TSDayOut Special Edition: Semadang Discovery Kayaking
Are you up for an adventure but do not know where and what to do while you are in Kuching, Sarawak? Well fret not, grab some popcorn and read further because this is not your typical activity I am about to introduce. First up, have you try Kayaking? I am sure some of you might have done while some of you might not have. Kayaking is quite common at the sea but this highly recommended on Tripadvisor activity is not your average deal because it involves Semadang river of 11km stretch that will commute you back to nature and serenity with pitstop of mini waterfall, Danu Village, Caving area, Mini Cave and Fish feeding area. You will not only experience Sarawak rainforest at its best when you paddle down Semadang river on a kayak. So do you even know where is Semadang? aahhh.. honestly I did not know the existence of this place until recently. Thanks to Tourism Selangor with the collaboration of Sarawak Tourism Board, all of us get the chance to experience an expedition where not only we've discovered this paradise, but the friendly people and most importantly my love-hate relationship with water based activities.
You see, I can't swim and I am certainly not a beach/sea/river person however I love the outdoor and adventurous activities especially if it is surrounded by the seductive jungles with lots of trees, mountains, hills and mother nature. So back to Semadang river, it is located in the heart of Borneo Highland, about 40 minutes from Kuching town and Semadang Discovery Kayaking is definitely one of the best kayaking experience i've ever tried - (minus the long journey under the scorching sun) . Operated and owned by family business under the name of Semadang Borneo Adventure Sdn Bhd, there are also several packages offered to the public including Klasik Bamboo Rafting, Kayaking & Caving Combo and Added Orang Utan tour. What I like about the operator is firstly it is run by certified river guides, then life jacket, dry bag (1st time ever because normally most operator do not provide this!) and water bottles are provided, to top it off, they also will help you to take photos (candid with craziness overload, dry or wet) with photo CD / dropbox immediately after the activity and last but not least - authentic Sarawakian home cooked food served as lunch. yummmy! okay check out some of the photos taken either by Semadang River Adventure or using my Iphone6.
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| Are you ready to rock the paddle?? |
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| Norfanil busy filling up the letter of indemnity |
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| Adam, Jess and yours truly |
Ready to built some muscles? 11km might sound short but not when you need to paddle the kayak on a low tied water condition. Took us almost 4 hours to finish this journey with lunch and few pit stops in between.
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| we are like bunch of warriors going to battle with the river |
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| One of the friendly guide, Mackenzie.very cheerful and ready to assist us |
After short briefing by the guides - Mackenzie and Edward, we were advised to find our own partner and start kayaking with the lead of other guides ahead of us. Syed Ali (local drama actor) teamed up with me and we were the first to be released to the river. At one point I felt like I am preparing myself for a kayaking competition hahaha ..especially when Syed keep counting 1,2 ..1,2 1.2.. but anyway it was quite fun teaming up with him because he loves to crack jokes and shared some of his story while kayaking along the river.
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| yours truly and Syed Ali (sado tapi jarang makan nasi sebab dia kata dia cepat gemuk, really?) |
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| With picturesque scenery like this, all my work stress level just washed away. So calm. :) |
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| certain area water level are a bit wobbly as we synchronized our paddling phase |
Halfway kayaking, we were told to stop right after Danu Village bridge. Since it was so hot and sunny, we decided to be a hippopotamus and enjoy the chill cold water. So relaxing as I placed my head in the water. Then, it was like a playground for all of us adults by splashing water at each other, swimming and teasing one another in the middle of unfamiliar territory.
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| The pictures says it all on the amount of fun we had during this trip. Pic taken by Mackenzie |
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| Chilling under the hot sun.. |
After 4km we stopped for lunch. Lunch was wickedly delicious home-cooked food of local authentic cuisine especially the freshly cooked Manok Pansuh (chicken cooked in bamboo) is certainly not to be missed. Drooling while im thinking about it right now.
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| stop for lunch break |
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| Food and more food! so hungry after all that splashing in the water earlier |
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| Then it was time to continue our journey again..let's go! |
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| Group photo! |
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| white sandy rocks |
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| tortoise/ turlte shaped rocks |
We were kayaking and suddenly in the middle of no where, the river flow brought us to this gorgeous limestones that was crafted naturally over the years by natural cause. Its an amazing experience and rest assured that this adventure is not only safe for beginners and people like me but are also family-friendly. Just ensure that the life jacket are worn at all time.
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| Gorgeous! |
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| everyone is starting to feel tired but at least they could enjoy the quiet, calm ambiance |
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| everyone - row row your kayak! |
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| look at the cave structure.. |
Then we found a mini stream and was told to make another stop. We tried human-rafting..kinda cool as the rapid pushed us away but since the water level is low, our rear end landed on some of the top of some rocks and stones ..ouch! But it was totally fun and awesome.
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| did the human rafting and the water flow pushed us effortlessly |
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| Then we came out with this bright ideas of forming human star raft..so fun wei! |
Then as we continued our journey towards this end of the 11km stretch, it started to rain really heavily. We were not only drenched wet but was shivering as we need to wait the rain to stop before getting changed to dry clothes. But while waiting, few of us just continued playing under the rain. Simply reminded me of my amazing childhood memories and I joined in as well hahaa. How often do we play under the rain nowadays, especially in concrete jungle--NONE for sure!
Anyway the Semadang Kayaking was really an eye opener experience. We were not only getting closer to the nature but also creating great bonding moments among the bloggers, media and staff of Tourism Selangor. it was amazing how we were just strangers on the first day but became buddies and shared the same connection instantly after this adventure!
Finally after the rain subside, we changed to dry clothes and head back to our hotel. Dinner tonite will be at Sarakraf Pavilion and it is also mark the final night of our 4D3N TSDAYout Special Edition : Selangor meets Sarawak. There will be also a prize giving ceremony as they will be announcing the winners during Amazing Race @ Heritage Trail and Instagram as well.
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| nice lighting. |
All of the management staff from Sarawak Tourism Board and Tourism Selangor was present during the dinner including Mr Benedict and Pn Noorul Ashkin Md Din respectively. Good news was they decided to throw in more interesting prizes to winners of Best Blog, Best Photos and Best Instagram.
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| more food galore! |
I was so lucky to be announced as one of the winners for Best Instagram cover..yeay! won RM150 cash, hotel voucher and additional prize (yet to be confirmed) courtesy of Sarawak Tourism Board. Thank you!
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| Best Instagram winners |
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| Perhaps another collaboration to Mulu cave?? |
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| Group photos with the lucky draw winners as well. |
We end the night by going back to our hotel earlier as we were so tired after all the kayaking this morning. someone going to get really bad body ache tomorrow..hahaha but overall it was a good workout..i might gained few inches of arm muscles.. :P
Check out this video clip dedicated to the friendly guides of Semadang Borneo and how we had great fun kayaking and enjoying the chill cold river water.
For Semadang Discovery Kayaking experience, you may check out the following :
Website : www.semadangkayak.com
Email : info@semadangkayak.com
Facebook : www.facebook.com/semadangkayak
Contact : +6013 804 2118 (Edward Doring)
+6010 971 5850 (Macquin Doring)
Fee : RM198 per person
You may also check out the snippet of my 4D3N of TSDAYout Special Edition at the link as follows :
Day 1 - Amazing Race @ Heritage Trail
Day 2 (a) - Empire Hotel Subang
Day 2 (b) - Sarawak Sunset River Cruise
Day 3 - Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
Day 4 (a) - Semadang Kayaking
Day 4 (b) - Fairy Cave & Wind Cave
I would like to convey my gratitude and sincere thanks to Tourism Selangor, Sarawak Tourism Board, Air Asia and Empire Hotel Subang for making this trip possible, memorable with fun, laughter and awesome!