Walk among trees of centuries old and listen to the call of gibbons, Borneo Rainforest Lodge is a sanctuary hidden within the pristine, untouched, virgin jungles of Borneo in the cradle of Danum Valley. The Wild Asia responsible tourism team had the privilege of training their staff on responsible tourism best practices and they met up with a writer from The Borneo Post, Rena Bay who shares her experience at the lodge.

Written by The Borneo Post on 12 Nov 2010 with 0 comments. Be the first!

Sabah dominates the world with her Mount Kinabalu and Sipadan Island, with special feature on all the different scenic views and opulent marine organisms. But there remains another exquisite yet au naturale feature which I have been treating my vision to - Danum Valley Conservation Area.

The eye-candy nestled in the middle of this primary tropical rainforest, eco-resort Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL in short), which is newly renovated in February this, and locally-owned by Sabah Foundation (Yayasan Sabah) Group of Companies.

Danum Valley Conservation Area with 43,800 hectares of pristine and undisturbed tropical flora and fauna in the eastern part of Sabah, is also home to more than 328 species of birds, 120 species of mammals, 72 species of reptiles, 56 species of amphibians and a staggering 200 species of plants per hectare.

Borneo's mammals include such extremely rare and endangered species as the Sumatran Rhino, Benteng Elephant, Clouded Leopard, Bornean Gibbon, and Leaf Monkey. The Orangutan and Proboscis Monkey are both found only in Borneo, giving Danum Valley a reputation for being one of the best places for viewing Borneo's wildlife.

And so I begin my journey from Lahad Datu, from a concrete jungle into the real jungle, the transition is not much different, except the colour chart skipped an entire spectrum, from a stylish suit of grey to a casual luscious green. The environment controls an element of unknown danger, camouflaging the mysterious footprints of pigmy elephants, orang utans and the endless species of birds and flora.

The ride into this famed forest resort is very much, a juggle. A mere 78km from the road junction but it took us 2.5 hours. ¾ way into the bumpy journey, the breakfast in me is dying for that big break. That said, despite the rabbit-hop motion, I have my fair share of surprises too. Most parts of the journey were lined with footprints of the pygmy elephants, clearly distinguished by the brown blocks (Yeah, the droppings). According to our driver, the herd normally moves out in the shadows of nightfall or before dawn breaks. So this definitely beats the predictable acrobatics move of their counterparts in an enclosure.

Another rare sight, a touching moment of a mother orang utan moving out from her cleverly camouflaged nest in her search for food, presumably for her young. Her slow lazy move across the forestry may suggest a resigned fate of fending for her babies, but it is also a smart tactical move for her to observe the danger that lurks in the jungle and of course, foreign intrusion like us.

The destination smells near when we started peering into tourists? faces, perspiring and happily walking back to the resort. A distinct man-made structure, which is the hanging bridge and wooden-etched signages are great indications that I can finally set foot on stable ground. My welcome greeting by Borneo Rainforest Lodge staff made me feel at ease. Names were properly addressed and I had a Pandan Leaf garland around my neck in no time. A woody feel surrounds the main hall, with raw stone flooring at the entrance, very much my preferred style. A comfortable and relaxing resort which is worth every dollar spent, but where are the "eco" elements?

Seeming to have read my mind, Borneo Rainforest Lodge Director of Operations Mr. Isabeli Garcia (fondly known as Seb) and Operations Manager, Mr. Henry Llames with his humble smile, enthusiastically invited me for a short briefing and tour around the eco-resort. Ms. Ellen Logtens, the eco-counsellor engaged by BRL, accompanied us throughout to explain in depth the green practices which BRL is constantly reviewing and updating.

Borneo Rainforest Lodge started off with a softer landing for the staff, especially for the housekeeping and kitchen department. Purchasing department was first briefed on ordering bulk packaging of eco-detergents for laundry and dish-washing, first for its economical sense and secondly, reducing packaging used. Ellen explained further that optical brighteners used in normal laundry detergents are toxic to fish and they can also trigger skin allergies. Phosphate is another chemical which promotes growth of algae and weeds but inhibit oxygen generation, thereby casuing death of aquatic organisms. BRL constantly searched for new products on the shelf and reviewed existing product usage to manage and gear BRL towards a ?Zero Chemical Lodge?. Hence, in recent months, toilet cleaners containing chlorine and toiletries sets for guests containing artificial fragrances, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Parabens were replaced with eco-friendly cleaners, shampoo, conditioner and soaps.

The next step, energy conservation. A wise but perhaps not a beaten track of a resort operations is to limit the number of guests in the entire eco-resort. 60 guests are allowed daily in this green enclave, not only to protect the wildlife but also to better manage the energy consumption. The lighting in and around the resorts are mostly using LED or energy-efficient bulbs. Guests are also encouraged to switch off the electricity upon leaving their room. During the renovation, each chalet is designed with a passive cooling structure, thus reducing energy consumption. The chalets are equipped with solar-powered heater, tapping on renewable energy from the sun which lowers dependency on fuel-powered generators, and in the long-run, it makes sensible returns on profits.

While it is impressive that BRL has managed one out of three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), I probed with the next R - Reuse. One of the housekeeping staff, Ryan, who was with us, was quick to show me a reusable steel bottle apparently used by majority of the staff in BRL, in a bid to beat the plastic bottle culture. I was also shown the refilling station, where guests and staff can refill their bottles with clean drinking water instead of bottled mineral water. Henry mentioned that within the next half a year, the disposable toiletries set in each chalet will be replaced with reusable containers, which in turn minimize plastic usage.

Well I must say at this point of time, my reservations on Borneo Rainforest being an eco-resort is very much diminished, though not completely quashed. My next question, so where does the kitchen waste and other waste discharge goes to? Since it is an eco-friendly lodge, you can?t dump it in the jungle and the journey out of the lodge is time-consuming, so how is the waste management practiced? All eyes turned to Ellen and her co-consultant, Mr Clarence Chiuh of Scents of Borneo.

BRL has done the 2Rs and it did not make much sense if the third 'R' is not incorporated. Hence, Ellen started with recycling used wood from the General Maintenance department to make waste separation bins. Staff and guests are encouraged to separate their rubbish into tin/aluminum cans, plastic and paper. The separated non-organic waste and then brought out of the lodge to recycling companies in different fields to recycle them.

For the organic waste which makes up 70% of BRL's waste output, its biodegradable properties is well suited to be recycled into compost for their nursery. Clarence introduced the use of Effective Micro-organism (EM®) Technology from Japan into the waste management program of BRL which started early this year. The organic microbes from EM Technology is used to hasten the fermentation period of the kitchen waste, recycling it into organic fertilizers which is used for the vegetables nursery and decorative potted plants, eventually serving it on the plates of the guests. The fermented garbage juice is re-applied to unclog drains and sewage and for reducing foul smell. For further treatment of sanitary waste, EM® Technology is also used directly in the septic tanks for bio-mediation and to reduce foul smell.

Ellen mentioned that the current green measures are but the basic foundation which the lodge is advocating. More can and will be done. Hence, Borneo Rainforest Lodge invited Gonthong and Deborah from Wild Asia to conduct an internal workshop on Responsible Tourism and its accompanying award program.

The workshop was attended by staff from all departments in BRL, and judging from the healthy interactive exchange, the management has indeed disseminated the implementation of green practices well. Front Desk, Housekeeping, Guides, Drivers, Kitchen, General Maintenance and Green Department had their respective representatives. Judging from the reactions of the staff and mid-management, BRL looks set to better themselves, by Responsible Tourism practices - Protects Natural Habitats, Respecting Cultures and Empowering Local Communities.

Before my visit ended, I noticed a small group of staff smoking at a designated area. Mr. Edmundo J. Café Jr, the assistant operations manager in charge of the nature tours was seen holding out a re-usable candy box for all the snubbed-out cigarettes butts. That's when I noticed that there are no stray cigarette butts lying around the resort compound. He said that in the past, staff would throw their rubbish, including cigarette butts randomly, and this in turn may affect the wildlife which may mistook it for food. Now, with BRL's strong policies and daily reminders and practices, the staff is mindful of where rubbish is dumped and they are quick to remind guests not to litter along the tracking trails. With the use of bio-degradable meal boxes, it will also cause less damage to the natural environment.

My initial skeptism on all the man-made structure and doings within this beautiful jungle dissipated after my stay; clearly BRL will be the torch-bearer for eco-resort in green practices, at least in Sabah.

Special note from Wild Asia: Wild Asia is proud to be part of this transformation process. We are pleased to witness another green gem arise in this part of the region. Let's create more Leaders in Destinations and inspire others to ride on this wave towards sustainable destinations.