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ABOUT MALAYSIA
COLOURFUL AND
EXOTIC, MALAYSIA STRETCHES FROM
THE PENINSULA TO THE ISLAND OF BORNEO -
a
wealth of choice!
The flamboyance of Malaysia is breathtaking.
The exotic tropics are wonderfully reflected in this colourful land.
"I
would advise anyone and everyone to go to Borneo, Malaysia!"
Elena Cook
Split
between the Peninsula and the island of Borneo, Malaysia offers a wealth
of choice and is an ideal starting point for a trip to South East Asia.
From the gleaming sky scrapers of Kuala Lumpur to the rainforests and
wildlife of Sabah and Sarawak - there is so much to see and do!
All of our
projects are
based in Sabah, located in the north east of Malaysian Borneo and
surrounded by both the South China and Sulu Sea. Sabah itself is home to lush tropical rainforests,
wonderful sandy beaches, the breathtaking Mount Kinabalu, and
a
biodiversity of Marine and Wildlife like no other. This includes Borneo’s
Native and most famous resident – the Orang-Utan! Sabah is one of the last
places on earth that you can see these remarkable creatures in their
natural habitat.
Whilst the
majority of tourists visit peninsular Malaysia, a trip to Malaysian Borneo
will be an unforgettable experience and free from some of the hassles that
can be encountered in other parts of Asia. Travelling around is easy and
cheap and locals are helpful and friendly. Sabah has a laid back charm and
elegant beauty that will make any stay in this remarkable country truly
worthwhile.
Across the
whole of Sabah, Filipinos, along with various ethnic groups and
indigenous tribes (For example, Chinese, Bajau, Kadazan, Dusun and Murut)
account for over half of the population. Malaysia is “Truly Asia” - a real
multicultural society. The official language in Malaysia is Bahasa Malay,
but due to the fusion of religious and ethnic groups found in Malaysia
English is widely spoken. This is a
country where the sun shines, the sea is crystal clear and there are
endless coconut, banana and palm trees!
"I honestly cannot
praise this placement enough so anything else I can do for you, please
just yell. Thank you so much for letting me do this, I have loved
every second of it." Katie Walley
THINGS YOU CAN DO:
There is excellent diving and snorkelling on a number of
islands surrounding Sabah. The Semporna Islands Marine park, located
towards the south of the island, is one of the best. Here you will find
Sipadan Island, the most famous within the park and classified as one of
the worlds top dive sites. Sipadan is an oceanic island shaped like a
mushroom - it was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct
undersea volcano. Due to its geographic position it is at the centre of
one of the richest marine environments in the world - both the diving
and snorkelling here are outstanding!
Rebecca Decant told us about her experiences of some of the excursions
that took part during her placement. "Sipadan
(diving/snorkeling) - We all stayed on an island near Sipadan island
called Mabul. We had a practice scuba dive the day we arrived to get us
used to the equipment. In the evening we walked around the small island
and met lots of local children who obviously hadn't seen many
foreigners. Early the next morning we took a boat to Sipadan where some
people snorkeled off the beach, which was quite small but the reef was
huge! I scuba-dived for the first time and it was the best thing I have
ever done I think (except work with Orang-Utans obviously!). The
teachers were really good and helped us when we struggled to get the
breathing right. We got about 45mins underwater and saw the beautiful
reef, turtles, millions of fish and some white-tip sharks. The rest of
the day was spent relaxing on the beach and snorkeling. You could see
the same snorkeling as you could diving, but the experience of diving
was well worth the few extra pounds!" The Turtle Islands National Park is another must-see trip during your
stay in Sabah. The turtle islands national park is a protected marine
reserve reachable by boat from Sandakan harbour. Here you can watch up
close as turtles come ashore to lay their eggs virtually every night of
the year. There is an excellent visitor information centre and tourists
even get the opportunity to release baby hatchlings into the sea. The
main island with accommodation is Selingan - it is here that you will
find the endangered Green and Hawksbill turtles (some measuring one
metre in length or more!) coming to lay their eggs.
"Turtle Island - When we arrived at the
Island it was so beautiful, clear sand and turquoise water.
Accommodation was in little huts right by the beach. We had the whole
afternoon when we got there to relax on the beach and snorkel in the
sea. In the evening we had to wait till 3am to see a turtle come up onto
the beach but it was worth it. We also got to see the releasing of some
baby turtle into the sea. It was a really good experience and the island
was just perfect."
And of course, the famous Sepilok Orang-Utan centre. Situated within an
outstanding forest reserve near Sandakan, this centre has been set up
with the aim of rehabilitating orphaned and rescued Orang-Utans to get
them back out into the wild. Tourists visiting the centre get a rare
opportunity to see these shy apes in their natural environment.
As a tourist you will walk along a short forest trail taking you to the
Orang-Utan feeding platform. Here, rangers take supplies of Banana and
Sugar cane to feed those Orang-Utan who need a "free meal" - so stand
back and be amazed at their fascinating and incredibly human behaviour!
Funds raised through entrance fees at the centre go directly to the
rehabilitation programme.
Mount Kinabalu is South East Asia's tallest mountain at an impressive
4,095.2 metres high! The mountain is often shrouded in mist and has long
been thought of as spiritual - the Kadazans/Dusuns indigenous tribe
refer to it as "the home of ancestral spirits". Although you don't need
any climbing experience to get to the top of the mountain, the climb is
pretty tough and you need to be able to cope with the possibility of
altitude sickness. If you do make it to the top, sunrise is an awesome
experience! "Climbing Mount Kinabalu - We
were all pretty apprehensive about this trip because none of us knew if
we were actually going to be able to make it to the summit. The first
day we climbed about 6km to the base camp, which was very hard
especially because it was raining most of the way up. Having a group of
people around you made it easier and we all gave each other lots of
encouragement. Our guides also helped us up, they didn't speak much
English but were so nice, especially to those of us who complained a
lot! We stayed in cold dorms that night but had to get up at 3am so it
didn't really matter. Climbed to the summit in the dark, cold, wet
conditions... was possibly the worst walk ever and so hard but the
feeling when we got to the top (well I got 100meters from the summit)
was amazing and the view was spectacular. My advice to anyone going to
do this trip is take lots of warm clothing!! Unfortunately I didn't get
a view from the top because my hands were too cold to get my camera out
but I got one on the way down to base camp. The walk up to the summit is
about 2.5km and feels very quick when you walk back down for a nice cup
of tea and buffet breakfast at base camp. We then walked down to the
bottom and were taken to some hot springs to ease the aches and sprains
from the climb."
Sukau and the region of the Lower Kinabatangan River is unrivalled in
terms of wildlife. It stretches for 560 km and is estimated to have the
highest concentration of wildlife in all of Malaysia. Taking a river
cruise gives you the opportunity to see a variety of animals in their
natural environment; birds, reptiles and monkeys of which the most
unusual is the proboscis monkey - famous for its long nose and round
belly, the proboscis monkey is sociable and active, which means that you
are sure to see many of them swinging through the trees along the river
bank. If you are lucky, you many even see wild boar crossing the river.
This unique environment is a fascinating place to visit.
"I thought the way trips
were organised for us and we didn't have to organise anything on them we
just had to pay for them worked really well. We looked forward to our
days off but then looked forward to going back to work afterwards just
as much. I took part in all the optional trips too and they really made
the project so good!!
Click for MAP
CLIMATE
and CURRENCY:
Malaysia’s position in the tropics means that it is both
hot and humid all year round. There is no bad time to visit – the monsoon
season is between October and January but heavy rain can prove to be a
welcome relief! The rest of the year sees endless days of sunshine with
temperatures averaging 28 – 30 Degrees Celsius. Currency: Malaysian
Ringgit. The cost of
living is generally cheap, for example: A bottle of water costs 20p for
one litre, a good meal at a local restaurant costs approximately £2, and
dormitory rooms can cost as little as £4 per night. |
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+44 01903 502595
