We have taken our daughters, (12 and 16) on a variety of adventure holidays but this was going to be our first major wildlife adventure. I was hoping that this would be something that they would enjoy, but it turned out to be so much more.
We landed in Kota Kinabalu, which is in the Sabah region on the north west coast of Borneo, after flying from New Zealand to Singapore. A few days later we headed over to the east coast to Sandakan port where we travelled to Lankayan Island in the Sulu Sea. It is one of the last islands in Malaysia before you reach Philippine waters. The first thing that struck us, and particularly our kids as strange, was the armored escort, consisting of a uniformed soldier dressed in a bullet proof vest and assault rifle. Lucy, our 16-year-old, was horrified, as they explained that we were heading into pirated waters and the escort was to prevent us being attacked. She could not believe we would bring her to such a remote and dangerous place, quite a contrast to her life at home in urban New Zealand.
Lankayan itself is tiny dive resort island and is a marine conservation area in the turtle corridor and coral triangle. Our main reason for visiting here was to hopefully see the Green and Hawksbill turtles swimming and laying their eggs. As soon as we stepped off the boat and walked along the boardwalks, we spotted turtles, it then became not if we would see a turtle but how many. Waking early one morning we looked out to find a turtle laying her eggs right outside our room, the sun was just coming up and she was covering her eggs before heading back into the sea to swim away. It was such an amazing and peaceful sight to see.
Denne historien er fra October - November 2019-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October - November 2019-utgaven av Adventure Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Papua New Guinea
Four reasons to add Papua New Guinea to your bucket list
The benefits of being a Multi-Trick Pony
"A broad skill base and how you can draw from one platform to the next – women often pigeon hole themselves"
The RELUCTANT adventurer
An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.
The Meaning of Tramping
What does tramping mean to you?
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.
North West Circuit Stewart Island
I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:
Adversity at Altitude
The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.
