Sipadan Island

Sipadan is a word that everyone should hear at least once, it is one of the most desired destinations by tourists from all over the world, it has the most beautiful coral reef that have been classified in the eco system and marine life that no one can complain about its beauty.

Mainly the corals are growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone, more than 3000 species of marines life are inhabitant there. Many professional divers rate Sipadan Island as one of the top dive destination in the world, it is a magic underwater world because of its rare diving view. The most highlighted rare and unique species that can be found in Sipadan are green and hawksbill turtles, barracuda, and big-eye trevally.

According to the late Jacques Cousteau, the world-renowned oceanographer, Sipadan Island is untouched piece of art. Sipadan Island was also voted as one of other nominees to be the next new 7wonders.

It is a true paradise for divers, diving season is open trough out the year but March, April, October and November are the best recommended season. The water is clear and many marine species can be found during that time.

Everyone is welcome to Borneo, we offer you the best world class experience in nature.


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Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis Monkey is known as the Monyet Belanda in malay and only can be found in Borneo, no other place in the world. Proboscis mokey has Long-nosed and reddish-brown and the size of males are much larger than females, weighing up to 24 kg (53 pounds) and reaching 72 cm (28 inches) in length, with a tail of up to 75 cm in length. Females are up to 60 cm long, weighing up to 12 kg (26 lb). This large sexual dimorphic difference is greater than in any other primate. The adult Proboscis Monkey is mainly reddish-brown with grayish limbs.

The Proboscis Monkey can be spotted in Sandakan easily because they endemic to Borneo's low elevation mangrove forests, swamps, and lowland riparian forests. It lives in small groups of 10 to 32 animals. Group membership is very flexible, and animals are known to move from group to group quite often. It is difficult to look for them in the olden days, but nowadays they can be accessed easily. Many local operators in Borneo or Sabah Malaysia are doing their service to promote Proboscis Monkey in tourism industry

Proboscis Monkeys not only can climb from tree to tree but also can swim fast, they usually lives in a harem which comprises one adult male, several females, and their offspring, but sometimes the male and female Proboscis Monkeys move between social groups. The Proboscis Monkey is mostly arboreal, but sometimes the animals migrate downriver into the mangrove forest to feed.

The monkey also has a large belly, a result of its diet.Its digestive system is divided into compartments, with bacteria that digest cellulose and neutralize toxins from certain leaves. This lets the monkey eat leaves and remain in the forest canopy. The contents of their stomach weigh in at about a quarter of their whole body. A side-effect of this unique digestive system is that it is unable to digest ripe fruit, unlike most other simians. The diet consists mainly of seeds, leaves, mangrove shoots and unripe fruit.

They are very special and a true asset to the tourism industry in Borneo because of their availability, for the generations until now they can only be found in Borneo (Land Below The Wind)

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The Best Scuba Diving Along the West Coast of Sabah, Borneo

When Divers visit Kota Kinabalu the diving trip that all Dive Operators will promote to you is going diving in the local Marine Park - Tunku Abdul Rahman (TARP). The Marine Park is located 15 - 30 minutes by boat transfer from Kota Kinabalu and includes five islands - Pulau Sapi, Gaya, Sulug, Mamutik and Manukan. There are around 20 different dive sites in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park plus a few more dive sites at nearby Edgell Patches (which is home to deeper, healthier coral reefs). Scuba diving around TARP is ideal for divers looking for chilled out diving along pretty coral reefs. It is also suitable for rebreather training through to experienced leisure divers. The dives range in depths from 5m to 35m and tend to have little or no current and good visibility. During your dives you will find good quality coral coverage and a surprisingly wide variety of marine life - a real divers find considering you are only 15 minutes by boat from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Further south of Kota Kinabalu, approximately 30 nautical miles South West, is Pulau Tiga. Pulau Tiga is located in a Marine Park meaning the reefs are protected for conservation purposes by Sabah Parks. At Pulau Tiga there are around 8 dive sites (mainly South and West of the Island). Here you can enjoy scuba diving some unexplored, pristine coral reefs and generally be the only divers in the water. The dive depths range between 6m - 20m, the visibility is generally 5m - 20m with occasional strong currents on certain dive sites. This makes dive trips to Pulau Tiga suitable for experienced leisure divers, some drift diving and lots of underwater photography! During a scuba diving trip to Pulau Tiga you will dive by large coral covered pinnacles, coral bombies and busy cleaning stations. The hard and soft corals are breath taking, including large colourful barrel sponges adorned with Feather Stars, Whip Coral, Table Coral, Gorgonian fans and more. Look out for an amazing variety of marine life including large beds of Anemones and Clown fish, large shoals of Damsel Fish and Antheas, darting Fusliers, Nudibranches, schooling Barracuda, Blue Spotted Rays, Cuttle Fish, Lobsters and more.

If you fancy diving somewhere unique along the west coast of Sabah then look no further than a scuba diving trip to the 'white rocks' located near Mayne Rock. The unique underwater landscape creates a special scuba diving experience. When you go scuba diving at Mayne Rock you will find two series of large white boulders (approxmately 100m apart), raising from the sea bed from 7m - 25m, surrounded by large shoals of fish and adorned in hard and soft corals. Alongside this you'll have the chance to dive along a slightly shallower, pristine undulating coral reef. Divers who have bneen diving the coral reefs at Mayne Rock are often impressed by the visibility and the health of the reefs. When diving at Mayne Rock you will get occasional strong currents - this makes it a dive trip suitable for experienced leisure divers. During a dive trip to Mayne Rock you can expect to spot a wide variety of marine life including shoals of Fusiliers, Barracuda, Yellow Snappers, Bat Fish, Juvenile Nurse Sharks, Lion Fish, Trumpet Fish, Nudibranches, large Puffer fish, Lobsters, Anemone Fish and much more. Expect to find marine treasures around every corner as you explore the large boulders and their crevices.

Fancy a scuba diving adventure? Then go wreck diving at one or more of the three, large Usukan Bay World War II Japanese wrecks. Wreck diving on the 'Usukan Wreck', 'Upside-down Wreck' and the 'Rice Bowl Wreck' is an awesome scuba diving experience. All of the wrecks lay in 26m - 45m of water and can have small to medium strong currents present, making them a wreck scuba diving adventure for experienced leisure divers (minimum PADI Advanced Open Water Diver) and technical divers. You can find a brief description of each wreck dive below.

The Rice Bowl Wreck

So-called because a cache of rice bowls was found in the bow when it was first dived, this is a relatively long vessel lying in a North Easterly direction in 40m at its deepest and 26m at its shallowest. The superstructure is punctured in many places, making exploration possible and interesting, and the metalwork is robust. The soft coral garden is memorable.

The Upside-Down Wreck

The name gives away the orientation of this ship, which lies in the same direction and at similar depth to the Rice Bowl wreck. This one has good swim-throughs, though a torch is essential and is good for exploring as well as a training ground for Wreck Diver specialty.

The Usukan Wreck

This is the deepest of the three at 35m - 45m and consequently only available to technical divers. We use rebreathers, but also support twin-tanks/Trimix and decompression diving if required. The wreck is interesting and has a spectacular whip coral coverage that can give it a frosted appearance in a certain light.

All of the wrecks are covered in stunning soft coral gardens and hard corals, teeming with fish life and home to an amazing range of marine life. Find schooling Barracuda, Nurse Sharks, large Groupers and large shoals of Yellow Snappers and Fusiliers. The variety of marine life makes scuba diving the wrecks a fantastic dive for the experienced Scuba Diver.

Finally, Pulau Mantanani (Mantanani Island), located approx. 40nm North West of Kota KInabalu, is the most northern dive destination along the west coast of Sabah. Home to palm lined beaches, clear tropical waters and shallow coral reefs it is a day trip to paradise for divers and non divers. Mantanani Island is a group of three isolated islands North West of Kota Belud, Sabah, Borneo. Until recently, the islands were only known to a few locals. The shallow coral reefs surrounding the islands have plenty to offer, for both novice and experienced scuba divers. The visibility can be as high as 30m - amazing! Juvenile Turtles are frequently spotted around Pulau Mantanani. Many species of rays have been spotted in the waters around Mantanani Island, Sabah, Borneo - Marbled Stingray, Blue Spotted Ray and large schools of Eagle Rays. For macro photographers the "muck diving" is good too - if you are lucky you can find Seahorses, Imperial Shrimps, Pink-Eye Gobies, Jaw fish, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Ribbon Eels and many types of nudibranches.

The best time to go diving the dive sites along the west coast of Sabah is from April to September (with April - June offering typically the best diving conditions). Please note that you might need flexibility on the date you go scuba diving at Pulau Mantanani as the sea state can, by exception during this period, be too rough to cross to the Islands.

Borneo Dream is the only Dive Operator, based in Kota Kinabalu, running diving day trips to all of these diving destinations. Want to find out more, then visit http://www.borneodream.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Cotterill

The Best Time to Visit Borneo

The hot jungles of Borneo are tucked away in Malaysia, located in Southern Asia and surrounded by other exotic locations. A person looking to take a trip to Borneo is the sort of person who likes a unique trip, an unforgettable experience, and one that will truly appreciate all the wildlife and foliage. No matter what time of the year you visit, be prepared to handle some serious jungle weather!

Borneo, due to it's location to the equator and ocean edge, is made up of dense rainforest with a climate that can be fussy and temperamental, so you should make sure you have plenty of gear for whatever excursion you set out on, whether it's a wildlife safari or hike through the vegetation. The best times to visit are between March and October when the temperatures are not too hot and the rainy season has passed. Generally, Borneo is wettest during November all the way through February.

Temperatures in Borneo generally remain between around 70 to 90 F (21 to 32 C) throughout the year, but because it is a rainforest, you should expect extremely high humidity as well as the possibility of rain at any time. Keep a rain jacket with you and a solid pair of waterproof hiking boots for all your adventures so you can stay dry and comfortable as you trek through the hills and over rivers to see monkeys, Asian elephants, amazing bird life, and blooming fauna.

Likewise, avoiding the rainy season will also allow you more beach time as well as diving to see the myriad of creatures that live off the coast. The Borneo coast features a number of fish, from barracudas to hammerhead sharks, as well as smaller technicolored reef fish set to dazzle your eyes.

Most months are fine for visiting as long as you don't mind a lot of rain during some of them. Locals are friendly and willing to help out tourists, and certain months see the celebration of festivals, such as the Harvest Festival in Sabah during May, known as Tadau Ka'amatan where you can enjoy music, dancing, laughter, and of course, plenty of feasting!

Borneo is an amazing place, so take your time to gaze up at the rainforest canopy. Keep an eye out for all the colorful birds, dancing for their mates; and listen to the cacophony of calls from monkeys, birds, big cats, and elephants. Party with the locals and simply have a wonderful time.

Enid Glasgow is a travel writer who loves to travel to Borneo and throughout the Orient.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Enid_Glasgow

Eye Borneo (Borneo Island)

Borneo is an island that comprises three countries which are Malaysia on Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei, and Indonesia on kalimantan. This island is so big and bigger than Singapore, there are so many attractions in tourism industry that can be found here. One of the most highlighted about Borneo is the only Mount Kinabalu, the highest mount in Asia and has no ice because of its geographical factor (located in the middle of earth aptitude). The world class coral reef Pulau Sipadan and the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (Sandakan) are also located in Borneo. From the top of Asia to the forest and ended up under the sea there are all attractions and business opportunity in Borneo. The best of asset in Borneo are the people, which are gathered from many races and culture. These assets are warm hearted and welcoming everyone from all over the world to come and experience its beauty and uniqueness.

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