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Tourism Malaysia

Five Malaysian eco-breaks

Five Malaysian eco-breaks

Sustainable travel, including responsible nature holidays and what has become known as eco-tourism, is on the rise in Malaysia – and with good reason. Though Malaysia has highly developed urban regions, it is also home to a rich ecology and diverse geography.

For the nature-interested traveller, this Southeast Asian nation comprises mountains and highlands; beaches and countless tropical islands; rainforests and mangrove estuaries plus much more. The well-organized tourism infrastructure and wealth of natural locations and activities help make Malaysia one of the world’s top destinations for environmentally-conscious travel. Malaysia is an exciting as well as convenient location for a dizzying choice of eco-holidays.

What follows are five general ideas for eco-breaks in Malaysia. There is naturally plenty of cross-over between and among these categories and lots of variety within each.

Orangutan observation

The sole great apes that are unique to Asia, these wondrous endangered primates are only native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia has well-developed facilities for observing orangutans in the wild and in special rehabilitation centers. Visiting these reserves and centers aids in the protection of habitats which are crucial to the survival of these fascinating and gentle apes.

Places like the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Danum Valley Conservation Area and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve (all located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo) contain different options for accommodation, ranging from basic camping in tents to comfortable, well-appointed stays at more upscale rainforest lodges.

Orangutan, Sepilok, Borneo, Malaysia. Pic: Paul Mannix (Flickr CC).

Orangutan, Sepilok, Borneo, Malaysia. Pic: Paul Mannix (Flickr CC).

Other wildlife observation and “volun-tourism”

Besides orangutans, Malaysia is home to a host of other amazing examples of wildlife. Some need your help! Nesting sea turtles are very vulnerable to poachers. Those who wish to combine a holiday with the chance to assist local endangered species can incorporate volunteer work like helping turtles or regrowing coral into a scuba diving vacation or other nature break.

This short description comes from an article on “Ethical turtle tourism” from The Star: “The volunteers conduct daily dinner-time briefing sessions, educating guests about turtles and the threats they face, during which they remind guests to switch off their mobile phones and avoid camera flashes on the beach at night.”

Other options include visiting elephant sanctuaries in the rainforest or even wildlife refuges for endangered wild cattle, called guar.

Ecological agricultural tourism

Those into eating and growing organic food might be interested in a bit of agricultural tourism. Visits to ecological rice, produce and seafood farms can be far more exiting than the idea sounds. These farms are often located in beautiful surroundings and visitors can incorporate jungle trekking, cycling, mountain climbing and river expeditions into their stay.

Kahang Organic Rice Farm features accommodation ranging from camping to “floating chalets” in the rice fields. Of course food is also a major part of each stay, with meals composed of a range of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, fish and rice.

National parks

Malaysia is home to several national parks, two of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One such site is Kinabalu National Park in Malaysian Borneo, which contains the country’s tallest peak, Mount Kinabalu, and around 4,500 species of flora and fauna. The other UNESCO World Heritage Site in Malaysia is Gunung Mulu National Park, also on the island of Borneo. Gunung Mulu National Park is the world’s most studied tropical karst area, contains a 2,377 meter-high sandstone pinnacle (from which the park gets its name) and some 295 km of explored caves. The park is also well-known for its rich variety of plant life, and its canyons, rivers and dense, rainforest-covered mountains.

Gunung Mulu pinnacles. Pic: Paul White (Flickr CC).

Gunung Mulu pinnacles. Pic: Paul White (Flickr CC).

Besides these two UNESCO sites, there are 26 other national parks plus many state parks and reserves in Malaysia, protecting most of the nation’s forest land. Nearly three quarters of Malaysia is covered in trees and natural forests. These forests are extremely biodiverse in flora and are also where fauna such as clouded leopards, Sumatran rhinos, Malaysian tigers, Asian sun bears, monitor lizards and orangutans can be found.

Malaysia’s national parks include not only forest land, but lowlands full of rivers, atolls, coral reefs and scores of islands. These parks encompass the main eco-tourism destinations in the country.

Water-based activities

Loaded with islands, rivers and coastline, Malaysia is a dream location for eco-friendly water activities like diving, snorkeling and river rafting.

White water rafting is possible at grades I-V (tame to very dangerous) in many rivers located in the country’s national parks. Popular diving and snorkeling spots include Tioman, a small island located within the Mersing Marine Park, and the 9-island archipelago of Redang inside Redang Marine Park.

Tioman Island. Pic: Le Journal de Maman (Flickr CC).

Tioman Island. Pic: Le Journal de Maman (Flickr CC).

Naturally, Malaysia’s many islands provide ample opportunity for scuba diving and snorkeling among coral reefs.

I hope this list provided you with some inspiration and ideas for an unforgettable Malaysian eco-break. For a more information on responsible tourism, volun-tourism and eco-friendly holidays in Malaysia I recommend a visit to the Wild Asia website.

 

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

Where to see wild orangutans in Malaysia

Where to see wild orangutans in Malaysia

Malaysia, along with Indonesia, is the only place in the world where one can witness orangutans in the wild. These solitary but social simians are the only great apes which are unique to Asia. Orangutans mostly feed on fruit, but also eat leaves, shoots and other vegetation and the occasional insect, egg or small vertebrate.

The name “orangutan” comes from the Malay words “orang” meaning person and “hutan” meaning forest. The forest is the orangutan’s home and the best place to observe these gentle, highly intelligent primates. In order to see orangutans it is therefore recommended you visit Malaysia’s national parks or nature reserves. You can alternatively visit, or even volunteer at, a rehabilitation center or animal park that houses orangs, but this article will focus on where to observe them in the wild.

Below is a list of places to see wild orangutans in Malaysia followed by a short explanation of sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers where orangutans can be observed up close, but in captivity. You will notice that every location is situated in Malaysian Borneo, and all the orangs you will see are therefore Bornean orangutans, a species which is further divided into three subspecies, named according to their geographic locations on the island: the Northeast, Northwest and Central (only in Indonesia). It is estimated that there are about 41,000 Bornean orangutans living today and 7,100 Sumatran orangutans.

Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Sabah State, is probably the easiest place to see orangutans in the wild. The sanctuary is relatively small and orangs can be seen from boat tours on the Kinabatangan River, along with pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, macaques, silver leaf monkeys, civets, crocodiles, wild boars, otters and a dizzying array of bird life. The sanctuary is accessible by a two hour boat trip or a car or bus trip over rugged palm plantation roads, followed by a short boat ride to the resort. Accommodation includes resort style rainforest lodges and less expensive options such as a rest house, bed and breakfast, homestays and jungle camps for the more adventurous traveller.

Male orangutan, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Pic: Paulo Philippidis (Flickr CC).

Male orangutan, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Pic: Paulo Philippidis (Flickr CC).

Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah State is a large (around 1200 sq km) reserve of lowland rainforest. Tabin became a reserve in 1984 due to the large amount of animals (some endangered) residing in the forest. Besides orangutans, the reserve is home to proboscis monkeys and other primates, Bornean elephants, Sumatran rhinos, Sunda clouded leopards, munjac deer, mouse deer and sambar deer, as well as wild cattle known as tembadau. Tabin also features natural geothermal mud volcanoes, which attract animals in search of salt. The mud volcanoes provide great opportunities for spotting wildlife.

Danum Valley Conservation Area, also in Sabah State, is regarded by some as the best place to see orangutans in pristine forests surroundings. This 400sq km rainforest reserve is also a good place to avoid crowds and has one of the richest concentrations of wildlife in Malaysia, which can be observed by exploring its extensive network of trails. Besides orangutans, Danum Valley is home to Bornean gibbons, red leaf monkeys, deer and of course many local birds. Night walks also give the opportunity to see leopard cats, giant flying squirrels and small nocturnal primates like the slow loris and western tarsier. Accommodation ranges from spartan bungalows for more DIY adventures at the Danum Valley Conservation Area or luxurious stays at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

Wild mother and baby orangutans. Pic: karma-police (Flickr CC).

Wild mother and baby orangutans. Pic: karma-police (Flickr CC).

Batang Ai National Park in Sarawak State, though not very large at 24 sq km, is the biggest transnational protected area for tropical rainforest conservation. It lies at the intersection of Malaysia’s Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and Indonesia’s Bentuang-Karimun National Park, which together make up a whopping 10,000 sq km. This lowland rainforest reserve has the highest orangutan population density (1.7 per km) and is home to an estimated 1,000 orangs, though sightings are not guaranteed. Other primates in the park include Bornean gibbons, white-fronted and maroon langurs, long tailed and pig-tailed macaques, nocturnal western tarsier and slow loris. Additional mammal species in Batang Ai include clouded leopards, civets, bearded pigs, sun bears, barking, sambar and mouse deer, martens, weasels, otters, porcupines, giant flying squirrels and tree shrews.

Orangutan sanctuaries

Another option for seeing orangutans in Malaysia is at wildlife parks, rehabilitation centers or sanctuaries. The original and main sanctuary is Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, about 25 kilometers from the city of Sandakan in Sabah State. Sepilok opened in 1964 as a refuge for baby orangutans orphaned due to illegal hunting, the pet trade, logging, and palm and paper plantations. It is home to between 60 and 80 orangutans. Visitors can witness the feeding of the orangutans and come quite close to these amazing creatures at the sanctuary.

Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre. Pic: Rob and Stephanie Levy (Flickr CC).

Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre. Pic: Rob and Stephanie Levy (Flickr CC).