Guide to travel and weekend breaks from Singapore
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From Borneo’s rare rainforest creatures to coastal New Zealand’s seabirds, Lester Ledesma captures three ecotourist trips in all their beauty
In these environment-conscious times, ecotourism has become all the rage. No longer just for the backpacker with a conscience or the ageing hippy couple, there are now countless eco-tours – trips where flora and fauna play a dominant role. The itineraries on offer vary greatly, ranging from simple, guided forest treks to tropical safaris and even full-blown ‘encounters’ with exotic animals. Which nature trips offer the most memorable, in-your-face experiences with Mother Earth? We list three of our favourites.
Donsol, Philippines
If you’ve ever wanted to get up close – really close – and personal with the world’s largest fish, here’s your chance. Every year from January to May, the town of Donsol in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines, becomes an ecotourism haven as a huge number of whale sharks congregate in the waters offshore.
The reasons for this mass migration are still unclear; some biologists say it is the presence of a vast number of krill and plankton – the whale sharks’ primary food – that attract them here, while others theorise that these warm tropical waters are an ideal mating area. Whatever the case, this natural phenomenon has made Donsol one of the few places in Asia where these slow-swimming behemoths (ranging from four to 46 feet in length) can easily be seen.
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To do this, check out the Donsol Whale Shark Interaction Program, a community-based initiative that has been taking eco-tourists on whale shark-interaction tours for almost a decade. It’s based on an itinerary devised by the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which stresses that the creatures should be left undisturbed; for instance, touching the whale sharks is prohibited, as is using noisy boat engines (to avoid traumatising them). The outings take you out to sea to swim alongside this huge but harmless species of fish on interactive tours that run from early morning to midday during the season, with the norm being about a dozen sightings per trip.
Each boat costs PHP500 (S$16.90), inclusive of payment for a guide and boatman. There is also a registration fee of PHP300 (S$10.80) for foreigners, or PHP100 (S$3.40) for Filipinos. Contact the Donsol Tourism Office (
Kinabatangan River, Malaysia
Here’s a bona fide jungle journey down eastern Malaysia’s longest waterway, the Sungei Kinabatangan. Located on the island of Borneo, this virgin swath of river and rainforest has been described by scientists as an ‘area of immense biological diversity’ for its size (16,800km2), which hosts some of the highest concentration of wildlife found in South-East Asia.
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Not surprisingly, this distinction has made the Kinabatangan a mecca for both biologists and the ecologically curious. The most accessible entry point into this nature sanctuary is at the village of Sukau – a two-hour drive from the regional capital of Kota Kinabalu – where reputable eco-friendly establishments like the Sukau Rainforest Lodge can be found. From here, visitors can sign up for half-day boat tours down the river and its nearby tributaries. These trips are run by knowledgeable guides and boatmen who follow accepted eco-tourism practices. Non-polluting electric boats are used, and as in Donsol, they are quietly steered to avoid disturbing the wildlife.
The sheer variety of fauna to be seen is truly impressive: hornbills, kingfishers and macaques are a common sight along the riverbanks, as is the endangered proboscis monkey – often the highlight of these tours. With luck, you might come across even more exotic creatures like the Bornean pygmy elephant, estuarine crocodile or the famous orangutan.
Sukau Rainforests Lodge offers two-day, one-night packages for RM863 (S$375) per person. For more information, go to www.sabahtourism.com and www.sukau.com for more information.
Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand
No, you won’t find the world’s largest mainland colony of gannets in some far-off, isolated beach. This being New Zealand, you’ll find it right beside a sheep ranch. This massive nesting community of seabirds lies right at the southern tip of Hawke’s Bay on the South Island (a 30-minute drive from nearby Napier City), and has been one of this area’s most notable attractions for 40 years. Every year from August to April, Gannet Safaris runs private, half-day tours of the estate using a quad bike. The usual route starts at the sheep and cattle farms, passing through spectacular mountain and seaside scenery before ending at the cliff-side plateau where more than 20,000 Australasian gannets reside.
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It’s amazing how accessible this place is: visitors get to stand right at the edge of this sprawling flock to watch the surprisingly tame birds go about their everyday activities. Feeding or touching them is, of course, prohibited. You’re best advised to bring a good camera as these gannets, with their huge, six-foot wingspans and distinctive white-and-yellow markings, offer stunning wildlife photo-ops. Come mid-October, when the mating season hits its peak, they can also be seen building nests and feeding their young. The good news is that four decades of carefully managed ecotourism have had absolutely no negative impact on the colony. Proof lies in the gannet population, which has actually increased over the years, and in the programme’s status as an official New Zealand Tourism Board endorsed attraction.
NZ$55 (S$60) or NZ$27 (S$29) per entry. For more information, go to www.gannetsafaris.co.nz.
