Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Lost World of Maliau Basin

The Maliau Basin is one of the most spectacular and pristine natural features in Malaysia, and indeed, Southeast Asia."

The Maliau Basin is one of the most spectacular and pristine natural features in Malaysia, and indeed, Southeast Asia. The Maliau Basin is almost unvisited and completely uninhabited by man. It is located in south-central Sabah, about 40km north of the Indonesian border
at between 116° 40' - 117° 2' and 4° 40' 4° 50' N.
While all of this region is rugged, remote and forested, the Maliau Basin is distinguished by its steep slope up to 1,500m in height, making it insurmountable on foot from most directions. The size of the enclosed Basin is 390 sq. km with a maximum diameter of 25km. The highest point is Mt. Lotung, on the north rim which is about 1,900m elevation. It is drained by a set of radiating tributaries of the Maliau River, one of which descends a series of waterfalls, known as the Maliau Falls.
The river drains through a gorge into the Kuamut River which in turn feeds into the Kinabatangan River, the longest river in Sabah. The basin is a faunal haven for lowland animals such as wild pigs, barking deer, proboscis monkey, clouded leopard, pythons and many species of birds including the rare Bulwer's Pheasant, the Crimson headed Partridge and the Peregine Falcon have been sighted here.
Since 1970, the area has formed part of a large timber concession assigned to Yayasan Sabah. Since 1981, however, the Maliau Basin and another large area, the Danum Valley, have been designated Conservation Areas within the Foundation's long-term Forest Management Plan, to remain unlogged for purposes of wildlife conservation, education and research.

From - Virtual Malaysia

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Rafting, Swimming with Bamboo and Walking on the bamboo stilt




















Running or Manangkus


Kiulu 4M Bamboo Rafting Challenge 2007


Kiulu 4M Bamboo Rafting Challenge on 02 December 2007.

Venue: Pulou Kelapa, (Malangang, Kiulu)
Time: 7.30 a.m

Introduction - Kiulu 4M Challenge (1998-2006)

Kiulu is located about 60 km from Kota Kinabalu and is the venue for this traditional sporting challenge. The Kiulu 4M Challenge consists of four traditional sports. The ‘M' in 4M stands for the four Kadazandusun sports comprising of managkus (running 6 km), mamangkar (bamboo rafting for 5 km), manampatau (swimming with bamboo for 1.3 lm) and mamarampanau (walking with bamboo stilts for 0.2 km). All four are indigenous, adventurous and thrilling events that will test your physical and mental skills.

Besides being a sport event, the K4MC is also a noble endeavor to protect and preserve nature, in particular the Kiulu River. Among the objectives of the challenge are to promote traditional sports as an eco-tourism product of Kiulu to create opportunities for active local participation in the tourism industry and instill environmental awareness among the community.

Organizer of the one-day event have also introduced a new category called X-treme 4KMC for men above 21 years old only which involves running and bamboo rafting over a distance of 13 km.

This information is available at http://www.sabahtourism.com/culture.php?ID=21
 

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