Tasek Merimbun : BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
The unique black water lake known as Tasek Merimbun is the largest lake in Brunei. Two rivers, Sungai Meluncur and Sungai Bang Oncom, flow into the lake. The waters from the two rivers are almost black because they flow through swamp forests full of peat on their way to the lake. Tasek Merimbun naturally has an unusual S-shape. There is a small island in the center, which is accessible by way of a timber walkway. On Saturday, bright and early (7.30), we all set off on our first Brunei adventure. We had seen information about Brunei's largest lake, and the natural park around it, and on the island in it, and thought it was worth a visit. In addition, I'm going to a lecture at the university about it's flora and fauna, so it was a bit of a research trip too. The lake is called “Tasek Merimbun“. We left the urban sprawl where we live, and set out along the coast road, south, towards the Tutong district. The coast road is beautiful, not the smoothest of road surfaces, but not bad (considering the weather these roads have to deal with, they're excellent), and the central reservation is as beautifully planted and maintained as any formal garden I've seen. There are small groups of men in big straw hats always pruning, clipping, sweeping, from dawn till dusk. How they cope in the heat is beyond me, but the results of their labours are wonderful. Town and concrete soon gave way to forest, with occasional glimpses of the sea to our right. After half an hour we had reached Tutong, a small, unremarkable town, with a few “supermarkets” (shacks), local shops and a gleaming HSBC. It's here that the Tutong river, which rises down in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) reaches the sea. We turned left, south, and followed a small road upriver. Again, it amazes me how good the roads are. They have to deal with 30+ temperatures every day, and tropical downpours most nights, and most of the time, they're perfectly good. The road we were on led from nowhere to nowhere, but was fine. a while of meandering, and passing many typical Brunei houses (look ancient, built on stilts), we picked up signs for Tasek Merimbun and followed them, mostly through forested areas. When we got there, we saw a sign that gave us quite a surprise. Firstly it was in English (all roadsigns here are in Malay and/or Arabic), and secondly it warned of the lake being inhabited by crocodiles. At this point, I'm getting quite excited and Becca's getting quite concerned. Getting out of the car, the heat hit us (again). It was only 8.30 by now, but a cloudless sky meant that the temperature was heading up into the 30s.
Merimbun Lake is Brunei's largest. Because of the country's vast oil wealth, most of Brunei's lakes, rivers and jungles are well protected, especially compared to neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia where logging has scarred the landscape. Because of its isolated location, Merimbun sees very few tourists - foreign or local - but it is frequently visited by biologists who study the lake's diverse ecology. The boats pictured here are found on the shore of the scientific research compound. The site consists of a complex of shallow, freshwater lakes and grassy marshes surrounded by a large area of seasonally flooded peat swamp forest, to the west of the Tutong River. The lakes are fed by three streams and overflow from the Tutong River during the rainy season (August to December). The maximum depth of water in the lakes is about 4 m; the pH is low. Dryobalanops rappa and Dactylocladus stenostachys are the dominant trees in the peat swamp forest. These also have important stands of ramin Gonostylus maingayi, the elegant sealing wax palm Cyrtostachys renda and fan palms Licuala paludrosa and Borassodendron borneense. Clusters of the pitcher plant Nepenthes ampullaria crouch on the peaty Soil whilst N. bicalcarata, N. gracilis and N. mirabilis climb among small trees. There are also large areas of lowland dipterocarp forest at the south end of the park. The site constitutes the largest peat swamp reserve in northern Borneo and has a tropical monsoonal Climate with an average annual rainfall of about 3,000 mm.
Positioned just 27kms inland from Tutong is Tasek Merimbun, Brunei’s largest lake. Part of Merimbun Heritage Park, this tranquil nature spot is home to various animals including monkeys and birds. With its close proximity to the capital and its international airport, traveling to the stunning lake is a must for all travelers. The lake is in the shape of an S, with a beautiful island in the middle connected by wooden footbridge. The main attraction of Tasek Merimbun is the natural wildlife around the spectacular lake. Bird watchers and nature lovers will thoroughly enjoy what the area has to offer. Merimbun Heritage Park has a host of activities to enjoy that center around appreciating the wild animals and plethora of exotic plant species that inhabit the park. The scientific research center provides a wealth of information about the local habitat and the protected wildlife. once been a stunning piece of bridge building. There were shelters along the way, with benches upon which to rest and escape the heat, and admire the (truely wonderful) views. Alas, maintenance was not good. The planks creaked underfoot with every step, and quite a few were flexible enough to inject a bit of bounce into one's step. Every now and then, we passed the remains of a plank that had falled victim to rot and / or termites. Progress was slow. By this stage we were about 20 metres from the shoreline! Becca, thankfully, had her sensible thinking hat on, and refused point blank to go any further. I gladly agreed that we should go back, as being on a rickety, semi-rotten bridge over crocodile infested waters was not my idea of a great Saturday out for all the family. We got back to the shore (alive!), had a little wander around the shoreline, and set off back home. We found a quicker, less pretty route to take us back, and were home within three-quarters of an hour.
