Tawau Tourism

Danum Valley is about 70 kilometres (44 miles) west of Lahad Datu, Sabah's fourth largest town. It comprises 43,800 ha of virgin forest. It is a vast reserve of lush tropical lowland forest rich in Sabah’s unique flora and fauna. The area has been recognised as one of the world's most complex ecosystems.
The Danum Valley provides visitors with ecological experience into the wilds and wonders of ancient tropical forests. The hot and humid jungle teems with a variety of towering tropical trees, lingering lianas, exotic orchids and overhanging epiphytes.
Danum Valley lies within the upper reaches of Sabah's second largest river, the Segama and its tributaries. Danum Valley is generally hilly but not mountainous. Its highest point is Mount Danum, of 1093 meters (3585 feet) in height.
There are few places on earth that can provide such an awe-inspiring spectacle of nature in its original, pristine state.

The fastest way to get to Danum from Kuala Lumpur is to take one of the daily KLIA flights directly into Tawau with Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia.
From there you have to go to Lahad Datu by bus or taxi, some 120 kilometres (72 miles) from the airport.
From Lahad Datu, head out towards Gunung Silam and follow signs to Danum Valley.
All visitors must get their entry permit from the sales office in Lahad Datu. If you drive your own vehicle, you must also first obtain a gate pass from the Lahad Datu office. The pass must be produced at the checkpoint at 5.5 km on the Main Line West Logging road. Follow this road to major junction at km 56.5 where there is a sign-posted left turn to the Field Centre 10 km onwards.

Tembaling Waterfalls
It takes one to two hours along a scenic trail alive with flora and fauna to reach the waterfalls.

Sungai Purut 7-tiered pools
One of the most spectacular waterfall and pools found in Danum Valley Conservation Area is Sungai Purut Waterfall situated on the way to Gunung Danum. This waterfall is about 20 m in height with 7-tiered pools. It takes about 4 hours of jungle trekking from the Field Centre to reach the pool.

Madai Caves
This is where the local natives, the Idahans, have been harvesting birds' nests, a Chinese delicacy, for 21 generations. Gunung Danum or Mt. Danum is the highest peak in Danum Valley Conservation Area at 1093m.

Burial Caves
Burial caves have a special place in the myths and legends of the Orang Sungai in Borneo.

Other Interesting Places
Other interesting places are the nearby Rafflesia Hill where Rafflesias are found, Rhino Pool where the elusive Sumatran rhinoceros was once sighted, and Gunung Nicola, another peak within the area.

Trails
There are over 50km of marked trails for visitors, including a self guided Nature Trail.

Take note: for the safely of all visitors, you are request to trek or jungle walk accompanied by a guide.

Mammels:
Sumatran rhino, Asian elephant, Orang utan, Western tarsier, Flying lemur, Leopard cat, Yellow barking deer, Mouse deer, Sambar deer, Bearded pig, Malay civet, Long-tailed macaque, Slow loris, Clouded leopard, Giant flying squirrel, Malayan sun bear, Smooth otter, Proboscis monkey.

Birds:
Rhinoceros hornbill, Bay owl, Bill fletcher, Crested fireback pheasant, Great argus pheasant, Black-backed kingfisher, Lesser green leafbird, Bornean flycatcher, Crimson sunbird, Asian fairy bluebird, Buffy-fish owl, Helmeted & wreathed hornbill Bushy-crested & pied hornbill.

Flora and Fauna

The flora - 'the secrets behind the lush green forest cover'

Maliau Basin Conservation Area encompasses a diverse assemblage of forest types, comprising mainly of lower montane forest, rare montane heath forest and lowland and hill dipterocarp forest. Dominated by majestic Agathis trees, the lower montane forest, which also contains oaks, laurels and conifers such as Dacrydium species, grades into mossy cloud forest on the northern rim.

A distinctive feature of the lower montane forest are the many Dipteris ferns, lining the river banks. The water here is tea-coloured and acidic, due to the tannins leaching out of the peaty leaf litter.

The stunted montane heath forest occurs on flatter areas of the Basin on nutrient poor, acidic soils. Ant plants, rhododendrons and pitcher plants are common. Dipterocarp forest is found mostly on the Basin’s outer flanks and in the interior valley bottoms, and is rich in fruit trees.

Over 1800 species of plant have so far been identified, including six species of pitcher plant and at least 80 kinds of orchid, several of which are new records for Sabah. The rare Rafflesia tengku-adlinii has also been found in Maliau Basin, one of only two known localities in Sabah, the other being near Trus

Dipterocarp forest is found mostly on the Basin’s outer flanks and in the interior valley bottoms, and is rich in fruit trees.


Over 1800 species of plant have so far been identified, including six species of pitcher plant and at least 80 kinds of orchid, several of which are new records for Sabah. The rare Rafflesia tengku-adlinii has also been found in Maliau Basin, one of only two known localities in Sabah, the other being near Trus Madi.

New plant records for Sabah include:

• Dacrydium elatum (a Podocarpus tree)
• Mangifera bullata (a Mango tree and a new record for Borneo)
• Rafflesia tengku-adlinii (one of only two known localities in Sabah)
• Nephelaphyllum trapoides (orchid)
• Bulbophyllum limbatum (orchid)
• Nepenthes veitchii x stenophylla (pitcher plant hybrid)
• Nepenthes hirsuta (pitcher plant)

and at least two species new to science, a tree, Polyosmo maliauensis and a moss, Trismegistia maliauensis.

The fauna - 'wildlife in the virgin forest'

Although much of the terrain remains to be explored, Maliau Basin Conservation Area has already revealed itself to be the home of some of Sabah’s most rare and endangered species, including the Asian Elephant, Orang Utan and Proboscis Monkey.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area is indeed important and worth saving.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area....

• is one of the few remaining areas virtually untouched by man – not just in Sabah and Malaysia, but in the whole world!
• contains unusual forest types and a high botanical diversity.
• is a refuge for rare and endangered animals such as Sumatran Rhino, Orang utan, Banteng, Proboscis Monkey and Bornean pygmy elephant.
• boasts extraordinary geomorphological features including an exceptionally high number of waterfalls – probably the highest number of any area in Malaysia.
• is the catchment of one of the headwaters of Sabah’s largest and most important rivers – the Kinabatangan.
• offers unique opportunities for research, education and wilderness recreation and eco-tourism.

The 390 km² (39,000 hectares) Maliau Basin was originally part of a 10,000 km² (one million hectares) timber concession belonging to Yayasan Sabah, an organization formed in 1966 through an Enactment by the State Legislative Assembly, with the objective of improving the standard of living and education of Malaysians in Sabah. In 1981 Yayasan Sabah voluntarily designated Maliau Basin as a Conservation Area for the purposes of research, education and training, along with Danum Valley Conservation Area further to the east.

In 1997 the Maliau Basin Conservation Area was upgraded by the Sabah state government to a Protection (Class One) Forest Reserve and extended to its present size of 588.4 km² (58,840 hectares).

According to the Sabah Forest Enactment, an area under this forest classification cannot be granted timber concession rights. With the publication of the Government Gazette, The Maliau Basin Conservation Area Forest Rules (1998), the legal status and modus operandi of the area were established.

Day to day management of Maliau Basin Conservation Area is carried out by Yayasan Sabah, on behalf of an inter-agency Maliau Basin Management Committee comprising:

• Yayasan Sabah (Chairman) & (Secretariat)
• Sabah Forestry Department
• Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment
• Universiti Malaysia Sabah
• Sabah Wildlife Department
• Sabah Parks
• Sabah Museum
• National University of Malaysia
• Universiti Putra Malaysia
• Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
• Department of Environment Conservation
• Danum Valley Management Committee
• Department of Town and Regional Planning
• World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia
• Academy of Science Malaysia
• Tawau Municipal Council
• District Office Tongod
• District Office Keningau
• District Office Nabawan

The Maliau Basin Management Committee was established in April 1998 with the responsibility to advise the state government on policy in regard to all aspects of management of the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, according to the rules in the gazetted Order. The current Chairman (2004-2008) of the committee is Tan Sri Datu Khalil bin Datu Hj. Jamalul, J.P., who is also the Director of Yayasan Sabah, while Dr Waidi Sinun also from Yayasan Sabah is currently the Secretary.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area is also gazetted under the state Cultural Heritage (Conservation) Enactment 1997, which affords provisions for the preservation, conservation and enhancement of the cultural heritage of Sabah.

In 1999, a four-year project was initiated by Yayasan Sabah in collaboration with DANCED / DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance) to prepare a management plan for the area and to establish a new facility, the Maliau Basin Studies Centre, at the southeast edge of the Basin, for conservation, research, education and ecotourism purposes.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area Management Project 1999 – 2003

The “Management of Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia” project was agreed upon as a Malaysian-Danish Government to Government cooperation project in the field of environment in October 1998. The development objective of the project was to secure the conservation of Maliau Basin for the benefit of Sabah, Malaysia and the international community.

Danish input provided through DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance) was further defined and a Danish consultant was selected to be responsible for the actual provision of the DANCED inputs. These inputs and the related conditions were settled in a contract signed October 1999 between DANCED and the consultant, Ornis Consult Ltd. and NEPCon Joint Venture, while Malaysian input was through Yayasan Sabah, on behalf of the Maliau Basin Management Committee.

A Project Steering Committee (PSC) was established to monitor the progress of the project, and to approve all major changes to project implementation. The PSC was thus responsible for the formal overseeing of the project by the Malaysian Government and DANIDA.

Members of the PSC comprised:
• Secretary of the Natural Resource Office of the Chief Minister’s Department, Sabah (Chairman)
• Director, Sabah Forestry Department
• Director, Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation)
• Director, Sabah Economic Planning Unit, Chief Minister’s Department, Sabah
• Representative from Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment
• Principle Assistant Director, Federal Economic Planning Unit
• Environment Counselor, Royal Danish Embassy Malaysia

A Project Management Group, consisting of the Project Director, Dr Waidi Sinun, of Yayasan Sabah, Research & Development Division, and Chief Technical Adviser, Mr Hans Skotte Moeller, Orinis Consult/NEPCon, supervised a project team comprising both local and international staff.

The four-year project ran officially from October 1st 1999 to September 30, 2003 and the objectives included:
• Establishment of a functional management structure for the Maliau Basin Conservation Area;
• The development of field facilities for research and other activities;
• The production of a comprehensive 10-year Management Plan;
• Enhanced capacity among staff of Yayasan Sabah and other stake holder agencies;
• Raised awareness about the needs for long-term conservation among Sabahans and Malaysians at large; and eventually,
• The successful implementation and institutionalization of the Management Plan.

Remotely sensed data captured by the Landsat Satellite (image size approximately 36km x 36km).

Yellow outside Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA) representing disturbed vegetation, while light (fresh) green inside MBCA refers to closed-canopy dipterocarp forest cover.
Reddish blue indicates heath forest.

dark green on the south-eastern side represents reduced impact logging (RIL) forest.
Logging roads are visible as turquoise lines and dark blue lines for Maliau River and its tributaries.

The 588.4 km² (58,840 hectares) Maliau Basin Conservation Area encompasses the whole of Maliau Basin itself (390 km²), plus an additional 198.4 km² of forested land to the east and north of the rim, including the fabled Lake Linumunsut, formed by a landslide blocking a small tributary of the Pinangah River.

While this entire region is rugged, the saucer-shaped Maliau Basin is distinguished by its almost circular perimeter, sharply delimited on all sides by cliffs or very steep slopes, making it insurmountable on foot from most directions. The highest point is on the north rim, at over 1,675 m in elevation, but has yet to be accurately surveyed. Resembling a volcanic caldera, the 25 km diameter Basin is in fact a sedimentary formation comprised mainly of gently inclined beds of sandstone and mudstone.

The Basin represents a single catchment, and is drained by a set of radiating tributaries of the Maliau River, one of which descends a magnificent series of waterfalls, known as Maliau Falls. Numerous smaller waterfalls have also been discovered throughout the Basin. The Maliau River then drains through a gorge out of the southeast of the Basin into the Kuamut River, which in turn feeds into the Kinabatangan, the longest river in Sabah.

In Sabah lies one of Malaysia's finest remaining wilderness areas, the mystical Maliau Basin. Bounded by a formidable escarpment reaching over 1,675 m a.s.l.., the almost circular Basin encompasses 390 km2 of pristine forest, a virtually self-contained ecosystem, never permanently inhabited and with large areas still remaining to be explored and documented. Remarkably, the whole basin is a single huge water catchments, drained by one river only, the Maliau River, which flows through a gorge in the southeast of the Basin, joining the Kuamut River and eventually the Kinabatangan River.

Maliau Basin conservation area is not commonly know by all Malaysian people. If you like nature and trekking in the jungle, Maliau Basin, can provide you a nice place and nice experience in the jungle. The scenery of maliau falls is very beautiful and nature. Here you will have a chance to see a sun bear, banting, deer and others.

The Maliau Basin is one of the most spectacular and pristine natural features in Malaysia. The Basin is almost unvisited and completely uninhabited by man. It is located in south-central Sabah, about 40 km. 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 25 km. The highest point is Mt. Lotung, on the north rim which is about 1,900 m 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.

Day 1
1.00pm - Arrival of visitor at Shell Maliau Basin Reception and
Information Building ( SMBRIB ).
- Registration and refreshment.
2.00pm -Proceed to Maliau Basin Studies Centre. Wildlife observation along the road.
3.00pm - Expected to arrive at studies centre.
4.00pm - Facilities visit around Studies Centre ( 30 minutes4.30pm - Visit Belian Camp, experience an exciting suspension Maliau Skybridge lead by ranger
5.00pm - Return to Studies Centre
8.30pm - Video show at viewing room ( AV Lounge ) after dinner.
( 40 minutes )
9.30pm - Optional :Night Walk or Night Drive ( 2 hours )
to search for wildlife.

Day 2
6.00am - Early morning bird watching
7.00am - Return to Studies Centre
8.00am - Trek to Confluence Trail ( 2km ) or Interpretation
11.00am - Return to Studies Centre. Lunch
2.00pm - Depart. Quick stop at Maliau Rim Observation Tower