Expedition in search of Borneo’s ‘Last Frontier’
KOTA KINABALU: Come this Sunday, a convoy of seasoned 4x4 adventurers will set off on a 15-day ‘never before attempted’ expedition in search of Borneo’s ‘Last Frontier’.
The convoy comprising 17 specially prepared 4x4s and 53 off-roaders will be flagged off by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday.
The expedition will travel from Sabah to North and East Kalimantan, into Sarawak and ending in Brunei on August 27.
The Trans Borneo expedition is the mother of all 4x4 events in Borneo.
It was started in 1988 by the 4x4 Adventure Club Kuala Lumpur.
This year’s Trans Borneo expedition is jointly organized by North Borneo Explorers Sdn Bhd, headed by Anuar Ghani, and P.T. Java Adventura (Indonesia), headed by Harry Sanusi and his son, Reza Hariputra and is endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, Sabah State government, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Sarawak, General Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah State Security, Sarawak State Security, Malaysian Immigration Department, Sarawak, Markas Briged Kelima Infantri Malaysia, Brunei FourWheel Drive Association.
It is supported and sponsored by the BIMP-EAGA Business Council, Society Empowerment & Economic Development of Sabah (SEEDS), Sabah Tourism Board, Sarawak Tourism Board, Ministry of Youth and Sport Sabah, Tropika (Luxury Yacht Charter), Datuk Ewon Ebin, Datuk Bung Mokhtar, Balung River Eco-Resort, and Narva.
It was a rumour that got their adrenalin pumping, according to Anuar Ghani, the expedition chairman, which set off eight hardcore off-roaders, including Harry Sanusi of the Indonesian Off-Road Federation (IOF), to look for the route in June 2016.
The rumour was that there is a jungle trail from Malinau in North Kalimantan to Ba’Kelalan, in the remote highlands of Sarawak close to the Indonesian border.
These hardcore off-roaders, including Voon Foh Jin, a veteran from the inaugural Trans Borneo expedition 28 years ago, set off in six heavily modified 4x4s, driving continuously from Kuching to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan and on to Balikpapan and Samarinda in East Kalimantan and then to Tanjung Selor in North Kalimantan before proceeding to Malinau. There, they found a local guide named Lapinus who confirmed there was a track into Ba’Kelalan through deep and remote jungle.
It was not a rumour after all. The Last Frontier is for real!
The team set off and found a track built by the Indonesian army but which has since fallen into disuse. They had to build numerous timber bridges to cross some washed off sections of the track.
The team had to cross three rivers, where at one stage, they had to be pulled across by an excavator.
The team also encountered steep hill climbs, one in particular, Bukit Seribu (One Thousand Hill), where their vehicles had to use the threepoint winching technique to be hauled up the hill a thousand times!
It took the team three days and three nights of hard driving to make the 260 km crossing into Sarawak. It was one of the greatest 4x4 adventures and experiences of their lives. Altogether, they had driven 4,500 km to make the round trip to find the ‘Last Frontier’.
For further information, please contact Anuar Ghani (+6016-8811725) or email at northborneoexplorer@gmail.com.