Activities For Kids | Bird Watching & Fashion Forest Trekking @ Awana Bio Park
by
Jia Shin Lee
- October 17, 2018
A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to escape the city for the weekends and spent two days up in Genting Highlands for an ecological wonder at the Awana Bio Park, it was a great chance for my family and I to enjoy the fresh air up in Mount Ulu Kali's rainforest and it was also a great way to get my kids outdoors to appreciate and conserve nature.
This 130 million years old tropical forest with rich biodiversity invites nature lovers to explore even more of this ecological wonder with the introduction of three new trails as well as pitcher plant conservation and bamboo conservation projects.
Each trail has been designed to highlight the special aspects of the mountain forests of Genting Highlands – a unique ecosystem shaped by terrain and weather located between 3,000-6,000 feet (920-1,830 metres) above sea level.
The first is the new Conservation Trail, an 800m loop that focuses on the flora of the Upper Dipterocarp Forest (750-1,200 metres above sea level), a biome rich in pitcher plants, montane bamboo, rattans, wild orchids and black bat lilies, all growing under the shade of towering Strangler Fig and montane timber trees.
For millennials who rarely get a chance to get up close with nature, the Pitcher Plant Conversation area is a fascinating look at the carnivorous plants. A viewing deck along the train is the perfect place for visitors lucky enough to spot a passing hornbill. This particular trail will also highlight the conservation efforts dedicated to maintaining these primeval species, as well as the natural, cultural and practical usage of the plants.
The Herb Forest Trail and Biodiversity Trail also focus on the Upper Dipterocarp Forest biome, taking a longer route (1.8km and 2.7km, respectively) to see even more of Mount Ulu Kali’s ancient rainforests. While the trained guides will always point out spots of interest, specific specimens are now also highlighted with NFC tags that can be scanned with smart devices to glean additional information for the curious. In the Herb Forest Trail, that could include the thick walls of wild bamboo grooves or the medicinal properties of forest herbs scattered along the jungle floor. The longer Biodiversity Trail is the most picturesque, an undulating trek that descends into a valley and requires the crossing of a cascading stream, dominated by the skyward reach of towering montane timber trees.
The three new trails join the current selection of five adventures to be had in the jungles of Genting Highlands, all of which unveil different facets of the forest. Wi-Fi Forest with Shinrin Yoku is an immersive experience combining the Shinrin Yoku concept of contemplative forest appreciation from Japan with strategic use of smartphone apps to reveal the rich biodiversity of the rainforest. The Experience takes things a little more in the direction of courage – abseiling down a 24m boarded slope placed at a 55-degree angle to appreciate the jungle from a different. As twilight descends, the brave and the inquisitive can venture out into the dark to encounter nocturnal experience over a Night Herping session.
In addition to the various activities available, Resorts World Genting is also introducing a Bamboo Conservation Project at Awana Bio Park. With the jungle here being home to some of the tallest and hardest bamboos in the world, the project aims to identify and catalogue the number of bamboo groves in the Bio Park, with the aim of maintaining and up keeping them for sustainable use.
Bamboo – the fastest-growing grass in the world - being a renewable source, the project also aims to introduce visitors of Resorts World Genting to bamboo craft activities such as teepee and blowpipe making which are a great favorite for team building activities. The project will include participation from other organizations like Universiti Malaya, Birdlife and the Malaysian Nature Society for the study of forest rodents and wildlife, as well as partnering with Semai Orang Asli to promote indigenous craftwork and raise awareness of the role of bamboo in traditional food making.
All trails are conducted by specialist guides, by appointment only with the fees being
RM75 per person for the Conservation Trail
RM95 per person for the Herb Forest
RM135 per person for the Biodiversity Trail.
*A minimum group of 3 is required for each trail.
For bookings please contact Trek Events at +6013 399 3667 or email info@treks.events, hotel guest may enquire at the hotel reception for bookings.
For enquiries on the Bamboo Conservation Project, please contact 013 3993667 (TREKS’ Eddie).
Resort World Genting is working with the specialist from a nature consultancy, Treks Nature for projects throughout the forest with husband and wife team, Eddie Chan and Pat Ang guiding and sharing their knowledge with visitors. The team will point out rare trees, exotic birds and unusual species tucked away in the shadows of the jungle while incorporating modern technology to make the experience accessible and fun.
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Children are naturally curious and love to learn new things, took the advantage of that and brought them outdoors for the first time. We were given a list of birds to keep track of the species we spot along the way.
After the bird watching at Awana Resort, we took the Awana Skyway up to Genting Sky Avenue to grab dinner, the new cable car took only 10 minutes to reach and along the way there will be a midway point where you can disembark at the Chin Swee station at no extra cost to explore the Chin Swee Caves Temple and its scenic surrounding.
Had our dinner at Motorino Pizzeria, it's an Italian restaurant that's not to be missed! Serving you freshly baked pizza straight from the stove, the open kitchen will allow you to check out the chefs at work and see how's your pizza done! Serving time was quick and the service was excellent. Both pasta dishes were great but the outstanding ones were definitely the pizzas!
Smoked Bacon & Clam Spaghetti
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Lamb Sausage Calzone which reminds us of a gigantic puff, basically it's made from pizza dough and the fillings is stuffed with lamb sausage! It was the perfect combination of crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and sturdy enough to hold the generous amount of toppings!
Egg Bacon & Chili RM52
This might look simple but it just taste so good! First of all the pizza is thin and crispy but not flimsy and it's so cheesy I could see stands of cheesy with every bite I take!
And right after dinner, popped by Red Tail by Zouk for some games and drinks. The trendiest drinking games such as beer pong are available with other fun activities such as darts, pool, retro arcades and jumbo size Jenga. The lounge is the perfect setting to relax and catch up with your friends and family.
The next day was packed with fun activities but first, we took a small trail through the rainforest before we reach the Fashion Forest! The Fashion Forest is the first rainforest with wifi! It offers 5 scenic bio-diversity galleries which showcase the best of an Upper Dipteropcarp Forest.
Visual aids with QR codes help us appreciate and get to know the bio-diversity of the forest, just scan the QR codes and it will lead us to a page containing information about the plant or animals we come across and since it's connected with the internet we could upload the pictures we have taken on the spot!
