Dear friends,
‘Sabah’ – the very name conjures up images of misty rainforest, winding rivers and wetlands, huge caves, tropical islands and coral reefs, orang-utans, monkeys, hornbills, kingfishers, and much much more. I have been lucky enough these past two weeks to visit four National Parks in Sabah: in Sepilok, the Orangutan and Sun Bear Rehabilitation Centres, the Kinabatangan Wetlands Reserve, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, the Danum Valley Rainforest Reserve, and finishing with two days on Mateking Island on the east coast archipelago in the Celebes Sea.
The trip was organised by Wilderness Travel (Berkeley, California) and our small group of six was guided by Karin Betts and John Nizam, both of whom shared their wealth of knowledge on the wildlife and conservation efforts in the region. My only regret was that I had just my small camera with me and I don’t feel as though I have done justice to the superb opportunities we had to view life in the wild.
In this blog I will lead you through some highlights of our trip, and in subsequent blogs over the coming days, I will add more specific information and photos on: animals and birds, life on the forest floor and the Bajau Lau (Sea Gypsies) one of the last remaining semi-nomadic seafaring groups in South-East Asia.
Enjoy!
Kota Kinabalu, capital city of Sabah Province of Eastern Malaysia
What a look! Male Orangutan at the Internationally renowned Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre
Juvenile Bear at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre established in 2008
Bridge over a lake at the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok
Red flower, home to busy ants, Rainforest Discovery Centre
Wild fig, Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok
Insect eating plant, Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok
Colourful seed pods, Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok
Houses and mosque dwarfed by the forest clad hills at Sandakan
The wide Kinabatangan River winds its way through the forest
A stork-beaked Kingfisher amongst the foliage above the river
A long-tailed Macaque monkey wanders along a log at the river’s edge
Palm fronds reflected in the still waters of a side stream of the Kinabatangan River
A blaze of colour, sunset over the river
The Gomantong Caves, Malaysia’s largest site for the collection of edible bird’s nests
A Maroon Langur (Red-leaf monkey) high in the trees by the Gomantong Caves
A magnificent ’emergent’ tree in the forest, rising high above the canopy, Tabin Wildlife Reserve
A Borneo Pygmy Elephant enjoys himself at a mud volcano in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Lotus flowers illuminated by a torch beam on a night walk, Tabin Wildlife Reserve
On the canopy walk, high above the forest floor, one feels as a bird or a flying squirrel
A Masked Palm Civet, Danum Valley Rainforest Reserve
An owl atop a marker post in the Danum Valley
A full moon shines over the forest and the Danum Valley Rainforest Lodge boardwalk
Dawn breaks over the mists and mountains of the Danum Valley Rainforest
Leaving Semporna on the way to Mateking Island in the Celebes Sea
The beach at Mateking Island, looking towards the sand spit and the little adjoining island
Newly hatched Hawksbill Turtles scrambling through the sand to the sea, Mateking Island
Stilt houses at Kalapuan Village, home to the Bajau Laut sea gypsies
Giggling Sea Gypsy girls, Kalapuan Village
Splendidly creative collection, Joanna!