Dusun Way of Life

Tour code: FD004

This programme has undergone some recent changes (February 2008): the Ketua Kampung (village chief) of the village we normally visit has built a simple traditional home for overnight visitors at a strategic place right to a once amongst hunters' popular 'entrance' to the Crocker Range National Park. He calls his new home, some 30 minutes from his village where he is still the chief the "Last Borneo Paradise - Guardians of the Rainforest". He battles a lone struggle against threats to Sabah's largest National Park: game hunters and illegal logging. Though he does not receive any government funds NGO's support his endeavour and Sabah Parks acknowledges his efforts, well aware that they are unfortunately understaffed and cannot effectively and efficiently control the vast expanse of the Crocker Range National Park against those two major threats to its incredible and yet to be fully studied biodiversity.

Itinerary

Day 1 0700 hrs - pick up from your hotel/resort in Kota Kinabalu for a leisurely trip to Papar town, where we visit the local market. Join us shopping for our next few days’ meals – do you fancy some ferns, ginger flowers, and pickled wild mango? We will find it all on the market, together with the more common vegetables, of course. We have lunch in Papar at a local restaurant. Then we continue to Ulu Kimanis in the foothills of the Crocker Range. Meet your host family, and maybe you wish already to go for some jungle trekking into the unspoilt wilderness of Borneo's rainforest. Later in the evening join us preparing our purchases the local way. After dinner we will have time for story telling – and rice wine drinking…

Overnight: homestay
Meals: lunch, dinner (local)

Day 2 The early morning in the heights of the Crocker Range hills has an especially invigorating action on one’s soul, but this is for early birds only! Listen to the birds as the sun rises gradually over the steaming jungle and awakens nature.

After breakfast we propose some more "serious" jungle trekking; on the way we can prepare traditional lunch the ‘survival way’. On the trek you can learn more about local medicine and edible plants. Animal spotting, though the jungle is full of life, remains difficult but with some luck we can spot some of the dusk-active animals towards sunset. Don’t forget your mosquito repellent, those insects are amongst the most active during that time of the day! After our trekking we return to our host for dinner, more story telling, and maybe also a little more rice wine…

Overnight: homestay
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3 0700 hrs – visit a local village and join the locals in their rubber plantations and try your hand at tapping latex. Rubber is one of Malaysia’s most important export products and rubber plantations can be found all over Sabah providing additional cash to local farmers. Later we can have a swim in the crystal clear river or even drive out to the ‘mile 30’ beach near Kimanis for a relaxing day swimming and maybe fishing; if the weather is fine and the season right we can visit a local fishing plat-form 'bagang' (subject to RM 80 supplement per person).

Overnight: homestay
Meals: breakfast, BBQ lunch and dinner

Day 4 1100 hrs after a relaxing morning and breakfast while watching birds say good by to our host family and return over the Old Papar Road to Kota Kinabalu, with lunch in Donggongon.

Meals: breakfast and lunch

The 'short version' of this programme is Kampung Life

 

Related features on this site:

Crocker Range Trekking
A Dusun Wedding

Enchanting Borneo Rainforest

Simple accommodation local style

Tree planting project initiated by the Village Chief