Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
vation Area (MBCA), known very appropriately as 'Sabah's Lost World', is…well,
something special.
The basin is exactly that - a bowl-shaped depression of rainforest that was unnoticed by
the world until a pilot almost crashed into the walls that hem it off in 1947. Run by the Sa-
bah Foundation, this is the single best place in Borneo to experience old-growth tropical
rainforest. More than that, it is one of the world's great reserves of biodiversity, a dense
knot of almost unbelievable genetic richness. A visit to the basin is always a poignant af-
fair, as you'll share the road with a parade of logging trucks hauling trees out of the forest
at an astonishing rate.
Unbelievably, there is no known record of human beings entering the basin until the
early 1980s (although it is possible that indigenous peoples entered the basin before that
time). It is only recently that the area has been opened up to a limited number of adventur-
ous travellers. Getting here requires time and resources, and officially a lot of money, al-
though there may be ways around the latter.
Sights & Activities
The trek through the Maliau Basin will likely be the most memorable hike of your Borneo
experience. The density of the old-growth forest is striking, and as it is more remote than
the Danum Valley, the preserved wildlife is even better. That said: you are in the jungle,
and wildlife is not easy to spot. You may walk away without seeing anything but some of
Borneo's most ancient trees, which isn't so bad, really.
Several treks are possible in the basin, ranging from short nature walks around
Agathis
Camp
to the multiday slog to the rim of the basin via
Strike Ridge Camp
. The vast ma-
jority of visitors to the basin undertake a three-day, two-night loop through the southern
section of the basin that we'll call the Maliau Loop. This brilliant route takes in wide
swaths of diverse rainforest and four of the basin's waterfalls:
Takob Falls
,
Giluk Falls
,
Maliau Falls
and
Ginseng Falls
.
Do not attempt the trek unless you are in excellent shape (in fact, Borneo Nature Tours
will require a letter from a doctor testifying to your ability to undertake the trek). Your
tour operator will supply a guide and porters to carry your food. You'll be in charge of
your day pack, camera, leech socks, walking clothes and dry kit for the evening.
A
canopy walkway
stretches near the Basin study centre, and it is pretty astounding to
walk its length amid rainforest canopy that has never felt a human cut.
