Borneo Expedition

Activities : Combo Placements / Community Projects / Conservation / Expeditions / Humanitarian / Languages / Teaching / Tour / Adventure / Extreme / Animals
Company : Trekforce Expeditions
Country : Malaysia
Region : Borneo
Duration : 2 weeks to 5 months

Info

With the whole eco-system facing the ever-present threat of deforestation, project work here is an absolutely vital part of the experience both for you and for the island's long-term future.

Borneo is truly a natural Eden. Home to the world's oldest tropical rainforest and an epicentre of evolution, the island nurtures wildlife that is mind-blowing in its variety, strangeness and beauty, some of it, like the gentle orangutan, unique to the region.

This fantastic area is home to 30 different ethnic groups, including the Kelabits, Penan, Dayaks, Dunsun, Murut and Kadayan. Comprising the northwestern corner of Borneo, Sarawak is a delightful mixture of high mountains, intricate cave systems and unexplored jungle. And the opportunities for projects and trekking within this ecosystem will make your expedition unforgettable.

Jungle Training - Week one
You are collected at Kota Kinabalu airport by Trekforce staff. Your first week will be acclimatisation, customs and cultures and in particular Jungle Training. Based in a traditional Long House you will learn the skills of the indigenous Dayaks combined with modern military and survival experts to ensure you are fully prepared for your expedition to the interior.

Expedition and Trek - Week two to eight
In week two we head to our project location. Working with the Kalabit people to protect the Kalabit Highlands. It is fundamentally important that the local people continue to benefit from their environment that has sustained them up to now. The encroachment of urban areas, tourism and commerce means many of the Kalabit lands are under threat. Trekforce works with them on community projects at their request to help them develop low impact sustainable tourism. In the past Trekforce projects here have helped construct a suspension bridge to provide access to a cut off tribal area, while we have also worked to protect the wildlife with an orangutan rehabilitation programme.

To date we have explored the highest point in Sarawak, Mt Murud, as well as the sacred twin peaks of Batu Lawi. The key point is that your trek will not only test yourself as you put into practice the skills you learnt in jungle training but also enable you to explore remote regions and live in local communities at a slower pace of life. Your own leadership skills will develop as well as your ability to operate with much less that you may have previously imagined.

Dive and Survivors Party
We come out of the jungle to the coast. Here we undertake the PADI Discover Scuba day which includes scuba training then either a snorkel or Scuba dive along the coral reefs of the Marine reserve. This provides an exciting opportunity to experience both rainforest and reef.

Requirements

No requirements as all training will be provided.

Dates

8 November 2008 7 February 2009 25 April 2009 11 July 2009 7 November 2009

Benefits / Salary / Costs

Pre-departure meeting, all meals, airport pick-up, training, local transport, accommodation, emergency back-up and reunion party are included.

Apply

info@trekforce.org.uk

http://www.trekforce.org.uk/expeditions/borneo.htm

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