Kino

Mount Kinabalu is nothing short of amazing. It is the highest peak east of the Himalayas. It has a staggering half of the world’s species of plant life. Not surprisingly, it has become a magnet for researchers, nature and animal lovers.

Conquering the majestic mountain, which stands at over 4000 metres high, is no mean feat and climbers have been known to prepare vigorously and meticulously for their climb many months in advance.

Mount Kinabalu has something for everyone. Those who are less brave can journey into the thick forests to experience a thrilling canopy walk. The area will be covered in thick mist and temperatures drop sharply, meaning that this activity is also quite exciting.

Locals in this area affectionately call their homeland the ‘land below the wind’. Sabah is protected from typhoons that devastate other parts of the region.

Sabah is rich in agriculture. Borneo’s northern most state is home to more than 30 indigenous fiercely traditional tribes. A two-hour trip to Kudat from the city of Kota Kinabalu is an eye-opener to the lifestyle of the natives.

Kudat is the customary residence of most natives in Sabah, home to many longhouses. These bamboo houses can hold 10 families or more and are built simply with a long communal walkway, flanked by rooms on one side and a utility area on the other.

Life is simple for the mostly farming communities who plant corn and other crops for a living. Children are content to play with discarded oil barrels, which they fill with water and turn into swimming pools, and are eager to smile for the tourists' cameras and willing to chat with anyone without fear.

Two million hectares of natural forests house Sabah’s precious and dwindling wildlife, which the Malaysian government is trying hard to protect. Conservation efforts are strengthening and gaining momentum with the support of international organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund.

One such project is the Orangutan Conservation Centre at Sepilok in Sandakan. Here, baby orangutans that have been orphaned and abandoned are given a second chance at life.

Park rangers make regular trips to the jungles whenever local residents alert them to a new discovery. These babies are then brought back to the centre and rehabilitated to be released back into the wild when they are ready, a timeframe that spans from 5 to 8 years.

With help and funding from an organisation in the U.K., the project has been largely successful, evident from the growing numbers that have been released into the wild only to return to the centre a few years later, all grown up and healthy.

At the centre, visitors get a close-up look at these lovely auburn-haired creatures at one of the feeding stations within the forest. Everyday like clockwork at 10 am and 3 pm, the orangutans descend on a small wooden platform where they are fed milk and bananas, their staple diet.

The best time to visit the sanctuary is during the beginning or the end of the year, when the colder weather means a leaner harvest from the forest and up to 12 orangutans can be sighted at one sitting, hungry for an easy meal. Visitors are only too happy to oblige them with a banana or two.

Accustomed to humans observing them, the orangutans are not in the least bit apprehensive about ‘posing’ in mid-swing for flash cameras and are quite happy to hang around basking in all the attention.