T R A V E L S
T R A V E L S
Back to Nature in Brunei
From Big Oil to Ecotourism
"I smell a lizard," the guide announces from the bow of the boat, and he's right. Moments later, there's a resounding splash between the mangrove roots, followed by the form of a giant water monitor, swimming away fast.
That's when you realise this is no typical holiday, and that Brunei Darussalam is hardly your usual vacation spot. We're here, barely a kilometre downstream from the capital city, looking for one of the rarest primates in the world - the pot-bellied, big-nosed Proboscis monkey. We find it, too. Several families of them, in fact, swinging through the trees in a tan-coloured blur, where they've been dining on soft mangrove shoots.
This is Brunei, but perhaps not the Brunei you usually imagine: With its bulging oil reserves, golden-domed mosque, and the legendary largesse of its wealthy Sultan. This is a Brunei of stretching primeval forests, labyrinthine mangrove swamps, and bone-white coral sands.
Bandar Seri Bagawan, Brunei’s capital, the way it’s more often imagined.
It's the very wealth bequeathed by those vast oil reserves that has allowed Brunei's landscape to remain so pristine, escaping the logging and habitat destruction that has whittled away so much of neighbouring Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan. In this small country, wedged as it is between two Malaysian states, some 70 per cent of its primary rainforests remain - home to species as diverse as clouded leopards, sunbears, barking deer and the elusive Borneo gibbon.
What's more, there's a strong movement to keep things that way, and to develop an infrastructure of research and conservation that ensures this biodiversity for generations to come.
Not surprisingly, the country is now positioning itself as a prime ecotourism destination for the 21st century. Companies like Intrepid Tours (www.bruneibay.net) or Harraz Leisure and Nature Tours bring you face to face with wild Borneo. It's the perfect way to get back to nature, or to give your children an educational holiday that's distinctly off the beaten path.
The City
Any visit to Brunei begins in the capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan, which has enough family-friendly offerings to easily engage for a day or two. Museums showcase traditional Malay handicrafts, Islamic culture, and the petroleum industry. The golden-domed mosque makes a startling sight, whether reflected in its private lagoon or contrasted against the rustic shoreline stilt-homes.
There's even a sprawling, virtually free amusement park, Jedurong, built by the Sultan, though much of it seems to be shuttered now. Most interesting of all is Kampung Ayer, the "water village" lying just offshore in the middle of the river. It's the largest of its kind in Asia, and is worth exploring for the modest fare of a water taxi.
The Mangroves
This same stretch of Brunei river also serves as your gateway to the mangrove ecosystem, whether it's nature-watching downstream or taking one of the narrow "coffin boats" up to the National Park.
Anyone familiar with Singapore's own Sungei Buloh would know species like the mudskipper or monitor lizard - but not the more dramatic saltwater crocodiles or proboscis monkeys. And there's nothing like watching a stream of flying foxes suspended against the rising moon to make for a true Halloween moment any time of the year.
The Rainforest
To wander into the depths of the Borneo rainforest is easily the biggest thrill of all. Ulu Temburong National Park offers forest boardwalks, rugged terrain and canopy walks that take you into the upper reaches of the trees. On my journey, we participated in trapping bats, measuring scorpions and cataloguing rainforest fish from the quiet streams. Hearing the ululations of a Borneo gibbon and catching sight of a 4.6m-long cobra were just some of the adventures on tap.
Spotting Borneo Gibbons in the rainforest canopy. Catching fish in a rainforest stream.
If you really want to experience the rainforest, opt for one of the overnight stays. There's nothing quite like having only the wall of a tent between you and the night-time chorus of the jungle.
You may not become expert enough to smell a lizard, but you'll certainly come away with a deeper appreciation of nature.
This article article is currently available in TODAY.
by Mark Malby
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Looking for Proboscis monkeys along the Brunei River - photograph Mark Malby