Tangkoko Nature Reserve – North Sulawesi

March trip to North Sulawesi started with meeting my girlfriend Neja who was volunteering at Tasikoki Animal Rescue Centre. She could only get a few days off so we decided to visit a nearby Tangkoko nature reserve.

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Nubians of Aswan

Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt and a place where the Nile cataracts begin. Impossibly hot in summer and  pleasantly warm in winter. When I first visited Aswan I thought this place is magic! Now after a few years I still think the same. Whenever I am in Egypt I just can’t wait to relax on the felucca Nile cruise operated skillfully by a Nubian captain. Read more

On the Safari in East Africa – part II

Safari shots continuing. This is the second post on wildlife watching in East Africa. If you’ve missed the first one – here is the link.

The photo of the Flamingos was taken at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. This is probably the most convenient place to see these incredible birds in huge numbers. When I first saw them I was surprised. I expected elegant, gentle birds in a tranquil environment, but  came across noisy, clumsy, smelly and funny looking fellows instead. The biggest fun was to watch them chase each other around the shores of the lake. They looked like a children at play. No sign of elegance that I expected. Read more

On the Safari in East Africa – part I?

East Africa is one of my favourite places I’ve ever been. Its wildlife, landscapes, people and pure wilderness itself gets under your skin and you can never forget this unique place on Earth. I’ve been there many times guiding safari expeditions and vacations on Zanzibar island. Read more

Bako National Park

Last few days on Borneo we spent in Bako National Park. This is one of the smaller parks of the island, but one of the most interesting ones. It is a place where you actually do see animals, also the “furry” ones:) Read more

Gunung Mulu National Park

Gunung Mulu (Mt. Mulu) national park was on the top of my “places to visit” list when Neja and I were travelling around Borneo. It is located in north Borneo on Malaysian side of the island. It belongs to Sarawak state and it lies close to Brunei sultanate. Read more

Sunset and nightmarket of Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu or KK is a base to explore Sabah, the Eastern part of Malaysian Borneo. We arrived to KK from Mt. Kinabalu NP and it was a love on the first sight. After three weeks of rough travel through jungles of Kalimatan we desperately needed a day or two in civilisation, to wash our clothes, eat some decent food and enjoy commodities of civilised world. Read more

Mount Kinabalu National Park

Mount Kinabalu National Park is one of the most beautiful places we visited on our trip around Borneo. We didn’t plan to stop here because we didn’t take any warm clothes and sturdy shoes for hiking with us. But we changed our plans when we talked to other travellers we met. Everybody was saying it is a stunning place, worth visiting.
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Transformers are among us!

I thought the movie was fiction. I was wrong.

Transformers ARE among us! This one is in Malaysia…

Mudskippers at Tarakan island

Getting from Derawan  to Tarakan island is an achievement itself. It took us the whole day and we used four different transport options; first we hired a speedboat to get to the mainland. Then we took a Kijang to Berau and there we switched to Tanjung Selor. In Tanjung Selor we boarded another boat to Tarakan island. It can be done in one day, but you have to plan carefully. Read more

Swimming with jellyfish and manta rays

Close to Derawan there are two small but incredible islands, Kakaban and Sangalaki. If you are staying at Derawan a visit to these two islands is a must. It is possible to make a day trip to both of them. Read more

Derawan Island, Borneo

Derawan island was on the top of our wishlist when we were planning our trip. We heard so many nice things about the island and also that it is really remote and it takes days to get there. Everything we heard is true, also the part of getting there. Here you can read what it takes to get to Derawan. Read more

Samarinda to Berau

After leaving Tanjung Puting National Park, where we met Orangutans, we headed to the East of Borneo, to Derawan island. The way there is not as straight-forward as it looks. We needed to get from the park headquarters In Kumai to Pangkalan Bun airport. Then we flew back to Banjarmasin. From Banjarmasin we took a night bus to Samarinda, which took us around 15 hours. We were exhausted and decided to stay one night to relax in Samarinda. Read more

Our red-haired cousins

Tanjung Puting National Park has three rehabilitation centres for Orangutans within its borders. It is said to be the best place to encounter these wonderful apes in their natural habitat. This was the main reason that we decided to visit it. In previous post you can read how we got there and how does it look like being there. But let’s get now to the Orangutans… Read more

Tanjung Puting National Park

From Banjarmasin we flew to Tanjung Puting National Park. It is supposed to be the best place in the world to see the Orangutans and this was the reason we decided to visit this place.
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Floating market at Banjarmasin

Banjarmasin is known also for its wonderful floating markets. When I was travelling in Thailand I visited Damnoen Saduak floating market, but it was a big disappointment. The place was crowded with tourists and locals were selling more or less souvenirs. Since then I really wished to find a true floating market where locals trade their produce.
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Banjarmasin canal cruise

Banjarmasin, the self proclaimed Venice of the East. This city was our first contact with Borneo on our trip to this amazing island. We arrived late in the evening and went for a short walk around the city. First impression was not really nice – the traffic is chaotic, nobody speaks English and nobody knows anything.
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Back from Borneo!

After seven weeks of travelling to Egypt and Borneo I am finally back home to Slovenia. Home sweet home! Borneo is an island full of surprises and extremes and travelling there was not an easy time! It is a special place that makes you cry in one moment and jump for joy in the next.

More photos will follow shortly, but for now just this baby Orangutan. His name is Peter and he is an orphan at a logging camp in Kalimatan (Indonesian Borneo). With my girlfriend we are trying to get him to a rehabilitation centre that he would get a proper care and attention. Not an easy thing to do!

Yala national park safari

Yala NP is the most popular national park in Sri Lanka. No wonder why, we were there for about three hours and yet we saw amazing number of wildlife.  I have been to several African countries for Safaris so I did not expect much from Yala. But I was pleasantly surprised by both the landscapes and wildlife we encountered. Here are just some photos of the animals I took during this wonderful safari.
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Dickwella – a hidden Buddhist haven

Dickwella is just a small town to the South of Sri Lanka. It is not on a tourist map although there is quite interesting temple to visit. My local guide told me it is nothing special and that we should skip it to save time, but I insisted to stop there. A friend of mine told me it is a must to see it.
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The smoke that thunders

The smoke that thunders or “Mosi-Oa-Tunya” is a local name for Victoria Falls. The Falls lie on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and can be visited from both countries. I visited the Falls from Zimbabwean side, from the town Victoria Falls.
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The Wonder of Plitvice lakes

Plitvice lakes national park lies somewhere in the middle between Zagreb and Dalmatia coast in Croatia. Higher altitude, dense forests and clear waters make the air pleasant even on a hot summer day. A good reason to stop for a day to relax a bit. I visit Croatia regularly and I’ve been to almost all of its coast but never managed to stop at Plitvice. Maybe i was ignorant because it is one of the top attractions of the country and there are always hundreds of tourist buses at the gates. I was sooooo wrong! The place is absolutely fantastic and so much different of the other highlights of Croatia. I arrived directly from the Hvar island where it was damn hot and humid and I was eagerly waiting for the temperature drop. At the Plitvice NP it was really a pleasant atmosphere almost 20 degrees Celsius lower than at the coast.
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Walvis bay – Mola Mola safari

On the way from Swakopmund to Sesriem we stopped at Walvis bay. The idea was to do the Mola Mola sea safari to watch the seals, pelicans, dolphins and other marine animals. The coast was misty and cold. Our skipper Eddie was a great guy with a great sense of humor. He was making jokes all the way and he was really knowledgeable. As soon as we left the harbour we got funny visitor – an adult seal named Saddam Husein (the photo above). He just sat at the back of the boat and waiting for  the fish.
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Namib-Naukluft National Park

Namib desert is probably number one attraction in Namibia. The red dunes are the subject on every tourist brochure photos and a visit is in every itinerary of Namibia that travel agencies offer. And I do not wonder why. I was admiring the photos myself and I hardly waited to get there. The Namib is the second largest desert in Africa and it is the part of Namib – Naukluft national park. Most popular place to visit in the park is Sesriem, which is a starting point to the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei areas.

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Stripes in Etosha

Etosha is one of the most interesting national parks I have visited so far. The name itself means “The great white pan” after huge mineral pan that dominates the park. Etosha NP is huge – it is even bigger than my home country Slovenia.  For a visit of the park I would recommend you t least three nights in the park to cover the most interesting areas. Even if you do self driving it is not difficult to navigate and spot animals. The best scenario would be driving from one waterhole to another and then another… Waterholes usually attract a lot of wildlife and even if at the moment you get there there is no animals it is worth to stop. If you stop the car engine and just enjoy the quietness and wait for a while, animals will come. Read more

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