Interesting Places

February 14, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Bohey Dulang Island, Semporna

About Bohey Dulang
Bohey Dulang (or also known as Boheydulong, Bohaydulong) with the size 313 hectares is the second largest island of Taman Tun Sakaran Marine Park. It is located 23 Kilometres away from Semporna.
A legend that told by the locals says there lives a beautiful princess named Salamia from Bum-Bum Island. She was hidden by her family there to avoid a forced marriage from a Sultan in the southern Philippines. Unfortunately after a few days, she vanished and believed to be hidden by the spirits of the island and turned into a pixie. Local claimed they can hear her singing and her dog will bark during the full moon. And sometimes she is seen walking around the island.
Bohey Dulang got its name from bohi(bohey) which means water and the word dulang meaning pools or depressions in Bajau language(natives people). This may refer to a series of oval rock pools, around 2-3 metres across, along the small waterfalls and main stream on the eastern side of the island.
Local says that these pools are the source for Princess Salamis for her drinking water. There is a large cave which is 40 metres high and over 20 metres long is located on the east side of Bohey Dulang too.

How to get here?
From Kota Kinabalu, you may need to take a bus from Terminal Inanam to Semporna which the journey will take around 8-9 hours. Or you can choose to go there by flight to Tawau which will take around 75 minutes of journey. And from Tawau you need to take another bus to Semporna.
From Semporna, you have to take a boat and it will take another 35 minutes before reach there.
But believe me! You won’t regret once you reached here. The island itself will welcome you with its blue ocean.
The Best Time to visit Bohey Dulang are from February to April (the dry months). If you visit during wetter months like July, August, December and January, your trip would have higher chance of being spoiled by heavy rainstorm of monsoon seasons, or not, it depends on your luck.

Things to do

Hiking
You need to climb a 600-Meter nature trail to reach the peak with a height of 265 Meters, which normally takes 40 minutes. The climb can be a bit challenging after rain, because some steep areas will become slippery and muddy. If you plan to climb this hill, please bring a proper walking shoe. And bring some drinking water as it is warm and humid in the forest and hot on the peak.

Bird Watching
In 1933, Bohey Dulang Island was declared as a Bird Sanctuary, a status that was revoked as a preliminary for the establishment of the marine park. Nowadays, Bohey Dulang is still a bird paradise for the bird watchers where species like black-naped fruit doves, owls, hornbills, partridges and babblers are freely roam the area.

Bajau Laut (Sea Gypsies) Village
Most tourists that come to the island come to catch a glimpse of the Bajau Laut settlements set amid the majestic backdrop of the mountainous Bodgaya and Bohey Dulang Island.

Snorkeling & Scuba Diving
Tun Sakaran Marine Park is located in Coral Triangle also known as Amazon of the Sea, which it supports one of the richest marine ecological zones in Malaysia. There are 528 species of coral reef fish are found in the park which it is much more than Sipadan Island(409), Redang(209), and Tioman (233). Full with over 320 species of hard and soft corals, and variety of sea creatures such as eagle rays, barracuda, and turtles, this park is well known as a scuba diving and snorkelling site

Accomodation
There are no any hotels or resorts on Bohey Dulang or on any of the other island within Tun Sakaran Marine Park.
Most visitors to the island stay in the coastal town of Semporna, where accommodation and dive packages are cheap.

Alternatively, visitors also stay in Mabul, Pom Pom, Mataking or Singamata and are brought in by boat.

February 2, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Pulau Tiga

Pulau Tiga is the biggest of the three islands that make up Pulau Tiga Park. It’s delightful scene and pristine indigenous habitat pulled in CBS Broadcasting company of the USA to utilize it as the fundamental area for its first ever scene of the popular “Survivor” Program, naming it the ‘Survivor Island’.

This island was shaped through the emission of a few mud volcanoes. The last blast happened in 1941 and from that point forward, the volcanoes have remained generally latent.

A few little mud volcanoes retching cool, mineral-rich mud can still be found close to the summit of the island. The thought that this mineral-rich mud is useful for your skin makes mud-washing an unquestionable requirement to-do activities.

For nature partners, Pulau Tiga’s rich green wilderness serves as a mitigating scenery, while its fine, white-sand shorelines and the transparent unpolluted waters are a miracle to view.

Location
Tiga Island Park was set up in 1978, despite the fact that the region has been under assurance as a forest save subsequent to 1933. It is found north of Kuala Penyu, inverse the swampy Klias Landmass, in Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo.

Kuala Penyu is 120km from Kota Kinabalu city.

You need to take a transport from the transport terminal (before the State Court) and a one-way trip will cost you around RM18.00. A taxi ride from the taxi stand alongside the Merdeka Field ought to cost around RM180.00 (up to gatherings of four) per way.

A kindly reminder that the boat transfer must be organized through tour bundles. Contact your travel agent for more data.

Activities in Pulau Tiga

Mud Bath
The Pulau Tiga Park is likewise known for the mud volcanoes which are still effectively radiating vaporous and periodical emissions. This mud volcano is one of the mainstream attractions among guests to the fundamental island. The mud volcanoes found here is the main few found in Sabah (the other being on Pulau Bakkungan Kechil of Turtle Islands Park, Sandakan). It is trusted that it has restorative and helpful qualities.

Scuba Diving & Snorkelling
Among the primary amusement exercises in Pulau Tiga Parks is scuba jumping and snorkeling. Ranges which these activities were permitted were partitioned into zones. It would be ideal if you allude to the administration for the recreational activities zones.

Recreation/Picnic/Camping
Outside party, for example, outing (Pantai Asmara, Pagong-pagong and Ramis) and overnight outdoors (assigned site inside of the Base Camp) should be possible in huge numbers of the current sanctuaries. These asylums are furnished with tables and seating of shifted outline and materials. They can likewise be lit during the evening. These offices are entirely near the shoreline. Others offices are public toilet and shower room

Nature Trails
Trails give access to guests to investigate the characteristic living spaces and assets found on the island. As of now, there are 8 nature trails of shifting lengths. These are the Larai-larai, the Pagong-pagong, the Well of lava, the Ramis, the Sibamban, the Casuarina, the Vokong and the Tagi trails. Eachs offers diverse encounters in term of vegetation, fauna, visual, geology and continuance.

February 2, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Danum Valley

Being remote from the human residence and verging from the outsider to present day progress makes the Danum Valley Conservation Area is a naturalists’ heaven. On the off chance that you are an untamed life and nature nerd, you will discover heaven in Danum Valley – a 472km sq protection range of flawless, generally essential, marsh dipterocarp backwoods that is home to 300 types of feathered creatures, well-evolved creatures, bugs and so on. The region brags a stunning differing qualities of creature life including the Borneo dwarf elephant, sun bear, orang-utan and clouded panther.

Location
The Danum Valley Conservation Area is located in South-eastern Sabah, Malaysian Borneo (4˚50’N-5˚00N and 117˚35’E – 117K45’E). The Danum Valley Field Center is around 70 km inland from the town of Lahad Datu on Sabah

You need to go to Lahad Datu to go to Danum Valley Conservation Area. Most of the airline agent in Kota Kinabalu has direct daily flights to Lahad Datu. Another way of transportation would be air-conditioned coaches from Kota Kinabalu which will take about 7 hours drive to reach Lahad Datu. You have to go to the bus terminal which is situated in Inanam.
The Field Centre is easily accessed by road and the journey takes less than 2 hours from the nearest town.

Accommodation

A few sorts of accommodation are accessible at Danum Valley:

VIP chalets: Two rooms accessible – each of which can place 2 – 3 individuals. These are aerated and cooled, completely adjusted and have an en-suite restroom, a fridge, and private overhang. Principally proposed for short visits.

Resthouse: Seven rooms accessible, each of which can place 2 – 3 individuals. These are completely overhauled, have en-suite bathrooms and overhead fans. Fundamentally expected for short visits.

Annex: Four rooms accessible, each of which can place 2 – 3 individuals. These are completely overhauled, have en-suite bathrooms, overhead fans and overhangs.

Researchers’ chalets: Three independent duplex chalets and 1 single room chalet are accessible. The duplexes can place up to 4 individuals. They incorporate a kitchen, lounge, separate rooms, a washroom and a veranda. Essential cooking hardware and utensils are given. The majority of the chalets have their own particular icebox and clothes washer. Planned basically for long haul researchers – particularly the individuals who wish to self-provide food.

Hostel: There are two contiguous inns at Danum Valley, each of which can rest 48 individuals at one time (96 altogether). The inns are sub-isolated into partitioned ‘rooms’, with 2 lofts in each. Lavatory and latrine offices are shared. Every hostel prayer room for Muslim residents. The inns share a vast kitchen and feasting region with incredible perspectives over the woodland. Planned principally for understudies on field courses and for researchers and different guests who might be on a tight spending plan.

Campsite: Rests up to 20 individuals (in loft style beds). This is a constructed campground with open-sided, zinc-roofed structures and incorporates fundamental on location toilets, showers, cooking offices and an eating zone. Proposed primarily for understudies and different guests who might be on a restricted spending plan – or for the individuals who lean toward a more “normal” living environment.

Breakfast, lunch, and supper can all be taken at Danum and is served in a lounge area and on a veranda nearby the resthouse – which has magnificent perspectives over the backwoods. Sustenance is basic, Malaysian home-style cooking utilizing new fixings (all Halal) bought locally in Lahad Datu. All suppers are served as self-administration buffets. Breakfast is regularly Western-style with grain, toast, browned or fried eggs and wieners – however, an Asian breakfast of fried noodles is prepared sometimes. Lunch usually consist of either fried rice or sandwiches. Supper incorporates a few vegetable, chicken, hamburger and/or fish dishes joined by steamed rice.

The staff that are providing food in Danum Valley are very much used to planning veggie lover dinners, and pleasing other dietary necessities, however guests with genuine nourishment intolerances or sensitivities might wish to view self as cooking; given the moderately restricted offices accessible for sustenance readiness at Danum, the complete rejection of particular nutrition types (e.g. nuts, fish products) can’t be ensured.

February 1, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Maliau Basin

Frequently called the Lost World of Sabah, Maliau Basin Conservation Area is hands down the most extraordinary preservation in Borneo with a Class 1 Protection Forest Reserve and a size of 588 square kilometers. Suggested for the unadulterated nature significant other, Maliau Basin is one of the slightest investigated places in Borneo Island. There are facilities here which oblige hiker dormitory style rooms, singular twin sharing rooms furthermore a sumptuous twin room cabin complete with Jacuzzi.

Maliau Basin, Sabah

The highlights here are the trekking to the numerous camps situated around the basin, some adjacent while great ones take around 1-2 days of trekking. For the most part for the newbies, they will cover the fundamental trekking which includes the Agathis Camp exploration to the Maliau Basin Canopy Skywalk, which is one of the best in Southeast Asia. Maliau Basin is highly recommended for the individuals who are fit and love the outside.

An outing to Maliau Basin is generally reserved for specific tour agents in Kota Kinabalu. You can likewise discover Maliau Basin Packages from suggested online locales from Malaysia as well.

A friendly reminder to those with any medical condition that this place is not suitable for you. Yes. Because there are no nearby clinics, shops, or even restaurants here. The closest town is hours away.

The time it takes to get to the passage of Maliau Basin from KK is around 3-4 hours while from Tawau, it is around 2.5 to 3 hours. From the passage to the base camp is another to two hours rough terrain drive on the former logging streets.

February 1, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Sabah Museum

It is a must for tourists to stop by the museum if they want to know the culture in which they are traveling. This is because the museum is a place where the history of the place and kept the tourists can get to know the place better.

Sabah Museum is store a plentiful of treasures and items of historical relics Malaysia, especially in Sabah. In addition, various info about the customs of the natives on display here.
However, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the museum for security reasons, you are only allowed to take pictures outside of the building only.

How to Get Here?
If you are traveling to Sabah, you can visit the Sabah Museum, which is located here .
You can either take a bus or by taxi to reach Sabah Museum.
For bus, you have to take bus no.13 with fares RM2.00 and if you are using the taxi as transportation, you have to pay around RM10.00 – RM15.00 (one way). Make sure you know how to negotiate, as most of the taxi driver usually asked the tourist to pay more.

Admission Fee

• Malaysian Guests – RM2.00
• Non-Malaysian Guests – RM15.00

Malaysians only:

• Students in uniform – Free
• Disabled Guests – Free
• Senior Guests – Free
• Taxi Drivers – Free

There are 4 buildings for you to discover.

Main Building
The Main Building is designed after a customary Rungus longhouse; inside are the Ethnography, Natural History, Ceramics, Archeology and History Galleries that showcase the rich and different society and history of Sabah. The Main Building also consist of the Marble Hall for any temporary exhibitions by the museum.

Science and Technology Center
Located on the left side of the main building, is the Science and Technology Center where it is divided into three exhibitions halls:
• Oil and gas production in Sabah
• Broadcasting in Sabah
• North Borneo Railway.

Heritage Village
The Heritage Village is located in the Ethno Botanical Gardens in Sabah Museum Complex.
Heritage Village allows guests the opportunity to see some of Sabah’s traditional home in a small area.
Among them is the Bajau’s traditional house where the house was transformed complete with wedding throne,
Murut longhouse where it is one of the most visited traditional house here because it is build with lansaran (trampoline) where travelers can experience the excitement when on lansaran.
Other than that, Sabah Museum also a Chinese farm house with earthen floors, Bamboo House and the House of Skulls.
Some houses have put traditional vendors selling traditional jewelry items by the Murut, Rungus, and Kadazan Dusun.

Ethnobotanical Garden
If you have any interest in plant, you can go and visit Ethnobotical Garden where here you can take a look at commercial, medicinal, ritual and food and ornamental plants make up the well-planned gardens of the Sabah Museum. A Montane Garden also graces the grounds of the Museum.

Opening hours
Open daily from 9.00 am to 5.00pm (they also open on weekends as well as on Public Holiday)

January 30, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Mabul Island, Semporna

Mabul is a little island off the south-eastern shoreline of Sabah in Malaysia. The island has been an angling town since the 1970s. At that point in the 1990s, it first got to be prevalent to divers because of its closeness to Sipadan island.

Mabul island is administered by Semporna, Tawau district.

Located 15 km from Sipadan, this 20-hectare piece of land surfaces 2–3 meters above sea level, consists mostly flat grounds and aerial view is oval-shaped. Surrounding it are sandy beaches, perched on the northwest corner of a larger two square kilometre reef.

Mabul is moreover prominent for its staggering display of full-scale life, making it a submerged picture taker’s dream zone to get a segment of the rarest natural species on film. Flamboyant cuttlefish, spike-fin gobies, blue-ringed octopus, moray eels, and frogfish are just a rate of the awesome critters you will encounter underneath the waters of Mabul.

Whether you’re arranging a laid back family occasion, sentimental venture or dive trip, you’ll discover a lot of activities and things to do in Pulau Mabul suitable for all age of groups.

If you come to the island for a vacation and not to dive, you can choose to stay at the resort that can provide you other activities such as swimming in a swimming pool with a sunken bar or you can enjoy the beauty of Mabul in a jacuzzi. A conventional massage is an unquestionable requirement on the off chance that you truly need to unwind, accessible at all the resorts (exception for Seaventures), or you can enjoy a full Spa treatment which available in Mabul Water Lodges.
Those that need to be more dynamic can investigate the island on mountain bicycle or oar around it in a kayak, both for rent at the Sipadan Mabul Resort. There is additionally the alternative of a session of beach volleyball.
**Note that every resort provides a different kind of leisure activities to attract their tourist 🙂

How to get here?
From Kota Kinabalu, take a 55-minute flight to Tawau and enjoy the view of palm oil plantation during an hour drive to Semporna. From here, Mabul is an additional 45 minutes by speedboat. Make sure to pre-arrangement transportation with your tour agent/dive operator.

January 29, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Pom Pom Island, Semporna

Pom Island is a little coral reef island in the Celebes Sea roughly 30 km North East of Semporna town, Sabah, East Malaysia.

The island is level sand with the best ascent of under 2m over the HT line. The reef level is only 50-75m wide toward the west and a couple of hundred meters wide around a huge part of the island. The island has a white sand coral shoreline and is an imperative settling range site for Green and Hawksbill turtles. The island has no town, irrelevant human impact, no pollution and is one of the pervasive dive destinations in the Semporna district.

Pom Pom island is thickly lush with little trees, particularly from the pandanus gang. There are no screen reptiles or snakes despite the fact that these are found on other islands.

Marine Diversity
The marine biodiversity of Pom Island is astounding with numerous uncommon and remarkable species. The district is a piece of the coral triangle which has 500 or more coral species

Giant Frogfish can be seen everywhere – giant, painted and clown frogfish are routinely seen alongside just about the entire scorpion fish family

Pom Pom island is a vital settling and nourishing site for Green and Hawksbill turtles.
The Green turtle settles lasting through the year yet crest settling is May to September. The Hawksbill homes in little numbers. Both turtles are available on the reef during the time with a normal of 7 green turtles seen every hour on a dive or snorkelling. The hawksbill is both not so much basic but rather more regional with the same people being routinely seen at Lobster divider, the North tip and Magic rocks.

Activities
The reef is on the edge of the mainland rack and the seabed encompassing the reef inclines out to 100 to 130 m deep.There are profound – close vertical – dividers beginning at 27-30m profound situated at the Northern tip, Eastern plateau and lobster wall. Depends upon tide the flow at these areas can be solid giving amazing float plunges with numerous sea fans and pelagic fish.

There are two dive resorts that available in Pom Pom Island
→ Pom Pom Island Resort & Spa
→ Welcome to Celebes Beach Resort

You can choose either 2 of the resort for you to enjoy your day there on the island.
A lot of activities that you can do while you are there,

For ocean lovers, there are;
→ Diving
→ Snorkeling and swimming, either from the shoreline or the wharf
→ Kayak Rental (It takes around 1 hour to kayak around the island, the best times are either at an early in the morning or after 4 pm at night to keep away from the warmth of the day and appreciate cool ocean breezes)

For wearing devotees, you can;
→ Play beach volleyball
→ Appreciate a session of football with the local people
→ Bicycling/Running (Appreciate bicycling or circling running/bicycle track where you can see the vegetable gardens and organic product trees or you can watch the dusk and appreciate sentimental strolls on the beach.)

January 27, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Kapalai Island, Semporna

Kapalai Island

Kapalai island – The insignificant name summons the picture of completely clear waters and a skimming heaven like no other. From the little port town of Semporna, it is around 45 minutes by velocity watercraft to the lovely Kapalai Island Resort. Semporna can be reached to from Tawau air terminal in 80 minutes drive by minibus.
Kapalai Resort is an extremely delightful resort found specifically on a sandbank. The cabins are based on stilts over the water and are associated with walkways additionally based on stilts. Watching tropical fish swimming underneath your water home is genuinely an uncommon and extraordinary experience. Amid low tide, you can get to the sandbank and appreciate the little shoreline.

The 40 chalets depend on high wooden stilts in the midst of the ocean. Visitors can value the sights of marine life, all things considered, as they stroll along the promenade, an extreme improvement that partners the diverse portions of the floating resort. All chalets are outfitted with fundamental civilities, including tea and coffee making workplaces.

The sundeck, a common top pick, is a staggering spot to take advantage of your novel, wear down a tan or appreciate a night break. The Dive Center gives hopping, snorkeling and kayaking gear for rent. Can’t dive yet would love to? Try not to sweat it! Within offers a collection of PADI courses, including Tremendous Water and Preamble to Night Bouncing. In the wake of capitalizing on your submerged paradise, explore diverse workplaces offered by the resort including the blessing shop, entertainments room, and broadband access.

DIVE PACKAGES with Kapalai Dive Centre

6 days / 5 nights double/twin room	1273.03 USD
6 days / 5 nights single room	1654.94 USD
7 days / 6 nights double/twin room	1517.08
7 days / 6 nights single room	1972.14

INCLUDED:
✔ Convenience as determined
✔ All suppers, water, tea, espresso
✔ Return exchanges Tawau-Semporna-Kapalai
✔ Up to 3 boat dive every day (with the exception of on landing and takeoff days)
✔ 1 day ensured diving at Sipadan (up to 3 dives)
✔ Boundless house reef plunges, night makes the plunge front of Kapalai Dive Center (Only for advance divers), tanks, weights, air fills
✔ Malaysia Government charge

**Additional items payable locally (as of January 2016)

Section License to Sipadan Island (per plunge day) 40.00MYR
Semporna Jetty charge

January 26, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Pulau Sipadan

Pulau Sipadan has won various grants and diving tourism and the island is known as an environment for more than 3000 types of fish and corals that live in the biological community surrounding. Divers can likewise meander limestone hollow situated under the water of the island known as the Turtle Tomb, which holds the bones of turtles.

How to go here?
The guests can go to sipadan island with through Kota Kinabalu or Tawau. Where the guests who touch base in Kota Kinabalu to be going to tawau which takes 8 hours if the transport ride and 45 minutes to the utilization of air ship. Upon landing in tawau, guests ought to make a beeline for the town semporna which is around 1 hour drive back drive four-wheel for a watercraft ride to the island sipadan which just takes around 45 minutes relying upon the velocity vessels conveying guests.

Accomodation

For settlement as well, given the Sipadan Island has been proclaimed a secured zone close to the property is situated in the contiguous islands such as Mabul and Kapalai, which took around 25 min pontoon ride from Sipadan Island.

January 22, 2016 Comments Off Interesting Places

Taman Tun Abdul Razak

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park consists of five islands, namely Pulau Gaya, Manukan, Sapi, Sulug and Mamutik. Due to the proximity of these islands which are closer and a short boat ride from Kota Kinabalu make it a preferred destination for tourists who only visit daily to enjoy the activities available on the island’s marine park. However, there are also a number of resorts and chalet to stay, so tourists can stay for a few days there.

Equipment

It depends on your plan on that day,

let’s say that say that you want to some snorkelling. You need to have a snorkel mask and fins. But if you come there just to enjoy the view you probably need to rent beach mat from Jesselton Point. You won’t face any trouble to find the place to rent those things from the shop nearby.

Don’t worry about the life jacket as you can ask from the agent where you get your ticket.

Below are the rental price for each equipment.

Snorkel Mask – RM10

Fins – RM10

Life Jacket

*Reminder

Prepare a budget for some activities then you may be interested in carrying when traveling on the islands.

Activities Banana Boat, Flyfish, parasailing and jet ski are on all islands. Whereas, Diving & Sea Walking only in Sapi Island and Scuba Doo just in Pulau Manukan

Time to go on a day there is only available 3 times that is 12 noon, 2 pm and 4 pm on the last boat. Can contact them, see the table above. When buying a ticket, then just 6:15 am.

Another activity that can be attempted is Coral Flyer – Island to Island Zipline between Pulau Gaya and Sapi. RM64 ticket which can be purchased at the information booth or Padang Sapi Island Point in Pulau Gaya. Refer to the following website for more information: coralflyer.com

Conservation fees: RM3 per person

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Category: Interesting Places