Borneo Tours and Travel Planning for Nature Lovers
2.5 million years ago, Borneo was one with
Java, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Sulawesi, and many of smaller islands between,
forming a great mass of land called Sundaland. Mother nature nurtured it to
produce amazing kinds of floras and faunas. After the sea level rose, Borneo
was completely separated and begun its own unique evolution which happened to
its inhabitants, made it a place of unique species which cannot be found
anywhere in the world
National Parks
Borneo's rainforest is one of the oldest
rainforests int the world and the sea that surrounding it contains one of the
richest marine ecosystems in the world.
Borneo has a great system when it comes to national parks, giving nature lovers
a one of a kind chance to explore vast range of natural habitats, from alpine
highland to a lowland rainforest, marine forld, limestone caves, lakes,
grasslands, and mangroves. Two of the most recommended national parks are the
Mulu National Park and Kinabalu Park, both were declared World Heritage Sites
in 2000 for their ecological systems and amazing biological diversity in the
park.
Flora & Fauna
Orang Utan |
infamous insect traps |
Rafflesia, beautiful but smells like corpse |
Many plants and animals species endemic to
Borneo are unique from years of solitary evolutions. The only island where you
could found Borneon gibbon and funny-looking proboscis monkey. Another rare
species endemic to Borneo and Sumatra is orang utan (orang means people, and
utan means forest). The only great ape of Borneo and one of the species where
wild populations are still exist inside the forest. You could also found elephants,
which smaller than its Asian counterparts. One of the biggest mysteries in
Borneo's species, although many people and historian believe that the elephants
are gift from the neighboring kingdoms which eventually allowed to roam free in
the forest.
High humidity and warm weather are the reasons
why plants species in Borneo could exceed the numbers of plants species in
whole Africen continent. Unique species such as The Rafflesia, exotic orchids,
and pitcher plants can be found in most parts of Borneo's jungle. For orchids
enthusiasts, there are more than 800 species could be found inside the Kinabalu
Park.
Entrance to Kinabalu Park |
Mulu Limestones formation |
The good part is, it is only a small fraction
of Borneo wild inhabitant's wonders. There are more species discovered as more
areas become explorable in the recent days.