International Ethnic Wedding Ceremonies

The National Arts,Cultures and Heritage Board and the Sandakan Town Municipal Board will jointly host an International Ethnic Wedding Ceremonies and Feasts on 4 March 2006, at Kg Sungai Tiram, Sandakan. Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman will officiate the open ceremony. The event will showcase the 4 major ethnic groups in Sandakan :

• Suluk
• Orang Sungai
• Tidong
• Kagayan

It is a very good opportunity for all Malaysians to learn more about others' cultures. Foreign tourists are also encouraged to join the festivals. Exhibitions of traditional handicrafts made by native tribes will be organised. Visit the stalls and buy any items which may catch your eyes as souvenirs. And come join in the traditional dances and games, everyone should have a great time!

Danum Valley

Site Category : Valley Sabah tourism promotion efforts are mainly focused on the mountains and the seas, the valleys gets very little promotion exposures. Visitors who pass over tourist attractions in other parts of the world for tourist attarctions in Sabah must not miss out the valleys. Visit the valleys , they are the places which can not be found any where else on earth. They are covered with rainforests which have being in existence long before the Ice Age. Being here you are closest to to Nature! Danum Valley is the more well known one, it is gazetted as a forest reserve by the Sabah State Government. Hence it is untouched by human commercial activities except at the fringe areas. But how long will this last? Nobody can say for sure, beacuase it is learned that there is a huge deposite of valuable mineral ore beneath the ground of the Danum Valley. How long can the government resist the temptations as well as pressures from interested parties is everybody's guess. Therefore, I urge you to visit Danum Valley before it disappears into a vast span of waste land as a result of indicriminate mining activities. To get there : You may fly in to Kota Kinabalu, capital city of Sabah directly or via Kuala Lumpur,Singapore,Hongkong,Manila or Jakatar depending on where you are. Do a search, plan and then make online reservations before you travel,click here From Kota Kinabalu city you have to travel on land for about an hour to Lahad Datu. You may travel by air as an alternative, but the hassle of sticking to the flight schedules, security checks and long wait before check-in and check-out makes it not worth while to do so. Moreover, this portion of the road is in excellent conditions, in fact the journey will be much more comfortable than by travelling in the Folker Friendship aircrafts. From Lahad Datu, take another overland journey on gravel road (grade 1) for 2 1/2 hours to reach Danum Valley. Depending on the tour packages you select, some or all of the following activities will be arranged :

• Walk Through o f the Natural Trail to get the initial exposure to the amazing vast range of varieties of flora and fauna.
• Canopy Walk - Short cut of getting from one hill to another by spanning a hanging bridge across between the two hills. Walking on the canopy you fell as if you are walking on the tree tops of the rainforest.
• Night drive on jeep in search of nocturnal animals. (subject to weather conditions)
• Jungle trekking to reach the ancient burial ground for the Kadazandusun community - "Coffin Cliff" .
• Climb to the "View Point" to have a better view of the jungle.
• Have a refreshing dip in the natural "Jacuzzi Pools"
• Water Tubing in the Danum River
• Trekking along the Segama River
• Guided walk at Segama Trail/Hornbill Trail

To fully enjoy the above listed activities, you are required to stay 3 days and 2 nights at the valley. Comfortable resort-like lodging will be provided.

Tour Operators :

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Borneo Rainforest Lodge
• Borneo Nature Tours

Things to bring :

• Extra clothes,insect repellent,mosquito oilment,trekking shoes,sandal,long sleeves shirts.

Rungus Long House - Kudat

Site Ctegory : Community Kudat is the major town at the north of Borneo island. It was once the capital of British North Borneo (Sabah). It is home to one of the 40+ local ethenic tribes, the Rungus. Unlike villagers in other parts of Malaysia, they build their houses in a straight row one adjacent to another. There is no walls dividing the adjacent houses, they share one common roof and flooring, with one long passage running across the middle from end to end. Each family dwelling inside has a cubicle with walls built from bamboo strips, providing them some sort of privacy. The building is on silt, the floor is about 5 to 6 foot above the ground. The flooring and the walls are made of bamboo, the pillars are of hard wood and the roof is made of drie atap (the dried leaves of a king of thorny palm trees). The dwelling described above is called a rumah pajang meaning "long house". The Rungus are very skillful craftmen. The make the best woven clothes, intricate beadworks and baskets in Sabah. They also make the traditional gong,Sumangkap Gong. Visit them, learn more about their ways of life. On your way to Kudat, which will take about 2 hours, you will pass by another town called Kota Belud. Another group of local natives, the Bajaus, live here. They will bring the products from their lands and handicrafts to a large open space in the town for sales every Sunday. This is the popular Sunday tamu (open-air market). Look for some souvenirs, loca fruit and cakes/cookies try your skill of tawar-menawar (bargaining). The north most part of Borneo island is further north from Kudat. If you have time to spare, proceed to the tip of Borneo and stand facing the South China Sea just for memory. You may stay in local hostel and resorts or return to Kota Kinabalu city the same day. Tour Operators :

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Sabah Sightseeing
• Supreme Visage

Sepilok Orang Utan

Site Category : Wild Life Adventures

Sepilok Forest Reserve is about 30-minutes drive from Sandakan Airport. This is primarily a lowland forest, a fine showcase of Borneo's remaining rainforest. There are a number of nature trails here, you may select one to experience a walk in the Borneoan rainforest. See the diversity of plants,obeserve the 30 - 50 meters tall dipterocarp trees,more than 100 years old liana, the wild flowers and fascinating insects. Sepilok has recorded more than 250 species of birds, so a very good chance of sighting the macaques, leaf monkeys and other mammals. This forest reserve is a source of seed material for the enrichment of other forested areas and remains a living gene bank of resources.

The main attraction of Sepilok is, of course, the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. Orang Utan is the local name for a species of human-like apes found only in Borneo Island. Orphaned or injured Orang Utans are brought to Sepilok to be rehabilitated to return to forest life.
They usually hide on trees bearby, only to emerge during feeding hours. You may observe them from a platform built for this purpose. Do not try to feed them unless you are under the supervision of the warden. These Orang Utans are still wild animals basically, so cautions have to be exercised.

Things to bring :
Insect repellent,raingear,torchlight,good walking shoes and extra clothing.
Tourist Information:

Admission	Adult	Under-18
	RM5(Malaysian) RM30(Foreign)	RM2(Malaysian) RM10(Foreign)
Camera or Video Recorder	Personal	Professional or Commercial
	RM10	RM1000
Time to Note	Feeding Hours	Video Show
	10am & 3pm	10.30am to 3.30pm
Prohibited	Jewelry	Clothes
	Shiny Items	Bright coloured

Tour Operators :

Summer Cruise Holiday
Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
Supreme Visage