Nature lovers will be delighted to know that a new trail, the Beccari Discovery Trail at Kampong Matang will be open to public this Friday, 24th July 2020
The opening of the new Beccari Discovery Trail at Kampung Matang will be launched by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah on 24th July 2020.
The launching of the new trail site will be held at the Sri Maha Mariamann Hindu temple. The site marks the legacy of the forefathers of the Indian Hindu community who were brought to Sarawak to work on the coffee estate in the 1860s and 70s on Mount Matang.
The event is organized by the Friends of Sarawak Museum in collaboration with the ministry to mark the centenary of the death anniversary of Odoardo Beccari, a renowned Italian explorer and botanist.
The 3.2 km trail up the hillside follows the route of the old cart track from Kampong Matang to the site of Beccari’s field house where he spent the best part of a year studying the trees, insects and fungi, where Rajah Charles Brooke later had a bungalow built on the site.
The Beccari Discovery Trail features 12 interpretation boards giving information on some of the animals and plants that we might see along the trail both by day and by night, the abandoned tea plantation which Beccari helped Rajah Charles Brooke establish, and at the top, Beccari’s field hut called ‘Vallombrosa’.
The trail is mostly tar-sealed and winds along the side of the mountain and as the road climbs the visitor can see the layers of the forest and unparalleled views of the distant landscapes.
The trail is well frequented at weekends by people who like to hike up to the Hindu temple or walk or cycle up the hill.
During his two-year stay in Borneo, Beccari collected and documented over 4,000 specimens, chiefly plants but also insects, birds and animals, including orang utan both at Matang and also many other parts of Sarawak including the Batang Lupar, Tubau, and Belaga.
He became acclaimed as a leading scientist in his day, due his contribution to scientific knowledge gained from his collections made in Sarawak.
