Sea Turtle Adoption Program Talang-Talang Besar (4D3N)

Day 01: Kuching – Talang-Talang Besar (L/D)

In the morning you meet your guide in the hotel lobby and are then transferred to the fishing village “Sematan” in an air-conditioned van (transfer ca. 2 hours). While you are having lunch in a local restaurant there, you discuss the program of the next days with your guide. After lunch you are brought to the Sematan jetty and take the boat to the Talang-Talang Besar Island (transfer ca. 45min). There you are welcomed by the park rangers of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

The responsible park ranger will brief you about your program and your tasks for the next days on the island. You have the opportunity to discuss about your conception of this program and the rangers will tell you how your participation directly contributes to the protection of the endangered sea turtles in Sarawak. You also get more information about the different species of sea turtles landing on this island and you have a look at the hatching place, where the laid eggs are transferred to, in order to ensure a better protection.

Dinner will be prepared by your guide and eaten together with the park rangers in the park headquarter. Before sunset you check the hatching place together with your guide and the park rangers for the first time. If there are already baby turtles hatching out, you help the park rangers to collect them in order to count them and determine the species. After this you can watch the release of the hatchlings.

In the evening the access to the beach is only allowed together with a park ranger, because there can be already sea turtles landing, looking for a good place to lay their eggs. Please note that after sunset the use of conventional torch lights is prohibited; torch lights with red light function are provided.

In the first night you wait for the signal of the park ranger until you can go to the beach and watch the turtles during their egg deposition. This is to protect the turtles which, after their landing, cannot be disturbed because they need time to find a suitable place to lay their eggs.

While you observe the egg deposition, your guide and the park ranger give you further information about the actions to protect the eggs. Watch how they collect the eggs and transfer them to the hatching place. You also observe the park ranger while measuring and examining the turtles, and making the documentation with the help of the identification mark of each of the turtles.

The first night is for you to see what you are going to do in the following nights.

Overnight in basic rooms in the park headquarter.

Day 02: Talang-Talang Besar (B/L/D)

Breakfast in the park headquarter.

After breakfast you will discuss with the park rangers about your experiences in the night. Together with your guide you will check the identification mark numbers of the turtles who landed on the beach. Then you get more information about the international policy of the turtle conservation (IUCN) and how it is implemented in this program. You also learn to distinguish between the different species of sea turtles landing on this island.

After lunch, you have, upon agreement of the park ranger of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, the possibility to explore the submarine world around the island by snorkeling. (Areas and terms for the snorkeling activities are allocated by the employees of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.)

Before you start with your supporting work, you become acquainted with the egg deposition places known around Sarawak, the protection strategies etc.

After dinner, before sunset, you will check the hatching places to observe the turtles hatching out, to determine their species and to count them. Then you will bring them to the park headquarter and afterwards release them. During this and the following night you are increasingly doing more protection activities yourself. Together with the park ranger you will then do a beach patrol to keep records of the arriving turtles. As soon as they start laying their eggs, you will (under the guidance of the park ranger) begin to measure them, to collect the eggs and to document this landing with the help of the identification mark of each of the turtles. In this night your activities will be observed by a park ranger in order to point out any mistakes.

Overnight in basic rooms in the park headquarter.

Day 03: Talang-Talang Besar (B/L/D)

Breakfast with the park rangers of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.

After breakfast you will discuss with the park rangers about your experiences in the night and you will compile and edit the recorded data of the turtles. On this day you will get more information about techniques and management practices in the protection of species and you will talk about the implementation of these concepts.

After lunch, you have, upon agreement of the park ranger of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, the possibility to explore the submarine world around the island by snorkeling. (Areas and terms for the snorkeling activities are allocated by the employees of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.)

Dinner in the park headquarter.

In this night you will try to do all the protection activities as independently as possible (under the observation of a park ranger).

Overnight in basic rooms in the park headquarter.

Day 04: Talang-Talang Besar – Kuching (B/L)

After the breakfast with your guide and the park rangers you will discuss with them about the experiences and the results of the last days and also about possible problems in the implementation of this protection program. After this talk you say goodbye to the park rangers and, together with your guide, you go back to Sematan by boat.

Lunch in a local restaurant in Sematan.

Return to Kuching

Please read our Terms and Conditions

Package Rate is inclusive of:

• Tours & Transfers as stated in the itinerary
• English speaking guide
• Meals as stated in the itinerary
• 3 Nights Accommodation at Talang Talang Besar (simnple accommodation & facilities/ clients will share with other participants in guestroom)
• RM 200.00 fee per person as an automatic adoption of 1 Turtle
• RM 100.00 fee per person as an automatic adoption of 1 Nest

Package Rate is exclusive of:

• Travel insurance (please send copy of clients insurance to be handed over to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation)
• Any airfares and -taxes
• Hotel Accommodation in Kuching
• What is not stated above

Please note that:

• During your stay on Talang-Talang Besar, the rules and regulations of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation are in force. They are further explained in the "Sea Turtle Volunteer Programme Handbook", which you will receive upon arrival in Kuching and discuss together with your guide.
• The use of conventional torch lights is prohibited. Torch lights with red light function are provided.
• The minimum age to participate in this program is 18 years.
• The program as stated above starts and ends in Kuching. It is recommended to book at least one night in Kuching before the commencement of the tour, to make a meeting with a representative of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation possible.
• During night time (after sunset and before sunrise) it is prohibited to take pictures or videos of turtles with flashlight or night light function.
• The package price stated above is exclusive of any accommodation in Kuching
• Participants need to bring 2 passport sized photos each for the further documentation of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation