KUCHING: The Heart of Borneo Highlands Eco
Challenge II is back and opens for registration to satisfy the thrill seekers
looking to take things up a notch.
The Eco Challenge is an event that aims to
relive history, culture and stewardship of nature in the Malingan and Kelabit
highlands and will be held from 20th to
29th July 2017.
Event Director, Cr John Tarawe said the
second installment of the challenge offers up to 10 different trails to choose
from.
“Each trail will bring you through intense
jungle trekking across the Borneo forest, remote yet scenic villages of the
highlanders, historical monuments and burial sites such as Batu Ritong and Hill
of Coffins,” said John who is also the Deputy Chairman of Alliance of the
Indigenous People on the Highlands of Borneo (FORMADAT) during a press
conference at WWF Malaysia Meeting Room in Binamas building yesterday.
The event is organised by FORMADAT, a
trans-boundary initiative that aims to increase awareness of and understanding
about the highland communities in the Heart of Borneo and promote sustainable
livelihoods.
It is supported by e-Bario, Sayu Travel
& Tour Sdn Bhd, Bario Slow Food and Cultural Festival (Pesta Nukenen dan
Kebudayaan Kelabit), Rurum Kelabit Sarawak and WWF-Malaysia.
“The trail starts from Long Pa’ Sia’
heading to Long Semadoh by land or river, then straight to Ba’ Kelalan and ends
at either Lawas or Bario depending on one’s stamina to continue the adventure
in the highlands’ wilderness.
“Although different packages will transport
you through different routes, you will still walk the same path as the ancient
highlanders once set foot.
“This year, the Eco Challenge will end and
coincide with the annual ‘Pesta Nukenen’ or SlowFood Festival in Bario which
falls on 30 July,” said John.
He added that the event is in line with
FORMADAT’s mission, which is to encourage the development of sustainable
economic alternatives such as sustainable agriculture programme and
community-based ecotourism.
“Hope the event will help to established a
sustainable income alternative and exposed visitors to culture and nature
appreciation.
“True to the ‘eco’ in ecotourism, this event takes conservation in
the highlands seriously. There will be a limit to participant capacity so that
the concept of tread lightly, ‘take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but
footprints’, is the slogan for the organisers and participants,” he noted.
Meanwhile, he said that the first Eco
Challenge was held in 2015 with trekkers starting their eight-day journey on
foot from Ba’ Kelalan to Mount Murud’s Church Camp and finally to Bario.
“The arduous journey across the highlands
is both breath-taking and memorable as participants get to experience diverse
forest landscapes from dipterocarp to heath and mountain forests, cool climate,
see ancient cultural and megaliths sites, and taste the highlanders’ food,” he
said.
Interested participants can visit their
Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/hobecochallenge or email them at
ecochallenge@formadat.com.
By : Desmond Markus
Sarawak Tribune
Date Posted : Thursday 22-Sep-2016
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