100 tourists in a resort stranded for Christmas – otherwise business as usual

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Christmas in the Malaysian rainforest. More than 60 tourists from Britain, Canada and Australia are among those stranded at the Malaysian Mutiara Tamam Negara Resort in Pahang.

Christmas in the Malaysian rainforest. More than 60 tourists from Britain, Canada and Australia are among those stranded at the Malaysian Mutiara Tamam Negara Resort in Pahang. They are safe, the resort calls it business as usual.

1,075,000 acres of tropical rainforest in both Malaysia and Indonesia had been hit by an unexpected heavy monsoon season.

โ€œWe are not going to close the park,โ€ said Mutiara Taman Negara Resort Manager, Nathan Vaithi.

The national park management was responding to the public after news broke that the park would be closed until end of January, 2015 earlier today.

Regarding the tourists who are stranded in the park, Vaithi said everyone in the resort were reportedly safe.

Since road access is almost limited, the fire department will use boats and a helicopter to the resort for evacuation of the 102 local and foreign tourists who are stranded at the park.

The resort states its location on the web as: Taman Negara is a particularly favorable destination for trekking, as the park’s remarkable biodiversity is matched by a good network of jungle trails and the availability of expert guides.

The park is also noted for fishing, especially along the upper reaches of the Tahan or Kenyam rivers, and for rafting the rapids of Sungai Tembeling. Peninsular Malaysia’s highest mountain, Gunung Tahan (2,187 meters), is located in Taman Negara, and climbing the mountain is an unforgettable experience. Due to the scarcity of water along the route, the journey must be done in two stages, and an experienced guide is compulsory.

At least three days are required for the journey to the summit and back. On the southern edge is Kuala Tahan, the park’s headquarters, linked to the outside world by river. A three-hour river trip is the only overland route; an alternative is to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Taman Negara Park headquarters at Kuala Tahan with chalets, restaurants and campgrounds is located in 4,343 square kilometers of the world’s oldest rainforest.

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Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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