A HELICOPTER TRIP TO THE MALIAU BASIN

The mysterious beauties of Sabah entice Cynthia to visit the Maliau Basin, and its untouched wilderness. 

       A helicopter trip was always one of my wishes and when my husband phoned to tell me that we had been offered one to go to the Maliau Basin, one of Sabah’s most exciting and mysteriously beautiful protected areas, I was so excited I could hardly wait.

      Often dubbed “The Lost World”, Maliau is a superb wilderness area enclosed in a mountainous rim. To describe Maliau, you can only use superlatives. Maliau’s spectacular crater-like form, imposing mountainous rim, wild rivers, splendid waterfalls, cool highland plateau and magnificent rainforests rank among the world’s most wonderful scenery.  Historically, the basin has always been uninhabited and is in pristine condition. This highland basin, and its surrounding buffer zone, is clothed in an uninterrupted range of forest types, from lowland to montane. Very rare, perhaps even unique, plant communities occur in Maliau’s mountainous forests. These plant communities are of exceptional interest for those with a passion for orchids. The forests have a tremendous variety of wildlife, including several firsts for Sabah.

      Spectacular highlights include rare sightings of clouded leopard and Bulwer’s pheasant, as well as footprints and dung of the Sumatran rhinoceros. Other, more common, but nonetheless amazing sightings include all eight Bornean hornbills, all eight Bornean barbets and the Bornean bristlehead. Impressive large mammals, such as Asian elephants and banteng (a type of wild cattle), are often sighted within the buffer zone surrounding the basin.  

       We left our hotel at 7.30 a.m. and met our pilot, Captain Harold.  Hans wanted to take a series of aerial photographs so he needed to discuss the route.

       The weather was perfect (no rain and not too sunny) and at 9 o’clock we were in the helicopter.

      Our first highlight was Mount Kinabalu in the distance and the Crocker Range in the foreground. Then we crossed the Trus Madi Range and finally we reached the western rim of the basin.

      This was really cool; you could almost touch the trees as we flew through narrow gullies, and then soared above the treetops.

      When we got to Lake Linumunsut we took a lot of pictures. I saw a group of hornbills flying below us.

      The Maliau Falls were spectacular and this is one of the important places that have made the Maliau Basin famous. The Maliau Falls consist of a series of seven waterfalls and from the sky you could see all of them clearly. It was a pity that we didn’t have enough fuel to see the Camel Trophy Camp but at least you could see the edge of the southern plateau. Here several waterfalls drop over the escarpment clothed in untouched forest.

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      Our way back was via the Padas River and it was a pity that nobody was rafting the wild water. I saw the railway to Tenom and suddenly there was a woman waving to me from the ground and I waved back. We passed Pulau Tiga and Snake Island and came close to Kota Kinabalu where we had to wait before landing.

      What I would like to do next?  Perhaps a parachute jump or a trip in a hot air balloon.

      What that will take place? I really don’t know, but I will keep you informed.