civet and Leopard Cats. We were also watching a red giant flying squirrel took off from a branch, it could glide 100 Metres from tree to tree, we were told.

Pic: a Buffy Fish Owl. A Brown Wood Owl was nearby too.

Night Walk

Dusk drive is cool but it would be more thrilling to walk around and search for other forest dwellers in the dark. After dinner, everyone grabbed a flashlight and explored deep in the jungle. We pointed our light to the shrubs, tree top, forest ground, tree bark, etc. and came across something interesting.

Pic: Crematogaster inflata, these ants look like carrying a “gold” knapsack, which is the enlarged metapleural gland that can secrete whitish defensive fluid and their bites are very itchy. Thank you Arthur Chung for the ID.

A single tree of Borneo can house 1,000 insect species. There are at least 50,000 insect species in Tabin, which is enough for you to explore for a lifetime.

Pic: mushroom growing on an elephant dung. Everything in rainforest is recycled and exist for a reason.

Pic: a small snake waiting quietly for its prey.

Pic: a giant river toad covered with irregular bumps. The big glands behind its eyes secrete poisonous fluid so don’t touch it!

Lipad Mud Volcano

The next morning we went to the Lipad Mud Volcano, something that makes Tabin special. The jungle trail to the mud volcano is 700 Metres and requires only 20 minutes trekking. We saw some fresh and old elephant dungs along the way, an evidence that elephants frequent this area. Anyway, I only found a tiny mouse deer and a few forest leeches.

Pic: a coral fungus

Pic: the Lipad Mud Volcano is as big as a football field and it is still growing. This might be the largest mud volcano of Borneo. Can you spot the tiny people in the photo?

Pic: elephant tracks at mud volcano

Animals love mud volcano as it is rich in sodium and calcium, the vital minerals that are not readily available in their normal diet. That’s why this is a good spot for wildlife sighting, as animals come here regularly for “salt lick” in late afternoon.

We love mud volcano too, not for salt lick but for skin care. Some says the mud is really good for skin so we collect some for facial SPA later.

Some prefers to enjoy the muddy face mask on the spot.

However, the outer ring of mud volcano is dry mud mixed with coarse sand. To collect the finest and silky wet mud, you have to go to the sources located in the centre, where you can see fresh mud burping and bubbling up from the ground. The mud in centre is deep and soft, so your shoes would be trapped in it. Some even lost their pant here (yes, that happened before).

Pic: the 5-storey observation tower next to the mud volcano. You can overnight there for more animal sighting.

Pic: making handprint certificate with volcano mud.

Lipad Waterfall

After getting ourselves dirty in mud volcano, we got on our truck and moved to Lipad Waterfall. The nature trail to the waterfall is only 400 Metres but we needed to cross a river as deep as our waist level.

Because of the heavy rain the night before, the water looked a bit murky, but it was clean and cooling. We washed away our mud at the river and took a dip in the waterfall pool.

Pic: Lipad Waterfall, pristine and unpolluted.

Other Activities

There are more things to do in Tabin. Just to list a few here.

You may check out the exhibition in Trogon Hall gallery, where they display some photographs and information of Borneo bio-diversity.

Pic: elephant skull in the Gallery

After a long day of trekking, it’s time to relax your tired feet by trying out the Rainforest Foot Soak at Eagle’s Nest. Various traditional tropical herb and plants (e.g. Kaffir lime leaf, Aloe Vera, Lemongrass, Betel Leaf, Pandanus Leaf, Galangal, Tumeric) are put in the hot water, and you can rub your feet against the smooth pebbles at bottom.

So that’s my Tabin trip. You can see that our rainforest is an eco-treasure worths protecting and preserving. The good news is – Sabah government and NGOs are working together to connect all the isolated forest of Sabah, so wildlife can migrate freely among them for food and mates. In future, Tabin forest reserve will be part of the Heart of Borneo.

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Photos taken in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo