Danum Valley retreat (15-18 Oct 2012)
Danum Valley is a large forest reserve owed by Yayasan Sabah located in Sabah, Malaysia. It is part of the large piece of rainforests given by the Sabah government to Yayasan Sabah. About 14% of the land was reserveed as forest conservation area while the rest was logged in the past. Danum Valley aims to cover half of its expenses using revenue from eco-tourism.
I was very fortunate to visit Danum Valley from 15- 18 Oct 2012 for a retreat with my supervisor and labmates. We were invited by one of the co-founder, Mr. Cyril Pinso to visit the facilities. The fastest way to get to Danum Valley is to take MASwing flight from Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu airport and then 1.5-2 hours 4WD drive from the airport to Danum Valley. Danum Valley is largely unknown to many Malaysians, at least not until Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge visited it on 15 September 2012.
Upon arrival at around 7pm, we checked in at the reception building. We were informed that there is no phone reception and internet connection (except for a very expensive fee). Electricity is only available from 7am to 12am midnight. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available in the cafe at 7am, 12pm and 7pm respectively. Drinking water, tea, coffee, snack are available in the cafe. Packed lunch can be arranged upon request.
The facilities at Danum Valley include reception, cafe, laboratory, staff houses, hostels and resthouse. There are two types of accommodation, namely resthouse and dorms. There are 8 rooms in the resthouse which is located right next to the cafe. There are female and male dorms, each consists of 80 beds (if not mistaken). The dorms are close to the staff housing area and football field, about 10 min walk away from the cafe. The room facilities in the resthouse exceeded my expectation! Towel, toilet tissue, kettle and cups were provided. Since hot shower is not available, I have to use the kettle to boil water because the water is quite cold. The accommodation rates are affordable but a more expensive rate applied to all international visitors.
Some of the interesting activities to do are jungle trekking, night walk and sunset/sunrise tour. There are several trails that can be explored such as nature trail, orchid trail, coffin trail, Tembeling waterfall trail, a 6-day trail to Borneo Rainforest Lodge. All trails except nature trail and orchid trail requires a guide. Borneo Rainforest Lodge is a high-end nature resort located near Danum Valley. An attraction near the Borneo Rainforest Lodge is the tree canopy walk. There are several tours available such as night drive tour, sunset and sunrise tour. A 4WD has to be hired for the tours and therefore, it will be better to have at least 4 persons to share the cost.
On the second day, we explored the coffin trail together with a group of German tourists in the morning. The trail was named coffin trail because a burial site with ancient wooden coffins can be found at the end of the trail. The patterns carved on the coffin resemble Chinese patterns and furthermore, these coffins were located right next to the riverbank, suggesting Chinese origin. First, we crossed the Segama river using a hanging bridge and walked about 2 km to get to the burial site. The burial site also consists of vases and potteries. The coffins were so much smaller than I expected.
Coffin trail
After completing the coffin trail, we walked back to the cafe for lunch but we stopped at the sights of ORANGUTAN!!! One female adult with a baby were spotted at a rambutan tree right in front of the resthouse. The mother was eating some raw rambutan fruits while the baby was waiting. Initially the baby was trying to catch up with its mother. After 15 min, the baby looked bored and tired so the mother carried the baby and went back into the forest. Observation of the interaction between the mother and child is an amazing experience because their behaviour resembles human behaviour a lot. The first time I saw an wild orangutan!
Adult orangutan with a baby spotted at a rambutan tree near the cafe
In the afternoon, we explored the nature trail on our own. Nature trail is a well-maintained trail with signboards close to the resthouse. We stopped by the viewing platform to take some photos. At the end of the trail, we saw the tree platform but unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance. After walking the trail, some labmates and I went to the small river behind the cafe to chill out. We then had dinner and retired early for the day.
On the third day, we woke up for a sunrise tour at 5am. We were picked up by two 4WDs to a viewing platform. We climbed up to the platform and waited in the dark. At this hour, the forest was covered in thick mist. As the sky brighten, the noises of the birds and animals got louder. The first beam of sunlight slowly appeared from the horizon and turned the sky into red flames. But in the next few minute, the sun quickly emerged from the clouds. We were able to see the big and round burning sun hanging above the forest and clouds for a few seconds before the sun became too glaring for our naked eyes.
Sunrise tour
After breakfast and a short rest, we decided to go to the Tembeling waterfall. The trail is about 6 km return and poses more challenges compared to coffin trail and nature trail. When we finally reached the waterfall, we had to take off our shoes to cross the river. The waterfall is a decent waterfall with about three-storey height. Some of us climbed over slippery rocks to stand under the waterfall. There is a small catchment pond with water level up to my waist. We spent some time playing with water before we headed back to the resthouse.
Tembeling waterfall
After dinner, all the guests were given Powerpoint presentation to introduce us to the history of Danum Valley. Then, I followed one tourist on a night walk around the facilities in search for night animals. I was very fortunate to spot a mousedeer, two types of civets and a large frog. It is an eye-opening experience and made me realized that night walk is the best way to spot the animals.
The whole experience in Danum Valley was amazing. 3D2N was too short a trip. It is the first time I have been up close and personal with so many wild animals. These animals were roaming freely near the facilities and were used to human presence. I would definitely recommend this place to all nature lovers. Read more...
Posts
