Foto: Pulau Tiga (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Malaysia - The island Pulau Tiga is a National Park. Hiking trails have also been laid out through the tropical rainforest in this park. The first animals I see are already at breakfast. Near the restaurant, several Tropical Pied hornbills fly by. They settle in the trees near the restaurant. We start the walk around the island heading north. The entire trail follows the coastline. The path is easy to walk on. There is no mud on the path. Judging by the tracks, this can sometimes be different. Occasionally, we have to pass fallen trees. Some trees are so large that we can’t climb over them. We find a new route back to the trail through the bushes. In the treetops, the macaque monkeys watch our actions attentively. When we try to approach them, suddenly a large animal darts away just in front of our feet. It turns out to be a monitor lizard that had been resting. Such a sudden movement is quite a shock. Especially since snakes can also be found here. I notice that many shells are moving on the path. The hermit crabs drop their shells over themselves as we approach. A funny sight. Some crabs are simply too big for their shells. They can no longer hide under them and will have to search for a new shell. One crab has chosen a blue plastic ball as its home. It’s a bizarre sight to see a blue cap walking through the forest. At Rocket Beach, we take a break. This northern beach on Pulau Tiga mainly consists of stones and rocks. Near the beach, there should be a mud volcano. We find fallen signposts but cannot find the mud volcano itself. We round the northern tip. The path goes steadily uphill. It’s not a very steep climb, as the island of Pulau Tiga is at most about fifty meters high. When we descend on the other side, we arrive at Golden Beach. A beautiful white sandy beach. I take off my shoes and walk through the water. In the distance, I see Snake Island again.
Bako National Park
Malaysia - As we walk over the wooden walkway through the mangroves, there is now water beneath us. It is high tide. I hadn’t realized this yesterday when the monkeys were playing on the beach here. After a steep climb of a little over a hundred meters in elevation, ...
Deer cave Mulu National Park
Malaysia - In the afternoon, we visit the caves of the National Park. The caves are located in the 2,376-meter-high Gunung Mulu mountain. The limestone caves of Mulu are among the largest and most beautiful caves in the world. Christopher guides us to the caves ...
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. The city has nearly two million inhabitants and is characterized by a great diversity of urban architecture; from old colonial buildings, Chinatown, and Little India to the modern and especially tall buildings ...
Mount Kinabalu
Malaysia - When I come out of the shower, I see the New Year live on the BBC from London. Like any other day, we drive to the entrance of Mount Kinabalu National Park, about ten kilometers away. In the park, you can take beautiful walks along marked trails. You ...
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Malaysia - In Malaysia, there are three rehabilitation reserves for orangutans. Apes that have lived in captivity are here taught again how to take care of themselves in the wild. The orangutans are fed twice daily. This is a great opportunity to see these impressive ...