Advertisement
Published: July 24th 2014
Edit Blog Post
Barbeque Area
Much of the resort was painted faux wood. Very clever. After two days on Mabul Island and diving the third day on Sipadan I was ready for something different. Spartan budget accommodations on Mabul encouraged me to I booked a room in a nice hotel; one with hot showers, a balcony overlooking the sea, and even a TV. I was so tired from three grueling days of diving and small speed boat travel that I stayed at this hotel for three days. I used this down time to book a day in Sepilok to see the orangutans and two days at the Kinabatangan Safari Center for river cruises and jungle walks.
It was a seven hour bus ride to the Jungle Hotel which was a real resort near the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and the Rainforest Discovery Center. I was exhausted so I walked to the Center to see the Orangutan feeding. It was interesting to watch the orangutans and the feeders, and also to observe the tourists who gathered to view them. Some had huge cameras. Mine is really not good for long distance shots, but my eyes could see the interactions of the animals with each other. The orangutans were powerful climbers but they always have a
Orangutans at Feeding Station
These orangutans are being rehabilitated so they can be released back into the jungle. This process is a lengthy one. hand or a foot on something. The macaques, on the other hand, are dare devils and leap from one place to another. They are much lighter and seem at home in the trees. It was interesting to see “the men of the trees” but I was too tired to do anything else that day.
The next day I over slept and by the time I had breakfast and a shower I had only an hour and a half to see the Rainforest Discovery Center. It also is walking distance from the resort but since I had so little time I arranged to take a taxi to the Center. I didn’t have time to do the Canopy walk last year in Kota Kinabalu so that was my focus this time. I spent an hour and a half walking through the tree tops. The structural design was intriguing and I couldn’t help wondering about who designed the canopies and how they felt watching their concept grow from blueprints to reality. There were several towers that rose above the expanded metal walkways, and the trees were still stretching almost out of sight above them. Luckily I didn’t meet any orangutans
The Canopy
This metal canopy rises gradually till you are above all but the highest trees. or macaques while I was by myself, but at the exit there was a large monkey and I was glad a tour guide was there and able to encroach on his territory enough to scare him off. I might still be there if I had been by myself.
This nature reserve is the best I have seen anywhere. There was not a speck of litter. There were regularly placed trash cans, and a beautiful lake with paths for walks. Foliage was labeled, although the orangutans and macaques delight in destroying signs. Unfortunately I had only enough time to take a quick run through the visitor’s center and then get back to the Lodge to meet my bus. I just had time to glimpse the pool; it was a long way from my room and the dining hall, but it looked like a lot of fun. I really wished I had two days there so I could have used the pool, although a young dad told me there was so little difference between the pool and the muggy heat that you couldn’t tell when you were in the pool or when you weren’t. I also missed seeing the
Viewing Tower
Still some of the trees are higher. Sun Bear Reserve…another reason to visit again next year. This trip deserves two full days.
The Kinabatangan River Nature Safari awaits.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.073s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.054s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb