Thursday, August 29, 2013

Discover hidden gems at Santubong


KUCHING: Santubong Nature Festival, to be held at Permai Rainforest Resort on Nov 9 and 10, is an opportunity for the public to learn about famed Santubong peninsula.

“Santubong is an iconic mountain yet there are many things about it we don’t know. Most people only know the popular spots,” commented organising chairman Vincent Wong yesterday.

The peninsula is home to four types of dolphins, various historical and archeological sites.

MNSKC president Anthony Sebastian pointed out that few cities have a mountain nearby.

“Santubong is a mountain with a 2,000-year history. In the old days, seafarers were drawn to it, and there are many archeological sites here – some already dug up.”

The celebration of this famed mountain kicks off this November with the first of five annual festivals.

The organisers are Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch (MNSKB) and Permai Rainforest Resort with support from Limkokwing Borneo, Sarawak Museum Department, Sarawak Photo Art Society, Friends of Sarawak Museums and Sarawak Heritage Society.

The event aims for a holistic and integrated approach to development of the area, safeguarding its landscape, biodiversity and historical assets.

There will be activities to highlight the peninsula’s natural, historical and cultural heritage like a multi-sport treasure hunt, heritage and heritage walks, talks and tree planting at Permai Rainforest Resort.

Lead-up activities to Santubong Nature Festival are a photography contest, boat trips, talks and tours related to Santubong and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace to be held in Sarawak Museum between now and November.

In conjunction with the festival, MNSKB and Sarawak Photo Art Society are organising a Santubong Peninsula Landscape Photography Competition running from July to Aug 31.

It is open to the public with submission from Sept 1 to 7. Entry closes at noon on Sept 7.

The area covered in the competition will be any place after Santubong Bridge from the direction of Kuching. To register and for the rules and regulations, logon facebook.com/SantubongNatureFestival or http://santubongnaturefestival.blogspot.com.

Since its setup in 1996, MNSKB has conducted many activities in the peninsula like bird-watching that resulted in Bako Buntal Bay, part of Santubong peninsula, being inscribed on the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Site Network (EAAF) last year. Bako-Buntal Bay is the first flyway network established in Malaysia and a world important bird area.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Discover hidden gems at Santubong
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