ain, but al: of life and the stre: Darussalam, and silent reflection are many.
tranquili And, with canbe visited by
one of the 33 is:
that have been developed as an
tination. It For 48) under the For ified as Forest Ri
under an hour and began at
sive Raja mmonly known wan. From here,
we took boat ride down Brunei River, past mosques and kampongs (villages) that come alive with the chatter of the residents and the muezzin’s call to prayer. The new bridge to Temburong, marvel of
modern its sinuous the river at
engineering, also comes into view shortly
form floating in the silvery expanse of first light. Early mornings are often calm
However, boat ride in calm sea with distant views of raging clouds marching down the Crocker Range can quickly become wild and thrilling with sudden
storm. The journeyis never dull.
Arriving Selirong Island and upon registering at the guard post, we began paddling at the eastern extremity of the reserve on the Malaysian border in the broad channel of Sungai Raya. If you are lucky, you will make start in the company of the elusive
smaller channels flow into the river proper, providing pi ge into the stands of the many mangrove
The route can be challenging for inexperienced kayakers, but thankfully, there is another option to enjoy slow walks on the boardwalk that takes them past the island’s impressive mangroves. The route is dotted with rest huts perfect for snack break or to take in the sights and sounds of the forest.
For those with keen eye, sightings of the curious colugo or flying lemur and the proboscis monkeys with their comical nose and pot belly are not rare.
But Selirong is not only for nature lovers. It provides an attractive option to plan an escape from the daily grind. An ecological habitat buzzing with life just in
backyard, Selirong indeed is an amazing place waiting to be discovered.
The boardwalk allows easy access to Selirong’s unique mangrove habitat. Kayaking promises tons of wildlife sightings.
On occasion, you may even get to catch sight of the resident Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra)
Source: MUHIBAH, the Royal Brunei Airlines in-flight magazine, 2019 Jan-Feb, pages 50-51. Text recovered from the scanned page by OCR and lightly corrected; spelling may differ from the printed edition.
