Tambunan Forest

Sigh… no rafflesia blooming at Tambunan Rafflesia Center, after driving 1 hour to get there. Rafflesia is a weird flower. It does not bloom regularly, and its flower can last only 1 week. Actually I was supposed to call them to check first, but their phone number was not working. No luck… probably next time then.

Since I was there, it was a lost not to walk in their forest. The conservation fee is RM50 (about USD15) per group, so you better go in group to share the fee. I waited and joined a group of students, so I paid only RM10.

The main jungle trail is one-way and about 1KM long. At the start, most of the trail is going downward. That means you have to walk “upward” when you come back from the same trail. The tips are – walking slowly and try to save energy at the begining. It is a beautiful rainforest with a lot of tall trees.

Besides rafflesia, another feature of this forest reserve is a legless lizard that looks like snake. Too bad I didn’t see it. But if you find any fungus, try to look at its bottom and you may find something interesting.

Anyone knows the name of this cute beetle? I read from somewhere that it likes to live under fungus. You can find a lot of them under bigger fungus. I am more interested in the small bug under it. It got many legs and has a pair of “yellow horn.” What is it?

Well… I will come back again if there is rafflesia blooming.

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo