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Location
Pulau Tiga was gazetted as a State Park in 1978 and it covers the island of Pulau Tiga, Pulau Kalampunian Besar and Pulau Kalampunian Damit or better known as 'Snake Island' with an area of about 15,864 hectares. This State Park is created to protect the natural environment including the coral reefs, marine life, terrestrial flora and fauna and other ecological and natural presence on the island. For more information, please visit Sabah Park’s website http://www.sabahparks.org.my
Pulau Tiga is the biggest of the three islands. The geological formation of this island is that it was formed from the eruption of several mud volcanoes, whose combination of subterranean gas pressure expelled muddy sediments, which have built-up this island to its present height of more than 100m above sea level. Several active mud volcanoes can still be seen on the island especially at the summit of the island. Pulau Tiga provide refuge to several species of mammals, numerous birds, variety of reptiles and amphibians and also hundreds or even thousands species of insects.
Local Folklore
According to a legend as the name indicates, the main island, Pulau Tiga was believed to be originally made up of three sister islands; each being the home of the princesses of a powerful king. Because of hatred and jealousies of the elder sisters towards the youngest for falling in love with the most handsome prince, the sisters used black magic to turn the prince into a rock in the shape of a turtle. The rock was believed to be deposited at the mouth of the Lake Setompok river. And that was how the name Kuala Penyu originated.
The heart-broken sister ran to another island and pacified her sadness among the sea snakes; making the smaller island her home. The king, angry of the scheming sisters, turned their islands into mud volcanoes. The eruptions of the mud volcanoes were believed to be the cries of regrets of the sisters. Over the years, the flow of the tears of the sisters in the form of mud lava were joined together to create the present Pulau Tiga.
The First “Survivor” Island
The first season of the Survivor dominated ratings in the summer of 2000 and made the island of Pulau Tiga a household name.
“Survivor” is a reality-based television show on the CBS network based on Sweden’s Expedition Robinson. Sixteen Americans were “marooned” on Pulau Tiga and their every move was filmed by television cameras. The contestants in this twisted game show have to slowly vote each other off the island and end result, after 39 days, is that only one “Survivor” remains – and that person wins $1 million. For further information on the first ever season of ‘Survivor’, click on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_borneo
Another reason to visit us….
In summary the islands have the following distinct features:
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Outstanding scenic views and sunsets.
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A variety of island habitats.
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Floral diversity with old stands of trees in an area that has never been logged.
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Floral composition that includes several species of orchids, ferns, palms and shrubs.
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Fauna composition that include the elusive megapodes, variety of insects, birds and reptiles.
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Interesting geological formation - the "mud volcanoes" and its effects on the island vegetation growth and composition.
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The well known snake island and snake biology and ecology.
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Good coral environment for Scuba diving and snorkeling.
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A reasonable sheltered bay at most times of the year for a safe place to conduct many water sport activities.
At Pulau Tiga , you’ll never be short of something to do, whether action or relaxation is what you're after .....
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