Cover Story
By Angain Kumar
Extreme-based activities are the craze for the young-at-heart, the not-so-young and those wishing to spice up their lives with a little adrenaline rush. To cater to this growing demand, centres offering physically-challenging activities, such as abseiling, caving, canoeing, jungle trekking et. al., have mushroomed at the city fringes. This scribe went on an inspection of these places to unravel the attractions that have many daredevils clamouring for more. Take a deep breath and let us dive into the extreme!
Healthy Activities: A Respite from Technological Gizmos
Sunway City Extreme Park
The Sunway City Extreme Park has come a long way since its opening in 2007. From just having futsal and badminton courts it now offers activities that would get your sneakers muddy and your spirits running high. It has a paintball arena; a go-kart track and an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) track. The newly-opened Adventure Extreme Park nearby is another additional attraction.
According to manager Muhd Kaw Abdullah, the Adventure Extreme Park caters mainly for corporate and government bodies wanting to conduct adventure-type team-building training for their staff. They do accept groups of individuals, as well.
Among the activities offered are a 130-metre flying fox, a 700-metre trek through chest-high waters and mud and rock climbing. However, the rock-climbing walls are due for completion soon. The adventure park, set amidst lush greenery and limestone hills, has 12 chalets and three villas which can accommodate up to 72 people. Cooking and shower facilities are available.
Three-day/two-night and 4-day/3-night packages would cost anywhere between RM1300 to RM1500 per person. Bookings must be made at least a week in advance to allow time for preparation. The management provides tailor-made services to cater for certain needs. However, there is a cost differential. Here are some quotations:
- Paintball war game – RM45 per person for 100 pellets
- Paintball target practices – RM10 for 20 pellets
- Go-kart – RM20 to RM25 for 5 minutes
- All-Terrain Vehicle – RM20 for 5 minutes.
For details call 05 549 8276 or 012 588 7266.
Lost World of Tambun
Lost World of Tambun is not all about spouting water and heart-pumping roller-coaster rides. There is more excitement to it than what meets the eye. The park incorporates a Team-Building Park, which offers a mix of eco-touristic and extreme activities. It is built against the majestic backdrop of the 400-million-year-old Tambun limestone hills.
Upon entry into the Team-Building Park is the Via Feratta with Natural Abseil, a rock-climbing activity which requires one to scale upwards on a limestone rock wall and abseil downwards to solid ground. The Wild Woosey uses the same rock wall where two participants engage in a trust exercise. They have to lean against one another whilst being urged on by their team-mates below.
Next to it is the Leap of Faith or the Para Jump. Participants have to do a bungee jump from a height of 65 feet. Another attraction is the 13 High Rope Course. It features hanging ropes fashioned into an obstacle course purpose-made to test one’s agility, confidence and endurance.
Going further into the park brings you to a lake. A 120-metre long zip line across the water is assigned for flying fox activity. The same lake is used for physically-demanding training such as kayaking, the Triple X Challenge and Super Adventure Race. These are an integral part of the team-building activities on offer. Price ranges are: Zip Line – RM20; Leap of faith – RM35; Wild Woosey – RM80; and Via Feratta – RM120.
Charges do not include the RM50 entrance fee into the Lost World of Tambun theme park. Walk-in prices are limited to three persons.
Lost World of Tambun is located at No. 1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway 1, Sunway City Ipoh (GPS coordinates: N 4°37”32.381” E 101°9’19.048”). For details call: 05 542 8888.
My Gopeng Resort
After a 30-minute bumpy drive from Gopeng, along a winding kampong road riddled with potholes and speed humps, I reached the picturesque entrance of the iconic My Gopeng Resort. The resort offers activities for specific needs, both wet and dry.
The dry activities are found within the Jungle Dry Park. The popular ones are jungle trekking, Rafflesia flower hunt, obstacle course, treasure hunt, survival course and many more.
The wet activities are found within the Natural Water Park. They include body rafting, kayaking, river bug, caving and waterfall-bathing. These activities are being supervised by trained professionals. Extra precautions are taken to ensure the safety of participants.
My Gopeng Resort caters for both corporate and government entities, as well as families and individuals. There are also activities for kids like kayaking, pond-fishing and animal-feeding.
The resort provides lodging and cooking facilities for those wishing to stay overnight. Generous discounts are given for large groups. Price listing:
Prices range from RM155 (for a day trip rafting) to RM268 per pax for an overnight stay with meals and jungle night walks (weather permitting). Individual packages range from RM50 to RM100 and group campfires range from RM10 per pax (with a minimum of 20 pax) to RM250 per group (50 pax and above).
My Gopeng Resort is located at Kampung Geruntom, Gopeng (GPS coordinates: N 4°27”13.64” E 101°12’43.347”). For details call: 05 242 3777.
Bukit Kinding Eco-Adventure Park
Managed by Fuze Outdoors, the Bukit Kinding Eco-Adventure Park has organised team-building activities for over 300 companies since its opening in 2011. Activities offered include kayaking, boating, jungle trekking, obstacle course and river crossing.
The park has Malaysia’s longest double zip line flying fox. At 486m, the line is being certified as the longest by the Malaysia Book of Records. What makes the place unique is its aqua skipping and zorbing activities.
Aqua skipping is literally skipping across the surface of the water on special hydrofoil wings and fibreglass spring. Zorbing, on the other hand, is where guests are placed in a transparent orb and rolled down a gentle slope. A variation of zorbing is aqua zorbing where the rolling takes place on the surface of the water.
Newly renovated accommodation blocks with cooking facilities are available for large groups. The resort can accommodate up to 600 pax at a time in chalets, bungalows and commando shacks.
Groups intending on making a booking are required to do so online via www.fuze-outdoors.com. Pricing is based on group size and activities chosen. A 3-day/2-night package for a group of 30 individuals costs RM350 per person, inclusive of meals and accommodation.
The park also runs a parallel adventure programme, which is a 5-day hike up Gunong Korbu, Peninsular Malaysia’s second highest mountain at 7,186 ft above sea level.
Bukit Kinding Eco-Adventure Park is located at Lot 26302, Jalan Chemor, Bukit Kinding, Tanjong Rambutan (GPS coordinates: N 4°42”19.87” E 101°8’59.36”). For details call: 05 533 1122.
Conclusion
Modern information technology has a profound impact on people these days. They prefer to stay glued to their computers and their smartphones rather than wading through treacherous waters and scaling up artificial and natural walls. There is much more to life than being a slave to these gizmos, which are temporary in nature.
It is time to spice up your lives with some adventures, strenuous though they may be. All you need is some like-minded individuals who are prepared to sweat it out in the open.
So, instead of going to the movies or the pub to unwind, why not add an interesting twist to your mundane lifestyle by engaging in some fun-filled activities at your doorstep. It won’t cost you a bomb and, moreover, it is healthy.
