In year 2000, Mengkabong River Bridge (or Jambatan Gayang) is constructed to connect both sides of the Mengkabong River in Tuaran. Probably a bonus by accident, this longest bridge of Sabah also connects us to the perfect sunrise view of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain of Malaysia. When motorists cross this bridge, they would have a 330+ Metres (1,080 ft) of enjoyable ride because of the beautiful scenery.
Mengkabong River Bridge is a popular photography spot for Sabah sunrise
Best Sunrise View of Mount Kinabalu
Mengkabong River Bridge is a landmark and attraction well-known among Sabahans, who have seen its amazing sunrise photos many times in photography contest, tourism calendar, social media, etc. The high vantage point of Mengkabong River Bridge allows photographers to fit Mount Kinabalu, sunrise, rolling hills, mangrove forest and river into one frame.
Breathtaking sunrise over Mount Kinabalu at Mengkabong River Bridge
In most days you have a good chance of seeing Mount Kinabalu in the morning. Just standby on the bridge by 5:30am or earlier, before sunrise starts between 5:59am and 6:33am. The sun rises from different spots in different time of the year, creating more variation of sunrise view. I did a Facebook Live Stream there for fun too.
My camera and tripod on the bridgeAnother sunrise shot of Mount Kinabalu at Mengkabong
Fishing and Mangrove
Mengkabong River is an estuarine fish habitats where fresh water from river mixes with the saltwater from the South China Sea only 2 Kilometres away. The lush mangrove forest and brackish water of this river provide important feeding, spawning and nursery sites for some palatable marine fishes. Crabs and prawns grow bigger in such environment too.
Mengkabong River is where saltwater and freshwater meet. Crabs and prawns grow well in such brackish water.
During high tide, sea fishes follow the current to forage in Mengkabong River. Therefore, the bridge becomes a hot area to catch high-valued marine fishes such as barracuda, snapper, grouper, sea brass (selunsung / siakap), trevallies and Jack fish. Local anglers love to erect a few fishing rods at the jetties under the bridge.
Mengkabong River Bridge is over 300 Metres long. Note the jetties and fishing platforms at lower left and the floating fish farm at the right.
Before sunrise, the fishermen from nearby water villages has started their day fishing in Mengkabong River. You can bargain with them and buy their fresh caught for a good price on the spot.
Mengkabong River is a famous fishing spot. You can pay a small fee to use the sheltered fishing platform at the jetty.
Do take some moment to appreciate the mangrove forest in the river there. The net fisheries contribution from 1 ha of mangrove forest amounted to US$846 year (RM3,500 per year). According to a study by Omar et al, in 2017, Sabah had about 378,195 hectares of mangroves which covered about 60 per cent of total mangrove areas in Malaysia (and 7.6 percent of the global mangroves)!
You can buy fresh seafood from the fishermen on the spot in Mengkabong River. The tiger prawn is sold for RM15 each.
Firefly and proboscis monkey, the residents of mangrove wetlands in Borneo, also attract thousands of tourists and generate a lot of income for Sabah every year. Mangrove forest are really our money trees.
Note: There might be crocodile around there, so do not wander mindlessly on the river bank or swim in the river.
Cycling
Cycling is a popular sport of Sabah now, thanks to our scenic countryside. Mengkabong River Bridge is one of the favourite routes of cyclists, without doubt, is due to the spectacular sunrise.
Mengkabong River Bridge is a busy cycling route in the morning
Hundred of cyclists cross this bridge every morning. They would get off their bicycle in the middle of the bridge and selfie with Mount Kinabalu, to show the world how beautiful their lives are.
You have a good chance of seeing Mount Kinabalu from the bridge if the weather is goodThe view of Mount Kinabalu is the highlight for cyclists here
Sunset Tour
If the sunlight is strong, you could have a nice sunset view of Mengkabong River after 6pm, with the sky of Mount Kinabalu being illuminated by pinkish or reddish color of sunset from opposite side, a phenomenon called alpenglow. The colors are less intense but a preference for those who are not early bird and always miss the sunrise.
Large area of mangrove trees in Mengkabong River
Personally I would recommend you to join the sunset tour below that can send you to Dalit Beach at river mouth of Mengkabong River for a magnificient sunset view. (This is not a sponsored post. I don’t get paid to promote this.) This tour is managed by Kinabalu Heritage Tours, a licensed travel agent owned by my friend.
Tour Package: Mengkabong Fireflies & Sunset River Cruise with BBQ Seafood Dinner
Mount Kinabalu and the mangrove forest of Mengkabong
Tour Info & Activities
Mengkabong Village is part of the Tuaran district and home of the Bajau Sea Gypsies Malay Fishing Village. Experience the memorable and educational river tour about the importance of Mangrove forest with beautiful natural scenery along the river where water streams peacefully and see sea real-life one of our famous indigenous tribe Bajau fisherman lifestyle who still live in water village (i.e. house build on stilts and connected by narrow wooden planks) formerly known as the Sea Gypsies. Experience our local ways of crab catching activities during the cruise and visit the local Oyster and Fish Farm before heading to the river mouth to catch the spectacular view of sunset on the white sandy beach. After the tour, enjoy our BBQ SEAFOOD Dinner before returning to your respective home.
River cruise by boat
Crab catching
Dinner
Visit fish farm
Oyster
Photos of the tour activities (by Kinabalu Heritage Tours)
Tour Fare Inclusive: Land Transport, River Cruise, Fun Fishing using hand lines, Crab Catching, High Tea, Dinner and English Speaking licensed tourist guide
Promotion Rate!!! RM50 per person (Minimum 4 people). Rate is valid until 31 Dec 2021. You can book now travel later.
Tourists watching sunset at Dalit Beach, where Mengkabong River meets the sea
The tour is on deep discount now. I’ve taken the tour before. It’s fun and I even saw “Blue Tears” (Bioluminescent Sea) in the river. The sea water glowed when it’s disturbed by a wave breaking or a splash in the water by our boat at night.
The following is their contact for booking tour: Hotline:+60 13-6068333 (Whatsapp available) Company: Kinabalu Heritage Tours & Car Rental Sdn. Bhd. KKKP/PLN (Tour License No.): 5189 (683895-A) Address: Lot E–2-7, Block E, 2nd Floor, Tanjung Aru Plaza, Jalan Mat Salleh, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Phone:+60 88–318311 E-mail:info@sabahborneotours.com Facebook:KinabaluHeritageTours
Fiery sunset at the river mouth of Mengkabong River
How to get there?
Mengkabong River Bridge is about 29 Kilometres away from Kota Kinabalu City (KK) and highly accessible by highway (about 35 minutes by car). The bridge is never closed, so you can visit anytime, and you don’t need a tour company to bring you there. Just depart from KK at 5am, set your destination as “Mengkabong River Bridge” in Waze, Google Map or other navigation apps.
View of Mount Kinabalu from Dalit Beach, at the end of Mengkabong River
Once you arrive, park your car at roadside before or after the bridge, and walk up to this bridge. There are lampposts on the bridge to lit the way. The 5-feet-wide pedestrian lane on the bridge can keep you safe from busy traffic, but always keep an eye on incoming bicycles that use the same space as cycling lane.
After sunrise, you can drop by Tuaran town nearby to have the famous Tuaran Fried Noodle as breakfast. Please note the highway from Tuaran to KK is quite congested when people rush to work in the morning of weekdays. It’s also advisable to check weather forecast of Tuaran in advance, so you won’t waste your time and disappointed by the bad weather. Toilet is available in the building behind the jetties.
“Firefly was so common and abundant during my childhood,” my mom said, “I even collected them into a glass jar and made a ‘firefly lamp’.” Unfortunately, I don’t grow up with firefly. Most city people nowadays only have imagination, rather than vivid memory, of a flickering firefly. So where are our fireflies?! Well, they still exist today, but you have to travel far and pay to see them (in most case).
Pic: a tree full with twinkling fireflies in Abai
Firefly Tourism
Firefly watching has become a big business in Malaysia as well as Sabah. For example, firefly generated a total of RM7.3 million (USD2.4 million) income for Kuala Selangor in year 2000, from the tour, employment, F&B, transportation, etc. In average, each firefly there carries a RM2,000 price tag. In Sabah, Klias wetland is the hot spot for firefly watching. Just do a simple math, 100 tourist/day x RM180/tour x 365 days, and you will get the figure RM6.57 million/year!
Pic: tourists looking at the fireflies. Note the dotted firefly trails.
Congregating Fireflies
There are over 2,000 firefly species in the world. But what impresses tourists the most is Congregating Firefly, which is mainly Pteroptyx genus (Family: Lampyridae). Fireflies gather and flash on a display tree in mangrove forest, by a number of hundreds, even thousands, to create a phenomena like Summer Christmas Tree, one of the most beautiful natural wonders of Sabah.
Pic: firefly specimen
8 species of Pteroptyx are recorded in Malaysia, and 5 of them are found in Sabah, namely, P. tener, P. gelasina, P. similis, P. malaccae and P. valida. I won’t talk much about the Roving Firefly, which is solitary.
Why Firefly Glow?
Actually firefly flashes (not glow). Flashing, in different pulse and pattern, allows fireflies to communicate and attract the right species to mate. The presence of artificial light such as street light will disturb their communication. That’s why firefly lives far away from city, to avoid the light pollution. Some tour guides know such behaviour and flash their torchlight purposely to attract fireflies coming to their boats (to impress their customers!). Such practice is wrong and shall not be encouraged.
According to an article “Firefly Synchrony: A Behavioral Strategy to Minimize Visual Clutter” published in the prestigious journal Science in 2010, researchers Moiseff and Copeland found that when fireflies light up at random times, the likelihood of a female responding to a male is only 3 percent. But when the fireflies light up together, the likelihood of females responding is 82 percent.
Where is our Firefly?
You can find Congregating Firefly Zones (CFZ) in the following locations of Sabah. The best time to see firefly tree is between 7pm and 10pm in moonless night. The number and view during rainy or full moon night are not so fascinating.
Best spot: Klias, Beaufort. – P. tener
Kampung Sabandar, Tuaran. – P. similis & P. gelasina
Sungai Beringis (Beringis River), Kinarut. – P. similis
Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sandakan. – P. tener
Danau Pitas, an ox-bow lake in Kampung Abai. – P. tener
Others: Garama River, Binsuluk River, Weston.
Source: Mahadimenakbar bin Mohamed Dawood, Fiffy Hanisdah binti Saikim and Elia Godoong from Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Pic: Kinabatangan Floodplain
The firefly trees are usually located at both side of the river in mangrove. Fireflies seem to prefer to congregate on Sonneratia caseolaris (Berembang tree). You can read my other articles about fireflies in Sabah.
Pic: the common way to see firefly is by night river cruise
Interesting Facts of Firefly
Firefly is not a fly, it’s a beetle (group: Coleoptera).
The light of firefly is “Cold” light (2% heat and 98% light).
Adult firefly lives less than 1 month.
The firefly is a Bioluminescent Beetle, Bioluminescent means “direct production of light from a chemical reaction occurring within a living organism.”
Pic: firefly party after sunset
Love our Firefly
The declining of firefly population is primarily caused by the clearing of their wetland habitat for various development purposes such as housing, agriculture and aquaculture. According to the laws, the riparian must not be clear, and river bank is where firefly larva lives. Sadly, most orchard and oil palm plantation are oblivious about it, and their pesticides kill the babies of firefly. Furthermore, the increasing stray light from human settlement leaves firefly little space for survival. For example, the mangrove of Likas was used to have a lot of fireflies. After decades of forest clearing and encroachment, only a small colony of fireflies are left inside Kota Kinabalu Wetlands.
Pic: mangrove and river bank are habitat of firefly
Well, firefly watching was used to be FREE. After people destroy their habitat, firefly becomes rare and now we have to pay to see them. You see, eventually people will have to pay for their wrongdoing to the environment. Due to the destruction we did in the past, our children are no longer seeing this little elf everywhere. Instead of feeling sorry about no firefly to light up the childhood of our future generation, let’s start to protect what we have now. Be nice to nature and it’ll repay you.
What a tourist couple did really touched me. I was buying cake in a bakery in Kota Kinabalu City. At the cashier counter, an Australian couple declined to use plastic bag to store their purchase. They explained to their children, “We shouldn’t use plastic bag because if it’s dumped into the sea, turtle would think it’s food and eat it, and that can kill it.” I’m so grateful that foreigners care about our turtles. On the other hand, I feel ashamed that Malaysians generate about 4,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste every day, and these contribute to plastic found on one-third of the coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jellyfish is the food of sea turtle, and plastic bag is often mistaken as jellyfish by turtles
Therefore, I see hope when Libaran Island, which used to be a turtle grave, has become a turtle sanctuary and a new tourism attraction now. Before a turtle hatchery was established there in 2012, every turtle egg laid on Libaran would end up in the stomach of villagers and stray dogs on the island. After 5 years, this hatchery has saved more than 27,486 turtle eggs!
Releasing baby turtles to the wild
And Top 4 Reasons to visit Libaran Island? #Turtle #Glamping #Stargazing #Sunset
About Libaran Island
With a population of 450 people, Libaran (GPS: 6.120437, 118.030001, see Location Map) is a 450-acre (about 2 sq KM) island located 45 minutes away by boat from Sandakan, the second largest city of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Though Libaran is only 5 minutes away from the famous Turtle Islands Park (a.k.a. Selingan) of Sabah, unfortunately it is not inside the boundary of this protected park.
Beach of Libaran Island during low tide
If turtle landed on the wrong island, that’s the end of their cycle of life when villagers collected their eggs. Luckily this is changed by Alex Yee, a business-minded conservationist, who creates Walai Penyu Conservation Park with a win-win model for the locals and turtles.
Beautiful mangrove tree in Libaran
Trip to Libaran Island
Turtle sighting in scuba diving is always a delightful experience. This gentle reptile swims gracefully and look really chill underwater. We can’t call a diving destination a top dive site if it has no turtle. Turtle is also the Guardian of Coral Triangle because it maintains the health of marine ecosystems. If turtles are safe, our tourism and environment will do well.
Group photo of divers with the friendly turtle. But we were not allowed to touch it or we would be banned for next dive.
What’s better than looking at the turtle up-close? Malaysia is home to four species of turtles, namely, Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley turtles, all are endangered due to pollution and poaching. When Alex invited me to his Walai Penyu Resort on Libaran Island last month, I said YES x 100 without thinking.
Alex named his boat “Tora” to commemorate his dog
In a sunny afternoon, our boat to Libaran departed from the Sabah Parks jetty located at Sandakan Yacht Club. If you book a tour with Walai Penyu Resort, they will provide boat and land transfer (Walai = Stay Together and Penyu = Turtle in local language).
Stunning red cliffs of Berhala Island
On the way to Libaran, you would pass by Berhala Island, a very beautiful island with distinctive red cliffs. Sadly, its beach is covered by so many junk that it never becomes a tourist attraction. If the locals love their environment more, they would have a nice island for weekend outing now. Rubbish is like karma, we will pay for our wrongdoing.
Approaching Libaran Island
The ocean was calm and we reached Libaran Island after 45 minutes of smooth ride. It’s a fairly densely vegetated flat island, without any high ground and tall building. Turtles love such pristine beach with little development. Too much noise and artificial light will drive mother turtle away.
You can see the corals in crystal clear water
Though we were about 100 Metres away from shore, the water was only knee depth, and I could see the lush corals clearly. Our boat cruised slowly to avoid crushing the corals.
Nesting spots of sea turtles
Finally we landed on the golden beach of Libaran, the cradle of turtles. Their staff already waited for us with wheelbarrow and transferred our bags to Walai Penyu Resort.
Landing track of mother turtle on the beach
Apparently we are not the only visitors here. Tracks and traces of turtle landing are everywhere. We found nesting sites under the shrubs, on the beach and near the camp.
Glamping at Walai Penyu Resort
We check-in to our room. Actually it’s a glamping tent, which is larger than standard camp and spacious enough to fit in two beds and a desk. The camp is very clean and located on the beach.
Glamping ground of Walai Penyu Resort in Libaran Island
Glamping is becoming a trend for travellers who love to be close to nature but stay comfortable with adequate setup. In short, Glamping is a luxury version of Camping. I have done camping many times, glamping is new to me, and it definitely offers a more family-friendly and enjoyable stay than camping.
Glamping is where stunning nature meets modern luxury
To minimise the impact to the environment, there are only 8 dome-shaped tents in Walai Penyu Resort to host up to 16 guests each day. Lighting is kept to minimum to avoid disturbing nesting turtles.
Experience glamping on Libaran Island
Bathroom in Walai Penyu Resort
The tents have side windows covered with mosquito net. You can unzip them for sea breeze or view. As our tents are very near to the beach, it’s quite windy and we could hear sea waves clearly.
Toilet and shower room on the island
The common toilet and bathroom have lot of open spaces that allow good ventilation, so the place is dry, clean and doesn’t smell.
Beautiful Libaran
Turtle usually comes after dusk. It’s still early, so I strolled around the island. With me were three lady editors (Alison, Carmen and San) for China social media. If you want to walk one around of this island, the walking distance is 6.5 KM, which takes about 1.5 hours.
These mangrove trees can prevent beach erosion
Near our glamping site is a few patches of lush mangrove trees. Alex told us that at night we could find fireflies there. The entangled roots of these old mangrove trees are so fascinating, some looks like bonsai.
Little mangrove “island”
I asked Carmen to be my model. Being professional, she didn’t hesitate to climb up and down the tree for some perfect shots (the mangrove root is quite slippery). Of course the outcome is brilliant. Instagram is full of cliche photos on sandy beach, so we are happy to bag many special shots.
From Left: Alison, Carmen, San and Alex Yee
Due to low tide, the water was very shallow and tempting, so we walked in the sea water to feel the soft sand and warm water running through our toes.
You can walk to Racket Island during low tide
Less than 2 KM away is Racket Island, where you can find the “tomb” of turtles. You can walk to that island during low tide. But do return before high tide or you have to swim back to Libaran.
Thanks Carmen for climbing up there for a great shot
The beach is long and litter-free. The cleanliness is not by accident. Alex divides the beach into dozens of 100-Metres lot, and pays villagers MYR100/month to keep their allocated slot clean.
This mangrove tree looks like bonsai
Clean beach is not only for tourists, but good for the turtles too. By regularly removing driftwood, plastics and other washed-up trash from the beach, turtles don’t need to crawl over piles of debris to lay their eggs on the beach.
Alex spent 3.5 years to collect 3,500 mineral bottles to build this little house
Alex has been buying plastic bottles from these cleaners for 3.5 years. He showed us his masterpiece he created with these plastic.
Then Alex went back to the camp to prepare other activities for us. We continued to explore other side of the island. There is a garrison on the island. I saw police and dogs patrolled on the beach, so I feel safe.
Peaceful dusk at Libaran
The sea view was ravishing. We forgot the time until dusk was approaching, and the cloud was like in fire. It’s the famous flaming sunset of Sabah. We chased for the sunset view and reached a peaceful fishing village on other end of the island. The friendly villagers smiled at us while busy preparing for the nightfall. This is just an ordinary fishing village, but looks so surreal under the sunset.
Fisherman walking to the sunset
Inspiring Success Story
By the time we were back to our resort, yummy dinner was already served under a canopy. During meal time, Alex shared some stories about his conservation project on Libaran. It wasn’t a smooth sail. If I were him, I would had given up.
Dinner on Libaran Island
Turtles have existed for over 200 million years, but if nothing is done, human can wipe them out in 10 years. Unlike Ninja Turtle, the shell of turtles can’t protect them from human greed. Turtles are fully protected by wildlife act in Sabah and Sarawak only. In some states of Peninsular Malaysia, turtle eggs are sold openly and it’s legal to consume them.
Mangrove seedling
However, without any enforcement on a remote island such as Libaran, the locals were eating the turtle eggs. I’m not saying that the villagers there are bad. Turtle eggs have been the main source of protein for islanders for many generations. Now for conservation, we have to take this away from these poor villagers, so it isn’t hard to understand why they are unhappy.
Variety of corals exposed during low tide
Besides stop eating turtle eggs, we must not harass turtles too. Let me tell you a real case. Rantau Abang in Terengganu used to the most popular nesting location of leatherback turtle. In 1950s, there were more than 10,000 nesting spots. Then tourists came and ride on their back and flipped them over for fun. The consequence is – almost 0 sighting of leatherback there for last 5 years.
Sometimes it’s a bit windy on Libaran
Libaran is blessed because they act soon enough to prevent the repeat of Rantau Abang tragedy there. In 2011, Sabah Wildlife Department sought collaboration with Alex to protect the turtles on Libaran, because the villagers collecting turtle eggs. However, its a hot potato, not cash cow, being handed over to Alex. The former village head didnt support his conservation work and even tried to stop his team from collecting turtle eggs.
Lovely morning of Libaran Island
Deeply dismayed by many challenges and people issues, Alex thought about quitting in Nov 2015. His visit to Libaran in Feb 2016 was supposed to be a goodbye trip. Then a turtle laid 70 eggs in front of his tent. Alex saw this as a sign and decided to continue. Due to his perseverance, Alex has successfully established a new turtle stronghold on Libaran. Its a victory in Sabah conservation.
Alison recording a time-lapsed video for sea tide
Just a trivia. During World War II, about 2 or 3 British prisoners of war escaped the infamous dead march, and one of them was hiding on Libaran until he was rescued by US Navy after the war. Many years later, his son visited Libaran and found that the father of Alex’s employee is the one who rescued his dad.
We still could see starry sky though that night was cloudy
Libaran is also a great place for stargazing, since they keep the light to minimal. I saw many stars in the sky, but it was covered by dense cloud shortly.
Good Night!
Before we went to bed, Alex said, “Tonight it will be high tide. We have good chance to see turtle landing.” And he was right.
Turtle Landing!
Because of the comfortable sea breeze and sound of sea waves, I had a deep sleep until I heard Alex was talking on walkie-talkie around 3:20am. I waked up and saw him standing outside his tent. From his serious expression, I knew a turtle has landed. I followed behind him with a torchlight.
Hawksbill turtle landed on Libaran
There are a total of 401 turtle landing (75% Green Turtle, 25% Hawksbill Turtle) on Libaran between 2013 and 2017.
Turtle laying eggs on Libaran Island
And yay!!! We saw a Hawksbill turtle about 200 Metres away from our campsite, and it laid eggs under a tree near to beach. We were so excited but we had to observe it quietly from a distance. If disturbed, mother turtle would abort the nesting and turn back to the sea. Sabah has the largest population of hawksbills in Malaysia.
Mother turtles only come to land for laying eggs. They will dig a hole with their legs, lay eggs, then cover them with sand. To me it’s bizarre. Imagine human who lives on land, but give birth a baby in the sea.
Moving the turtle eggs to hatchery for better survival rate
This Hawksbill turtle laid 149 eggs that morning, breaking the 3-year-old highest record of 146 eggs! According to Alex, Libaran got one turtle landing every 3 days in average. They prefer to come during high tide, so they don’t need to crawl a long way to the beach.
Turtle Hatchery
After the mother turtle left, the trained staff collected the eggs carefully and moved them to the hatchery near to our camp. This measure can increase the survival rate of hatching up to 90 per cent.
Turtle Hatchery on Libaran Island
Turtle eggs look like ping-pong ball, and are delicious treat for crabs, monitor lizards and birds. Therefore, we have to place a circular wire mesh enclosure around the nest, so these predators can’t dig the nest.
Each nest in hatchery is labelled with date, number of eggs and turtle species
The nest is also labelled with information such as date, number of eggs and turtle species. The eggs will hatch after 45 to 55 days. Do you know that temperature can set the sex of a hatching? Cooler temperatures lead to a male, while hotter sand leads to a female.
This 4-ha hatchery was setup in July 2012 by Alex Yee at the site chosen by Sabah Wildlife Department. It’s named as Taman Hadiah, which means Gift Garden. It hatches about 4,000 eggs every month in average (73% Green Turtle, 27% Hawksbill).
From 2013 until 2017, the hatchery had collected 20,022 Green turtle eggs and 7,464 Hawksbill turtle eggs. On 1 March 2018, they will celebrate the release of 30,000th turtle!
I’m happy to witness the release of a few dozens baby turtles that evening. They usually release them at night to avoid the predators. Once freed, the baby turtles will head to the moonlight and enter the sea.
Releasing baby turtles to the wild
Another amazing thing happens during the release, these baby turtles will register the magnetic signature of this beach as their “home point”. Even after 25 years, the female turtle can rely on Earth’s magnetic field to navigate back to her exact birthplace to lay eggs.
Only 1 in 1,000 of baby turtles can make it to adulthood
There is one cruel fact I hope I don’t have to tell you. Only one in a thousand baby turtles will survive. So every egg counts.
By the way, if you see any sneaky fellow in Sandakan City that shows you Ok sign in the street, bash him because he is selling turtle eggs illegally (but double check in case he is really a friendly Sandakian).
Leaving Libaran Island with happy faces
In Sabah, anyone caught in possession or consuming turtle eggs could be fined MYR50,000 or be jailed five years, or both, if convicted. That means you are as guilty as seller if you are buying turtle eggs.
Walai Penyu Libaran is one of the few places in Sabah where you can experience glamping
However, due to weak enforcement, these sellers are still around and certainly enjoy good business. I hope the authority will also prosecute the buyers to the fullest extent by law. This will send a strong warning to buyers that buying turtle eggs is also a crime.
How to get there
A visit to this new turtle island is highly recommended to those who want to see the miracles of nature. Day trip and overnight tour are available. For more information or booking, please contact Walai Penyu Resort via the following channels: Facebook:WalaiPenyuResort Website:walaipenyuresort.com E-mail:sales@trekkerslodge.com Phone:+60 16-8310168 (cellphone), +60 88-260263 (office)
View of our campsite after sunrise
At the end, I would like to compliment Alex Yee for his dedication in conservation. What he does far exceeds the scope of Corporate Service Responsibility (CSR). It’s a long term commitment, not a one-time beach clean-up or symbolically planting a few trees. I hope more visitors will visit Libaran to support the turtle conservation there. Please learn from the story of Rantau Abang and don’t be the generation that bully turtles.
Most tourists have an impression that Borneo is a tropical island full of coconut trees. As a matter of fact, in only 10 sq. KM of Borneo rainforest, there are more flora than that of North America and Europe combined. Without rich diversity of tree species as a food source and habitat, our most charismatic wildlife such as orangutan would not survive.
Our trees are not boring. Let’s look at 10 of them. You would be surprised that most of them are closely related to your life.
1. Belian, the Ironman tree
Locally known as Belian, Borneo’s ironwood (Species: Eusideroxylon zwageri, Eusideroxylon means sinking wood) is the heaviest, hardest and most valuable timber of Borneo. Belian can live over 1,000 years and it grows extremely slow (mean radial rate of 0.058cm per year), reaching only a diameter of 30cm even after 120 years. That’s why it is so hard and dense that it doesn’t float on water and termites can’t bite through.
However, this hardwood can’t fight chainsaw and millions of them are fallen by greedy loggers who see it as a standing gold bar. Now only a small number of Belian trees live in most remote forest of Borneo. Belian is so strong and resistant to decay that it can last 200 years in worst condition, so it’s the best wood for jetty, dock and piling. In history, China emperor used it as the pillars of Forbidden City, Murut (Borneo headhunter) used it to make blowpipe, Dusun ancestors used it to create coffin.
Ask any Malaysian what is Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifoliam) and note the sheepish smile on their faces. Tongkat Ali is viewed as Malaysian Ginseng and has been used as a traditional aphrodisiac. You can buy Tongkat Ali readily for cheap price at local markets and even tourist souvenir shops (it’s a hot selling item, from what I heard).
Pic: Tongkat Ali tree
Literally Tongkat Ali means “Ali’s Walking Stick.” It can grow up to 5m tall and 20cm in diameter and prefers well-drained forest slopes under partial shade. It looks like a small tree but what under its stem is long and fat root. To harvest its root, you need to tie its stem with a rope then have two men to pull it out of the soil. Tongkat Ali has two types, one with white root, which is more common and tastes really bitten, another is black color, which is better but rarer.
Pic: roots of Tongkat Ali
The root of Tongkat Ali has sexually-enhancing and testosterone-raising effect (its leaves can relieve stomach pain). The decoction of the pounded and boiled root is a popular drink to improve the potency of men hence a happy sex life. Now you even can find Tongkat Ali Coffee on the market (a few friends told me it really makes them “hard”). Hey, why bother about the expensive blue pill?
3. Strangling Fig, the tree Killer
Ever heard of a tree strangles another tree to death? This is not a fiction. The tragedy starts from a seed of strangling fig (Ficus spp) being carried in the poo of fruit-eating animals such as bird and squirrel to the treetop.
The seed germinates on the big tree and sucks nutrients out of it. Over time, this parasitic tree slowly spreads its branches from the crown of the host tree to the ground, the roots joined when meet, forming a basketwork of interlacing roots around the trunk. Strangling fig tree will grow faster once its roots reach the soil for more nutrients, the roots thicken and constrict the flow of nutrients of its host, eventually the host tree dies.
Pic: hollow left by the decayed host tree
The murder takes many years to happen. At the end, strangling fig wins, flowers and its fruits will attract another seed-carrier which poo on the next victim. Thing gets more interesting after the dead tree decomposes, as it will leave a hollow inside the new tree. Strangling fig sounds evil, but its fruit is an important food source for wildlife. Btw, be careful when a bird poo on your head lol.
4. Menggaris, the Honey Bee tree
In Borneo jungle, even the most casual hiker would not miss the towering Menggaris tree (Koompasia excelsa), a member of the bean family. Menggaris is a beautiful tall and straight tree which can easily exceed 60m in height and grows up to 88m, one of the tallest tree species in Borneo rainforest.
Its cylindrical bole with grey and smooth bark poses a big challenge to excellent climbers such as sunbear and orangutan. Therefore, Menggaris naturally becomes the favorite nesting tree of wild honey bees (Apis dorsata), to keep their honey out of reach to sunbear the honey lover. It is common to see over 10 bee hives under the branches of same Menggaris tree.
Pic: bee nest on Menggaris tree
Luckily, because of its hollow trunk, Menggaris is not a good timber, so you can see them remain standing on a deforested land. Villagers will build climbing aid on Menggaris tree to harvest its honey. Got honey got money. Menggaris is also considered as a sacred tree in Dayak folklore of Sarawak.
Pic: canopy walk allows you to see Menggaris up-close
5. Gaharu, the Perfume tree
Gaharu (Aquilareia malaccensis) is also known as agarwood, incense wood and aloes wood. This intensely fragrant resinous wood is widely used in religions (some even calls it the “Wood of the Gods”), probably it resembles the smell of heaven so its price is sky high too, at least US$1,000 per Kg. There have been local and foreign thieves who trespass our protected forest to collect agarwood illegally.
Normally the wood of Gaharu tree is white and has no odor. But if the tree is infected by fungus, it’ll produce dark aromatic resin to protect itself. This agarwood is not only highly prized as an incense, it is an important ingredient for perfume industry. Some farmers include gaharu as one of the crops in their integrated farming.
Pic: Gaharu tree cut by thief
6. Mangrove, the Summer Xmas Tree
Growing in smelly and muddy swamp land, how can mangrove trees (Rhizophora spp) be interesting? In old days, mangrove forest was considered a wasteland full of mosquitoes, and people weren’t hesitant to clear it. Now we know that mangrove ecosystem serves an important role in flood mitigation, prevention of coastal erosion and as a feeding ground for migratory birds.
Pic: note the breathing roots of mangrove trees
Sabah occupies 59% of total mangrove area in Malaysia. Mangrove is the nursery of seafood and that explains why Sabah is abundant in seafood. Mangrove is also the habitat of Proboscis Monkey, our endemic Borneo monkey which attracts a lot of tourist$. At night, hundreds of firefly congregate and twinkle on mangrove, turning the tree into a Summer Xmas tree. Nowadays, the well-being of our seafood and tourism industries depend heavily on healthy mangrove.
Pic: proboscis monkey family on mangrove tree
Pic: vivipary, the spear-shaped seed of mangrove
Living in tidal zone, mangrove tree develops many interesting features to adapt to this harsh environment. It uses stilt roots to breathe and hold itself firm in the mud. Its torpedo-shaped seed (vivipary) may look peculiar, but it helps the seedling to anchor in the soft substrate when detached from mother tree.
I would say mangrove tree is the most useful tree because it benefits everyone of us.
Pic: river of mangrove is always a good spot for fishing (watch out for crocodile though)
7. Oil Palm, the Money tree
Well, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is not so “Borneo” but this native species of West Africa has blanketed nearly 20% of Sabah, the largest palm oil producing state in Malaysia. Now oil palm is a cash crop so it is quickly turning swaying coconut and banana trees of countryside into ugly palm. Palm oil also enters every corner of our lives, from soap, shampoo, cooking oil, chocolate, margarine, cosmetic, detergent to biofuel.
Pic: forest engulfed by oil palm
To be fair, the yield of oil palm per hectare is 10 times more than soybean and sunflower. The crop itself doesn’t cause any problem, only the way how it is planted is earning it a bad name among environmentalists, for example, open burning, deforestation, hill clearing and encroachment to riparian reserve. Anyway, now the government, NGOs and plantation owners are willing to work together to ensure sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices are in place for this crop.
Pic: elephants (right) roaming near a deforested hill
8. Sago Palm, the Edible tree
You may start imagining that you are ordering a piece of wood off a restaurant menu and then biting it like a white ant, or a starving man chewing tree bark. Sago palm (Metroxylon rumphii & Metroxylon sagu) is really edible but you have to process its trunk first.
Pic: the pure carbohydrate from sago palm saved many lives in WW2. Sago Palm is also called The Tree of a Thousand Use. You can use its leaves to make handicraft and roof, and its trunk to build houses, etc.
Sago is one of the staple food for people living in south-west of Sabah (Kuala Penyu and Beaufort) and they even celebrate Sago Festival annually. To extract the starch of sago palm, they pound the soft kernel of the trunk into chips, wash the pulverized pith with water, collect the starch and dry it. Sago can be made into different delicious food such as cake and pudding, and the traditional way to enjoy it is to make Ambuyat, a translucent and sticky sago paste, which is served with fish and sour soup.
Pic: the traditional tool of sago processing. Now it’s replaced by machine.
Pic: Ambuyat.. yummy..
During sago processing, the farmers also pick up some wiggling fat larvae of beetle (Butod) which is well-fed in kernel. Some locals consider this juicy butod a delicacy and love to eat it alive. Are you keen to try?
9. Pelawan, a Naked tree
There is a Chinese proverb says, “Man needs face as much as tree needs bark”, so I was surprised to see Pelawan tree (Tristaniopsis spp), which is a member of the Myrtaceae and quite common in lower montane forest of Sabah highland.
About 20 species of Pelawan are found in Borneo and these bizarre trees are characterized by flaky orange bark. The tree is so beautiful that there is a story which says other trees were so jealous of its fashionable peeling bark that they beat it with branches.
This phenomenon is just a growing process of Pelawan, the old bark peels off when the fresh bark emerges.
10. Kerosene tree with Petroleum Nut
If your tour guide brings you to Botanical Garden of Kinabalu Park, he will definitely show you a cool trick by igniting the fruit of Kerosene tree (Pittosporum resiniferum) like a candle. Yes, the fruit of Kerosene tree is inflammable and can be used in producing biofuel. This tree is less than 10m tall and grows between 400m and 2,300m above sea level. In old days, locals use the oil of this fruit for lamp.
Pic: fruits of Kerosene tree (Source: Dick Culbert)
Some birds eat this fruit, but it is unclear that if it can help the birds to achieve sonic speed in flight. Just kidding.
The list doesn’t end here. Borneo also has the Tallest Tropical Tree in the World. Please share with me in comment section below, if you know other interesting trees of Borneo.
River cruise in mangrove forest is one of the most popular tours in Sabah. Normally tourists pay about MYR200 to see long-nosed monkey, sunset and fireflies in wetlands of Klias, Weston or Kota Belud.
Sambah River Cruise
FYI you can see these in Tenghilan (in Tuaran district) for about half of the price (MYR80), but without wildlife such as proboscis monkey. Anyway, its advantages are: (1) the destination is less than an hour drive from Kota Kinabalu City (KK), (2) You will have a chance to sample a delicious snack called Udang Salai (Smoked Shrimps).
Udang Salai (Smoked Shrimps) is a special product of Sambah Village
This tour is named Sambah River Cruise because it is based in Kampung Sambah (Kampung means Village in Malay language). Before the river cruise, my group was invited to the house of David (our host) in Kampung Bunga, where welcoming drink and light refreshment were served, and an introduction about the trip was given.
Briefing at Kampung Bunga, Tenghilan
Then we moved to the jetty in Kampung Nouga (GPS: 6.233895, 116.307495) around 5pm to start our first river cruise in mangrove forest.
Jetty in Kampung Nouga, Tenghilan
Mangrove Forest
As part of the Sulaman Lake, this wetland has been a fishing zone. If you are an avid angler, you can request them to include fishing as part of the activities.
Mangrove is the breeding place for seafood.
Technically this swamp is a lagoon as it is directly connected to the sea via a channel. During high tide, fishes such as grouper follow the sea current to enter this mangrove to forage and breed, so it’s not uncommon that you can catch very big fish here.
The river cruises are between 5pm to 8:00pm
Tuaran has one of the best mangrove forest near KK. The area we visited was mostly intact and large. The brackish water may look dirty, but crabs and prawns grow faster and fatter in such environment. The mudflat of mangrove is also the best place to harvest clams.
Navigate in maze of mangrove forest
Located between sea and river, mangrove swamp is one of the most peculiar forest in the world. The trees can grow in the water and tolerant to saline water, and they breathe with roots. Living among the trees are some weird animals such as the walking and jumping fish, mud-skipper and colorful fiddler crabs with huge pincer.
Approaching Kampung Sambah, a fishing village
Our boat navigated in a maze of mangrove forest network. The panoramic view of lush mangrove forest is impressive. Some trees grow over 10 Meters. I think Sabah Wildlife Department can bring in some proboscis monkey families. I’m sure they can live happily here.
Group photo at jetty of Kampung Sambah village
59% of the mangrove forest of Malaysia is located in Sabah. Do you know Sabah has both the smallest (KK Wetland) and largest (Kinabatangan) Ramsar sites of Malaysia? Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated of international importance in terms of conservation, ecology and biodiversity.
Kampung Sambah is a small fishing village next to Sulaman Lake of Tuaran
Udang Salai (Smoked Shrimps)
Around 5:30pm, we arrived Kampung Sambah, a water village next to the lake.
The tour includes a stroll in Kampung Sambah Village
The houses in Kampung Sambah are on stilt to avoid flood and high tide
We took a walk in the village, which has a population of 200 of mainly Bajau people. Most of them live in wooden houses on stilt on the mudflat of mangrove, a typical view of fishermen village in Sabah.
Smoke House for making Smoked Shrimps (Udang Salai)
Only two villages, Kampung Sambah and Kampung Penimbawan, produce Smoked Shrimps (Udang Salai)
However, this ordinary village has an extraordinary snack called Udang Salai (Smoked Shrimps). Believe me. The taste of Udang Salai is unforgettable. Once you try it, you would crave for it occasionally.
The burning wood gives Smoked Shrimps (Udang Salai) very nice aroma
Shrimps are abundant in this area. Only fresh shrimps (no frozen shrimp) are used in making Udang Salai.
Udang Salai (Smoked Shrimps) is one of the tastiest Sabah snack I’ve ever tried
They have a simple small hut with wood burning stove to smoke the shrimps. The small shrimps are placed on mesh wire above the burning wood and being smoked until they are totally dry and cooked. The taste is yummy and crunchy with nice barbecue flavor. Even the shell is edible. You can’t stop once you start eating it.
A small pack of Udang Salai can cost about MYR30
Sambah Village is one of the largest producers of Udang Salai, apart from its neighbors Kampung Penimbawan in Tuaran. Smoked shrimps are sold at tamu (morning open market) of Tenghilan on Thursday and Tuaran on Sunday. It’s always sold out before 8am.
You can buy Smoked Shrimps (Udang Salai) in weekly open market (tamu) of Tenghilan (Thu) and Tuaran (Sun)
Sunset & Firefly
Though I wanted to stay back to eat more Udang Salai, we had to start our second river cruise at 6:10pm.
Departing for sunset and firefly cruise
Waiting for the magic hour of sunset
Soon our boat approached the estuary, where we could see the sun started sinking into the ocean. The blazing sun ray gradually turned into warm and golden beam, marking the start of twilight.
See the love shape cloud?
WOW!!!
The sunset view was hypnotizing. Even though it rained earlier, the extra moisture in the air is the recipe for making of a beautiful sunset. The colors of the sky and cloud went wild and intense, and we were lucky to see the famous flaming sunset of Sabah.
Spectacular sunset at Tenghilan
After the sunset, our boat cruised slowly in the total darkness in mangrove. We saw some congregating fireflies flashing on the mangrove tree like summer Xmas tree. The density and scale of fireflies here are small, but good enough for people who never see firefly.
Dinner at the end of tour, rice with fried chicken, crabs, mixed vegetables and some fruits
Fresh crabs from the mangrove
The river cruise ended around 7:30pm and we enjoyed our dinner at David’s house.
How to get there
This destination is less than 50 Kilometers from KK. The tour operator can pick you up at your hotel. The fee is about MYR80 (about USD$20) per person for this half-day tour (3:30pm-8:30pm).
Even children know trees provide oxygen and mitigate global warming. Saving the World is a noble goal but it sounds so ambitious to us. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to be the Captain Planet. You only plant tree for yourself and your family. For example, having two mature trees next to your house can provide enough oxygen for a family of four. Plant one more tree and the shade of three trees, if strategically positioned, can reduce the need of air-conditioning by up to 50%. Good deal huh?
Misty rainforest of Borneo. “Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Parents always set aside of their personal desires and give the best to their kids. They accumulate wealth for their offspring so they will enjoy a better living. But how many parents will invest in better environment for future generations, so they can enjoy fresh air and clean water in future? Even fishes need clean water and watergrass in their aquarium to live happily. Ton of money in bank account won’t guarantee our children to have a quality life in an environment without clean air and water.
Malaysians have been taking clean air and water for granted. But these things can go away and it’s happening. The crystal clear stream, where I used to fish during childhood, turns into a smelly drain. I see less and less tree shades around my neighborhood, and people complain about the heat almost every day.
Tree planting by local community. If every individual should plant a tree in their life time, the world will be full of trees. ? Lailah Gifty Akita
Mother Nature lets us choose between hell or heaven, depending on how we treat her. Tree always appears in the drawing of your kids about dream home. Let’s materialize it.
“Each generation takes the earth as trustees. We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed.” -Julius Sterling Morton
59% of Sabah is covered by forest, so Sabahans overseas always miss the greenery here, especially those staying in big cities such as Kuala Lumpur, where the car population is far more than trees. World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that bad air is a leading environmental cause of cancer, and 1/8 of total global deaths is directly linked to air pollution.
The following are the tree planting programs that individual, company, and organization can participate in Sabah, to increase the quality of our environment. Not all trees are the same, every tree type has its roles for upkeep of a healthy nature.
1. Rainforest
Plant rainforest tree for fresh air, clean water and starry night. Rainforest is also a Disney Land for birds and wildlife. Every tree you plant will produce approximately 260 pounds of oxygen annually and absorb about one ton of Carbon Dioxide in its lifetime.
The Best Time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The Second Best Time is NOW.
By shading our houses and streets, tree can lower the temperature of city and shield us from excessive exposure to harmful UV. This makes our places safer for outdoor activities. That’s why forested park such as Tun Fuad Stephens Park is a favorite place for joggers.
Jungle lodge in the forest
Tree also absorbs pollutant gases (e.g. sulfur dioxide, ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. Your home will be filled with cleaner air and less dust. The more trees you have, the more stars you can see at night.
Forest on riparian of Kinabatangan River. “A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless.” – Theodore Roosevelt
During rain storm, trees act like big umbrella, slowing down the runoff and prevent flash flood. Large area of trees can form a wall to block hazardous strong wind. Sabah is experiencing more flood and stronger wind nowadays, as a consequence of deforestation.
Orangutan feeding on the tree. Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife, are in fact plans to protect man. ? Stewart L. Udall
A forested riparian is a good “braking carpet” to reduce large quantity of soil and pollutants being washed into the river by rain, thereby maintaining a clean supply of water to reservoir.
Rhinocerous hornbill flies over a fig tree
Wildlife will be benefited too. Besides providing shelter to animals such as orangutan and hornbill, fruit trees are important food source for them.
Tree nursery in Abai Village of Kinabatangan River. The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. – Nelson Henderson
Don’t hesitate to ask your travel agent for info on tree planting, most of them are very supportive of this initiative.
2. Mangrove
Plant mangrove for seafood and protection against natural disasters. Mangrove was thought to be useless until a super Tsunami took thousands of lives in 2005. There was no death reported in the areas which had mangrove forest! Mangrove is a buffer between the land and the sea, so it can be a cushion that minimize the impact of tidal waves.
Mangrove forest of Sabah
Green belt of mangrove forest is excellent in countering water-related disasters. For example, coastal area with mangrove forest is less vulnerable to typhoon. The mangrove tree also helps to stabilize the coastline by preventing erosion by sea waves.
Crabs and shrimps grow fast and fat in brackish water of mangrove
During heavy rain, mangrove forest can act like a sponge to retain the water, a feature that mitigates flood. When filthy rivers flow through mangrove, the forest will filter the sediment and harmful heavy metals in the water, before discharging it into the sea.
50% of the seafood landing in Malaysia is associated with mangrove.
Sabah is famous for abundance of seafood but very few people know the secret. Mangrove forest is breeding and nursery grounds for variety of seafood such as fish, crab, shrimp, and clams. 59% of mangrove of Malaysia is located in Sabah. Needless to say, mangrove is also an excellent spot for fishing and aquaculture.
Most proboscis monkey lives in mangrove forest
The mangroves in Klias and Weston, the habitat of proboscis monkey and firefly, are well-protected. Now throng of tourists go there every day for firefly tour. Nature always repays us generously if we take care of her.
Where to join?
You can join mangrove replanting at Kota Kinabalu Wetlands. The local schools have been sending thousands of student to plant mangrove trees there.
Nursery for mangrove tree seedlings
If you want to get dirty and do something more than just a symbolic gesture, you can join their mangrove replanting project at Sulaiman.
Mangrove tree planting. He who plants a tree, plants a hope. ? Lucy Larcom
3. Coral
Plant coral for tourism. If you have visited Sipadan Island, you will never forget the diving experience with schools of barracuda and dozens of turtles and sharks, which are drawn by the thriving corals there.
Coral reefs in Sabah
Coral is the home of fishes, and fishes mean food to big marine creatures. If our older generations had protected the corals well, we don’t even need to travel far and spend a lot of money to see these. Hope you see the point of leaving a great nature is better than leaving a lot of cash to our future generations. They will have to pay high price to enjoy what was used to be common. Seafood is also getting more expensive now.
Corals are home to reef fishes, a.k.a. seafood
As coral reefs are under threat globally, very few high quality coral gardens will remain intact. On the positive side, this is a magnet to tourists. In fact, tourism is the most important industry of Sabah after oil palm. A blooming tourism will create more jobs and income.
Fresh seafood
Same as mangrove, conservation of corals is vital in maintaining a sustainable supply of seafood.
Where to join?
You can take part in coral planting at Gaya Island Eco Resort off Kota Kinabalu City. Technically, coral is animal and not a plant, so you will be “planting animal” lol.
Coral planting
Usually coral fragments are used for the planting program. It has slimy secretion coming out of the pores.
Coral plates placed in stabilization tank
All you need to do is just fix that fragment on a cement plate and place it in a stabilization tank. It’ll be released into the sea by the divers.
Besides planting tree and coral, you also can donate fund to environmental organizations like WWF for restoration of forest. Let’s think of the donation as an investment. The $100 cash deposited in our bank today would depreciate to $90 next year due to inflation. But for every $1 we invest in conservation, the return can be tremendous, because trees can grow and multiply.
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)
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:
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).
The presence of a crocodile in the lake of Likas Sport Complex became headline in a local newspaper last week. In the past, sighting of crocodile was also reported in the rivers of Petagas, Papar, Tuaran. Every time it created fear among the public, but I would say we have better chance of being bitten by a stray dog than a crocodile. Instead, we should concern more about YB Buaya (corrupted politician) that eats our money and Buaya Darat (playboy) that eats lady’s heart, both cause real harm and we have many of them in Malaysia.
Update: This 2-year crocodile was captured on 10 Sep 2014 and was sent to Lok Kawi Zoo. Sabah Wildlife Department still leaves the warning sign and trap there, just in case there are other crocodile.
Pic: Likas Sport Complex
Likas Sport Complex is a famous jogging park crowded with juicy joggers during weekends, presumably making it a profitable spot for man-eater. It has a beautiful lake that connected to Likas River. The view is just amazing when the sunset is reflected on the water, a nice treat for people after workout (Now you also can do a selfie with the croc). Sometimes the park got visitors from nearby mangrove, you would see box turtle and monitor lizard crawling slowly next to the jogging trail, or hearing the hoarse call of kingfisher.
Actually I think I had seen the same crocodile last year. It was found by a few locals in a mangrove in Likas. Hearing the news, I grabbed my camera and came to its favorite bathing spot, but I saw nothing but a calm river. “Just remain still and wait,” a local lady said.
I did as told. A few minutes later, I saw the head of a crocodile emerged from the murky water a few metres away from me. It’s quite small, only a few feet, obviously a juvenile (like the photo below).
I wonder why there is a crocodile in densely-populated area. Many years ago, I studied in a primary school near this mangrove, and there was a big crocodile being shot behind our school. I hope this small crocodile won’t face the same fate.
Sabah Wildlife Department knew about this and they wanted to trap it but it left. Now we know where it is. It may have grown bigger in 10 months. Though I haven’t seen it, I guess it still hasn’t reached a size that brings real threat (if it’s the same croc)? Visitors should stop feeding fishes and turtles at the lakeside, as it’ll attract the attention of crocodile.
To show that it’s safe, I even put my foot into the water for minute. I worry more about the bacteria in filthy water.
Below is the video of this crocodile. It was dozing off, so cute.
Pic: you only need to be afraid when the croc grows this big. This is a man-eater that took the life of a villager in Sandakan.
When I read the news, I laughed when the reporter showed a photo of monitor lizard and called it a crocodile. Anyway, they got the photo right the next day.
Monitor Lizard is a big reptile and very commonly mistaken as a crocodile. I even wrote a blog making fun of this.
Seem like we don’t know our wildlife really well.
Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
