Trans Borneo Land Below the Wind back with vengeance
KOTA KINABALU: Following a year of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trans Borneo Land Below the Wind (TBLBW) event is making a return, this time with plenty of new aspirations.
The TBLBW is the sole promotional tourism revival event in Sabah for 2021 and it seeks to help jumpstart Sabah back to her nature tourism heyday, back before the pandemic forced it to a screeching halt.
TBLBW is a hybrid 4x4 road adventure that covers several districts in Sabah for the duration of seven days. This year, the event is set to take place from 12 to 19 of December.
The expedition will be divided into two types of tour class options, namely the Touring Class (travelling mainly on the main road or gravelled roads; suitable for normal 4x4 vehicles, as well as the Hardcore Class (will be travelling on hardcore routes; requires modified 4x4 vehicles).
This event is open to 100 participants (limited to 50 vehicles) and registration is on a first-come-first-served basis.
The expedition will be starting in Kota Kinabalu, with pit stops along Mari Mari, Tamaza, Mesilau, Poring, Kun Kun, Sandakan, Taliwas and Bohey Dulang in Semporna as the last stop.
Each tour class will be going on separate routes and meet at certain pit stops.
The main objective and aspiration of TBLBW are to promote and restore the inbound travel and tourism industry in Sabah to both local and niche international markets.
It also aims to promote CHAN (culture, cuisine & conservation; history & heritage; adventure & agriculture; nature & nightlife) tourism in Sabah.
At the end of the day, TBLBW would like to bring its participants to explore the national beauty and splendour of Sabah, while encouraging the love for the great outdoors and healthy living, and ultimately, to test man and machine against the great hardcore terrains of Sabah.
This event is also expected to provide opportunities to local cottage industry players to showcase their products and services, as well as to reignite the local homestay businesses.
As of today, the team from North Borneo Explorer Sdn Bhd has done several recce visits to the locations in order to confirm the routes that will be taken during the expedition.
According to North Borneo Explorer’s director, Anuar Ghani, for the hardcore route, the recce team had had to abort the mission due to severe road conditions as well as the elephant migration.
Hence, for wildlife enthusiasts, there is a good chance of wildlife sighting during the upcoming expedition.
TBLBW is endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Environment Sabah (MTCE), the Sabah Tourism Board, and the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA).
Sponsors for this event include CST Tyres, Angkatan Hebat Sdn Bhd, Permai Polyclinic and the Sabah Energy Corporation. Yayasan Sabah has also granted the expedition team permission to camp at Taliwas and pass through Luasong through the Kun Kun and Imbak Canyon Road.
Participation fees for the TBLBW expedition is RM2,500 for jump-seaters, RM2,100 for public entries, as well as RM1,750 for students and trainees (young Trans Borneo Explorers in the tourism, automotive and multimedia fields).
The registration form can be downloaded from www. transborneo.net and sent to northborneoexplorer@gmail.com.
The deadline for registration is on Nov 30.
Interested parties are advised to hurry as slots for both tour classes are selling fast.