Captivating islands near Labuan
Published on: Monday, December 26, 2016
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A 40-MINUTE boat ride to Rusukan Besar island from mainland Labuan was indeed a worthwhile journey.
With its priceless view along the way, tourism can easily grow in Labuan if nature is well maintained and conserved.
Lee Kon Fung, Director of Emma Glorious Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd, who operates chalets on the Rusukan Besar island, confided that tourists mostly from mainland China were impressed with its nature and environment at the island, saying bamboo plants, natural habitat, marine life and clear sea water are what make the place priceless.
The size of the island is approximately 28.81 acres. Many parts of the island were kept as natural, except for the front part where chalets and other facilities such as dining area were being built. Lee started operating his chalets since 10 months ago and keeping most of the plants around the area still intact.
“We always want to keep the nature and ecotourism in good hands, so that it will be there for visitors to enjoy,” said Lee.
“The Chinese tourists really enjoy seeing the views on this island. They particularly love the sand, the clear water and corals can be seen through the glass boat. They even ‘warned’ me not to have too much development on this island otherwise, nature will be vanished, and so does tourism.”
At present, there are five chalets where three persons can accommodate in one unit each.
The activities where tourists usually enjoy doing are snorkelling, diving, kayaking, swimming and coral watching.
Meanwhile, on land, barbecue and karaoke-ing at night would be the activities. Most visitors would be captured by the mystic views in and around the island.
There are big and old trees surrounding the island making it serene and can be quiet and peaceful during the night.
Some part of the island really captured the heart of a few nature lovers as it is seen picturesque and suitable for shooting wedding photos.
“Even when you go diving, you will see beautiful coral. We try our best to conserve it.
We also discourage visitors to use fin when they go snorkelling to prevent breaking the young corals,” he shared.
“Not far from Rusukan Besar there are another few smaller islands but are not developed yet due to insufficient facility such as water system. They are Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Kuraman.
Pulau Kuraman is special because it has a one-kilometre long sand beach and is another captivating and beautiful view, suitable for shooting wedding photos as background is kind of romantic,” explained Lee.
He also said that when in season, lobsters can be easily found in Rusukan Kecil island. When asked about the security of the island, Lee disclosed that marine police are always patrolling at night making round checking on the vicinity.
“If you slowly enjoy looking at these small islands, they are actually very beautiful.
So many nice views can be seen on every different angle. I hope more tourists are able to enjoy this awesome and scenic sight when they are here,” said a hopeful Lee.
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