langkawi magazine
Reviews SECTION
An Introduction to Air Trekking
The canopy of the rainforest is one part of the forest that I am least familiar with. After all, most of us would see the rainforest along forest trails or following river courses.
So when I learnt that there was someone on Langkawi that had established a route up to the canopy I jumped at the chance to experience it for myself. Our adventure began at the base of Gunung Raya, one of the highest peaks on the island of Langkawi. After a quick briefing at the carpark by our guide, Juergen Zimmerman, who runs Langkawi Canopy Adventure, we were kitted out in climbing harnesses before beginning our climb up to the canopy platforms.
This was not the most taxing of treks, but it can be hard going in our humid tropics. Don't worry though, if you want an excuse to catch your breath, take a look around you, you are in some of the most pristine rainforest on the island. In less than half an hour we are at the start of the canopy adventure. Juergen has leased a part of the forests of Gunung Raya for his canopy adventures and the route has been carefully laid out to allow the most inexperienced beginner to learn the basic of "air-trekking" and abseiling, the two main skills one will need to complete the entire course. We start off with a training session where we are taught the very basics of the skills we will use.
We are soon ready for our first "air-trek". We climb up on ladders to the first platform and are given a final briefing. From here, our adventure begins?its an odd mixture of fear and exhilaration that makes your flight through the canopy all the more fun. One of the things I was told at the beginning that interested me was the fact that the last run takes you into a large fig tree, and currently the fig was in fruit - something that most wildlife cannot resist.
Sadly, I had almost no time to take in the "canopy" experience?the last 10 m of the run and my the time on platform was almost a blur as I was petrified (although a bit late, I did realize that I DO have a fear of heights)!! However, once I had was off the platform and was sitting comfortably in my harness some 30 m above ground, my senses began to come back to me and I began to appreciate the perspective that all arboreal animals must have?
What is air-trekking?
"Air-trekking" is truly a novel way to experience the rainforest. Also known as "flying foxes", it's a way of traveling from point to point in the tree-canopy along steel cables using special runners that are attached to you via a climbing harness. Juergen has laid out a series of canopy-runs, abseil descents and traverses that helps the uninitiated to learn all the basic techniques. The early part of the route is deigned to help you learn the basics and this is essential as the final run is the longest and extends 120 m long and ends on a tree platform built some 30 m high. This should not be attempted by the faint hearted, as once on this run, there is no turning back. The hardest parts, I thought, was stepping off the tree platform and descending that final 30 m down to the ground.
What you'll need? Cool clothes, t-shirts and shorts are okay but good shoes or trainers are a must. I would bring some energy-bars or some kind of snack handy just in case you'll need an extra burst of oooph before your turn on a run. In a group of 4, it took us 4-5 hours to complete the adventure from the first briefing till the end.
For information & booking visit www.langkawi-insider.com
Malaysia 11/8/2003
