A dreamer's muse: Madai Baturong Forest Reserve Nature Centre

Madai Baturong Forest Reserve Nature Centre or Pusat Sejadi Hutan Simpan Madai Baturong or also known simply as Madai Waterfall, is located just by the roadside of Jalan Tawau - Lahad Datu, somewhere around 50 km from Lahad Datu and 15 km from Kunak, Sabah. My colleagues and I always pass by this place whenever we are on our way to and from Lahad Datu for our work trips but never once we stop at this place. It always seems to be deserted, and I've never seen a car parked inside the area before, therefore the assumption that this place was not open to public. I didn't even know and give any thought about what was inside it. Then again, I think we have never passed by this place during the weekends.

One day, while we were on our way back from Lahad Datu, we saw a police road block set up at the road just in front of the centre. Slowing down, I saw that there's actually a few people sitting at a food stall inside the centre. Thinking out loud, "I wonder what is this place..." and my colleague suggested to stop and take a look inside. It's actually a nature centre and there's a waterfall in it.

Information board at the entrance

Oh, by the way, we have to pay an entrance fee of RM 2 (for adult Malaysians) each. The first thing I noticed was how unkempt the little landscape was as we walked further inwards. At the entrance there's quite a spacious parking space, a surau, toilets and showers and a couple more buildings, one of them was the Information Centre. I didn't go inside that building though. The built pavement was really muddy. A huge butterfly greeted us and it was playing hard to get; fluttering its wings around my colleague while following him as he walked yet it did not allow me the chance to snap a photo of it. I was mesmerized though by its size and (if I may say) playfulness.

a kind of forest plant, I presume ...

not a good idea to swim

The waterfall was not even far from the entrance. We have to walk down quite a long flight of wooden stairs to reach the river and there's the waterfall with its height of about 10-15m tall standing before us. It was a really nice view. The water falls into what looked like a pond of about 15-20m radius before flowing down the river. The water in the river was quite brown in colour although it seemed pure and clear from above the fall. There's a signboard that clearly warns the visitors from swimming and diving. Yeah, we could see with the rocks all over, it is surely preferable to stay safe.

the waterfall and the pond

the river

The waterfall aside, as nice view as it could be, I couldn't say the same about the surrounding area. Of course I know it's a nature centre in a forest reserve but the place could be more beautiful, accommodating and safer with a little bit of maintenance. The wooden stairs were old and some parts were really soft and could break if a person bigger and heavier than us stepped on it. Some planks have already been missing from its place that we need place our foot carefully. Fallen leaves and branches were left accumulated on the stairs. There's a gazebo but I didn't feel like resting there.

repair and maintenance long overdue

I spotted a hanging bridge but from where I stood I could see the piles of leaves accumulated on it. I doubt that I could walk on it without fearing my safety. It seemed that the bridge leads to the forest where people could trek and climb hills and mountains. We went up to look for the bridge and found out that the bridge was closed. Oh, well, what a shame. My excitement was cut short. There's nothing more we could do here. I hope the reason it's closed is because of renovation or maintenance work is in progress but if it is, there's no notification whatsoever about it there.

it could have been nice to be up there

the hanging bridge is closed ... huhu

This place is really nice but I was feeling quite sad with its conditions. I'm sure if this place is maintained well, it could attract a lot of visitors who love to be in natural surroundings, walking in the forest while enjoying the environment, the view and the various species of flora and fauna. The plus side of this place, in my opinion, is that it is really easy to access, no need to ride a pick up to reach here. This place should be a hit. I hope this place will be maintained and promoted well in the future. It's such a shame to see a good recreational place like this reduced to shambles or being appreciated for the wrong reasons. Surely, there are a lot more to be discovered here.