BUKIT Mabong is one sight that you cannot possibly miss as soon as you enter the road leading to Tunoh.
The hill’s shape resembles that of an elephant standing with its eyes closed.
The local oral history stated that Bukit Mabong was once the stronghold of a group of Ibans under the command of a leader named Belayong, who opposed and challenged the White Rajah Brooke’s rule in the early 1880s.
A more recent history was Bukit Mabong being a new district under Kapit Division on Nov 3, 2015, with Tunoh as its centre of administration.
Irrespective of its past, the area is indeed scenic, surrounded by lush greenery.
The history and the sight were among the things highlighted during the recent ‘Sarawak Product Experience (SPE) Bukit Mabong Discovery’ programme, organised by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and arranged by its Visitors Information Centre (VIC) Sibu.
A journey of adventure
“The objective of the programme is to assess the readiness and saleability of potential tourism attractions in Bukit Mabong,” said VIC Sibu tourist coordinator Jessie Mangka.
The participants comprised 15 STB staff members, representatives of the federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), Sarawak Craft Council, Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), Kapit Resident’s Office, Kapit District Office, Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas), as well as a group representing the local mainstream media including this writer.
All of us gathered in Sibu early in the morning for a briefing presented by a member of the trip ground handler, Adventure Alternative Borneo, before departing for Kapit in a convoy of seven four-wheel-drive vehicles (4WDs).
That journey took three hours, passing by Kanowit and Song along the way.
After lunch in Kapit town, we set off for another 100km drive along paved roads and offroad tracks towards Tunoh, but in between, we stopped by at the iconic Nanga Mujong Bridge to take photos.
Costing RM37 million, the construction of the 174m-long cable-stayed bridge linking Kapit town, Baleh Dam and Tunoh was completed in September 2020.
Photo-taking was fun, but somehow we suspected (or at least I did) that it was meant to ‘prepare’ us for the offroad adventure ahead, which began as soon as we entered the Nanga Entuloh Junction where there were some stretches covered in thick mud that would only allow one 4WD to pass at one time.
It was very fortunate that we were accompanied by highly skilful drivers, and the journey was made much smoother with good teamwork among all convoy members.
Expedition to waterfall
We reached Tunoh in the early evening and headed straight to Tunoh Digital Economy Centre (PEDi) where STB was already conducting a ‘Responsible Tourism Engagement’ programme with the local community.
As for our accommodation, we stayed at the Panggau Danau Homestay operated by Tuai Rumah (longhouse chieftain) Killau Ugap, 68.
One of the first group of resettlers in Tunoh, Killau said they all came over from Melinau in 1972.
“It took us two days paddling our longboats upriver Sungai Tunoh to reach Tunoh,” he said during a chat that we had before we proceeded to the next item on our itinerary, which was the expedition to the Pancor Gelanggang, a waterfall located about 20km from Tunoh.
This cascade was formed at a section of Sungai Batu Arang, the tributary of Sungai Entuloh.
This, my dear readers, was another adventure – we were on the 4WD for an hour and after that, we had to trek through thick jungle undergrowth for another three hours before reaching the place.
Jubang Sawing, a longhouse resident who was our guide, showed us deer tracks on the muddy ground along the way to Pancor Gelanggang.
“Animals would go to the pool of the waterfall to drink. This area is our hunting ground, especially during the fruit season.
“We could easily bring home two to three wild boars from every hunting trip, but this was before the outbreak of African Swine Fever.
“Now, not even a single trace (of boar) can be found,” said the 66-year-old farmer.
At last, we reached Pancor Gelanggang.
The sight of crystal-clear water gushing down from a height of 345m and crashing into the deep pool below, made the four-hour trail worth it.
Such a majestic beauty did not come without peril, Killau had warned us earlier.
“From such height, no animals could survive the plunge and this said, I must warn you to never enter the pool barefooted.
“There are piles of snake skeletons in the water – the fangs might still be venomous.
“Never, ever remove your shoes when going into the water.”
We heard about another ‘untapped beauty’ in Bukit Mabong – Pancor Mabong, a waterfall nearer to Tunoh.
Unfortunately, we did not get to explore as it was not listed in the itinerary, and also due to safety reasons.
“Pancor Mabong is nearer to Tunoh, but the trail is more challenging, especially at a location known as ‘Tangga Bunyau’ where you have to use ropes to climb the vertical wall.
“Three huts are provided along the way to Pancor Mabong where visitors can stop for short rests.
“There are also big and tall trees, estimated to be over 100 years old, in the forest on Bukit Mabong,” said Killau.
Chieftain with vision, mission
Killau talked about the plan to build a proper road to Bukit Tugong, a smaller hill below Bukit Mabong.
“I am planning to set up ‘anjung tinjau’ (viewing platform) there for visitors to view the scenery all across Tunoh.
“They can visit ‘Gua Landak’ (Porcupine’s Cave) should they want to see boulders as big as a house at Bukit Tugong.”
We also heard about the ‘kerangan’ (pebble) banks at Sungai Tunoh, hailed as a perfect spot for camping.
“The clear, cold water there has plenty of freshwater fish like the highly-prized ‘semah’,” said Killau.
“To have visitors coming to Sungai Tunoh is a good thing, but I am also worried about indiscriminate rubbish-dumping.
“So, in the future, I would want to impose a very minimal charge for campers at the ‘kerangan’ bank. They can consider it as a maintenance fee because I take the cleanliness at the ‘kerangan’ very seriously,” he stressed.
Other attractions waiting to be discovered
Once a remote settlement nestled amidst a thick jungle, Tunoh now has a health clinic, a primary school and an agriculture station, with its residents enjoying round-the-clock electricity and water supply, as well as decent telecommunication service.
Currently, the population numbers at about 2,000 and there are five longhouses, including Rumah Killau with 68 doors.
The other longhouses are Rumah Jantang, Rumah Seman, Rumah Tani dan Rumah Agam.
Bukit Mabong itself is part of the Hose Mountain Range, which spans between the watersheds of Baleh and Balui rivers.
Covering a vast area of 11,976 square kilometres, Bukit Mabong still has many tourism attractions waiting to be discovered.