This is why I came here. To see this scenery. The ancient, virgin forest which is the heart of Borneo. It is simply epic. Breathtaking. Humbling. I don’t know how to describe it but I will try.
The jungle here is over 1000 years old and is one of only three areas in Borneo that still have significant tracts of undisturbed vegetation. The steep contours of the Danum Valley are what thankfully deterred loggers and each bend offers stunning views over towering forest and expansive, rocky rivers. The straight trunked giants look very similar to karri trees but are called honey trees because they are smooth barked with no low branches. This prevents the primates from climbing them and raiding the honey, hence bees nest in them – very smart. The wide rivers were clearer with a milky cyan tint similar to the alpine waterways in New Zealand and very different to the turbid, snaking Kinabatangan River of Sukau.
Night stalking for fauna here is a hoot (pardon the pun) and you can either go on foot or the back of a very big, very bumpy truck. The abundance and variety of nocturnal animals seen was astounding.
I had the good fortune of observing flying squirrels gliding between trees, summer deer with their young secretly eating the grasses near the workers accommodation in the dark, an illusive leopard cat, tiny mouse deer darting in the undergrowth, lots of funky spiders, various frogs, a large monitor lizard basking on the rocky bend of a river, many colourful birds, my favourite of which was a small fluffy bird that sleeps in a curled ball on a leaf, barking geckos, butterflies on steroids, water snakes and of course the hooting owls.
Observing and hearing the local primates was a special experience unique to Borneo. Smiling at the flanged face, flat nose and long hairy arms of an adult male orangutan was surreal. Such a huge primate, wary and intelligent, living in the canopy above in his rightful home rather than a zoo. I felt privileged but at the same time like an unwanted guest. Another highlight was waking to the territorial call of the gibbons. Hearing their animated calls echo across the stillness of the jungle valley was amazing!
Situated on a sweeping bend of the Danum River, set back from the large river stones polished over time, the resort was beautifully constructed and of the typical open air Asian style. Made from vernacular materials of wood and stone, the place had a warmth and welcoming feel to it and from the expansive decks you can look out over the river and see misty clouds hanging in the trees each morning. Sunrise only varies by around 30 minutes from wet to dry season and it rains every month so the plants grow all year round here. It is a special place where you can feel the energy of life thrumming on the air.
To really experience the jungle you have to get right in and hike amongst it, slosh through the mud in the downpour of tropical rain, trip up over enormous roots that snake across the entire forest floor and make friends with a leech or two. This is the only way to feel the cool, energising breeze from the waterfalls or see the butterflies dancing in the spray. The fringing vegetation around these hidden oases is such an iridescent green that you might think you’ve discovered the Cradle of Life.
The strangler fig has an interesting story; it begins its life as a vine, a serpent in disguise as it snakes its way around a host tree in a race to reach the limited sunshine. Once at the top it begins to thicken and constrict the kind host that lent its support until it kills it. After many years all that remains is an empty column inside the strangler fig, the ghost of where the original tree stood.
