Saturday, September 15, 2007

Garama River Cruise - A date with nature


Want to see the Dutchman of Borneo? Go to Garama, near Kota Kinabalu and keep an eye out for the strange-looking proboscis monkey unique to these parts.

Shortly after we checked into Only In Borneo Resort, we joined a big group of day trippers in a fibre glass longboat. We were soon on the Garama River, cruising through the Klias Wetland Conservation Area, looking for wildlife in a massive mangrove swamp.

Wetland wildlife

We were, of course, watching out for the proboscis monkeys but before encountering this star attraction we were alerted to the presence of a green, triangular-headed snake (Wagler’s pit viper) on the low branches of a tree behind the resort’s boardwalk.

We were warned to approach it with caution because its venom could kill a person in 30 minutes. That did not stop the two photographers in the group from taking close-up pictures, as they lay stretched out on the boardwalk or hung precariously over the guard ropes.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Garama River Cruise - A date with nature

No comments: