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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2023
also a dropping off point for longboat
rides taking visitors to Ulu Temburong
National Park, is located right on the
banks of an upstream section of the
Temburong River. The lodge is distinct
for its minimalist design and structure,
with huts built with bamboo in addition
to a mix of recycled and new wood.
Apart from well-furnished rooms, the
lodge also provides riverside tents set
up using eco-friendly wood suitable for
“glamping” – glamour camping. The
tents are equipped with comfortable
amenities for a good night’s sleep
and provided are properly-walled,
common bathrooms. Additionally, the
lodge organises optional excursions
including a night walking tour, a daytrip
to the Ulu Temburong National Park
and a Rainforest Discovery trek at the
nearby forest.
Kuala Belalong Field
Studies Centre
The Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre
(KBFSC) is a research platform incepted
when Universiti Brunei Darussalam
along with the Royal Geographical
Society (RGS), London carried out a
joint jungle expedition into the Belalong
forest back in the early 1990s. Through
the centre, over 70 researchers
of various fields and backgrounds
conducted research in Kuala Belalong.
Furthermore, the centre has been
conducting educational programmes
for students of various levels as well
as government sector employees
since 1992. KBFSC has hosted groups
of study exchange students from
countries such as Japan and Malaysia
to explore and learn about the rich
biodiversity of the rainforest.
KBFSC’s core mission is to generate,
describe and disseminate knowledge
in science and education related to
the vast diversity of Brunei’s tropical
rainforests, including all the varied
life forms and ecosystem processes.
Research professionals with an interest
in the rainforest are welcomed to the
centre.
Kuala Belalong Mini
Park
Opened in 1993 and situated within
the Temburong Civic Centre Padang
is the Kuala Belalong Mini Park.
This mini park features a waterfall,
a beautifully landscaped garden
and a natural pond mainly used for
radio-controlled boat racing. Huts
are peppered throughout the park
displaying photos of His Majesty’s
visit to Temburong as well as findings
from the Kuala Belalong Field Studies
Centre. Universiti Brunei Darussalam
has often used the mini park to
conduct field research as the park is a
key rainforest research centre.
Bukit Patoi Forest
Recreational Park
Situated within the Peradayan Forest
Reserve – a reserve 15 kilometres away
from Pekan Bangar – is the Bukit Patoi
Forest Recreational Park. The park
covers a land area of 1,070 hectares and
encompasses predominantly primary
lowland
Dipterocarp
and
Kerangas
trees. A diverse range of wildlife unique
to Borneo such as gibbons, silver
langurs, mouse deer
(kancil)
, civet cats,
several species of hornbills as well as a
myriad of rainforest birds claim the park
as their residence.
The park features a 1.6-kilometre trek
that winds up and down Bukit Patoi’s
mountainside to the peak, where
visitors can find an open and flat rocky
summit that can double as a helipad at
310 metres above sea level. Trekkers
are also rewarded with stunning views
of the lush green tropical jungle, a
mountain range in the distance, the
South China Sea, villages and sprawling
agricultural lands.
Pulau Selirong
Located southeast of Brunei Bay and
on Temburong District’s most northern
tip is the Selirong Island or the Selirong
Forest Recreation Park. The park covers
2,566 hectares of predominantly
unspoilt mangrove forest of the
Rhizophora
(locally referred to as
Bakau Minyak)
genus. Distinctively
known for its massive root systems
which slow down tidal water, the park’s
environment is conducive for oysters to
flourish.
Primates such as macaques and the
colugo – an arboreal gliding mammal
unique to Southeast Asia – as well as a
variety of bird species and mangrove
snakes call the mangrove ecosystem
home. The deep mangrove channels
accommodate a variety of fish, crabs,
prawns, cockles, barnacles, mud-
skippers of above average sizes and
monitor lizards.