A week or so ago, I was privileged to join an Edu-Tourism Camp facilitated by University Malaya. The programme which was developed by a subsidiary body called UM Cares aims to provide a totally new outlook on Eco-Tourism in Malaysia.
What is the difference between the two you may ask?
Ecotourism - tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, especially to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.
Edutourism - Recreational travel undertaken undertaken solely or partially for the purpose of study, self improvement or intellectual stimulation.
In a nutshell what Edutourism means is enjoying nature from an educational perspective. Learning about our ecosystem and how every bit of flora and fauna has its own purpose.
The UM Tropical Familiarization Camp as it is called consists of a 3 days 2 nights stay at their Outdoor Research Facility and surrounding wilderness. The facility which is situated within the Selangor State Forest Reserve may not be your idea of "Bear Grills - Into The Wild" but I can assure you that it is a truly eye-opening experience.
Through out the 3 days we were not only given tasks to do along with some classroom sessions, there were also many fun yet educational activities scheduled. Here's a breakdown of what to expect during the camp.
Biodiversity : Frogging, Animal Trapping, Stream Sampling & Survival Walk.
Indigenous Culture: Sewang Dance Show & Tell, Arts & Crafts and Blow Piping.
Extreme Sports: Waterfall Abseiling, Flying Fox, Zip Line and Archery War.
Below is a sample Itinerary:
UM
Tropical Camp
Day 1.
09.00
am Pendaftaran
09.15
am Ice-breaking
09.30 am
Guided Walk di Rimba Ilmu
10.30 am
Aktiviti Explorace
11.30 am
Lawatan ke Dewan Tengku Canselor (DTC)
12.30
pm Makan
tengahari & pengurusan diri
02.30
pm Bertolak
ke Ulu Gombak
03.30 pm
Persembahan “Sewang” oleh penduduk Orang Asli Gombak
04.30
pm Permainan
tradisional Orang Asli – Menyumpit
05.00
pm Pembuatan
kraftangan tradisional Orang Asli
06.00
pm Makan
malam
08.00
pm Frogging
10.00
pm Mist
net
11.00
pm Tamat
hari pertama
Day 2
07.00
am Observasi haiwan
pada mist net
08.00
am Sarapan
08.30
am Pemasangan cage
trap dan pitfall trap
10.30
am Archery
war
12.00
pm Makan
Tengahari
02.00
pm Stream
sampling
04.30
pm Minum
petang
05.00 pm Ecological
plotting
05.30
pm Observasi
cage trap dan pitfall trap
06.30
pm Ekspedisi
Sungai Pisang
08.30
pm Sesi
BBQ di Sungai Pisang
10.00
pm Bermalam
di Sungai Pisang
Day 3
07.30 am Sarapan
08.00
am -Abseiling
-Flying Fox
-Zipline
1.00
pm Rehat
2.00
pm -Abseiling
-Flying
Fox
-Zipline
5.00 pm
Program tamat. Bertolak ke
Universiti Malaya
It's a pretty packed schedule if you ask me, but it is well worth your time and energy. I certainly enjoyed my time there and definitely gained an abundance of knowledge throughout. I will be writing my take on the events and activities that took place during the camp, so stay tuned for more.
P/S: At the end of this series i'll share the entire package cost and a list of travel partners that you may acquire such packages from.
Till then...
Jean Gallyot out....