THE Gayana Eco Resort on Gaya Island is the only one of its kind in the Malay Archipelago and is considered to be a pioneer in the field of environmental protection. Its outstanding facilities include the Marine Ecology Research Centre, which, among other things, is concerned with cultivating coral, giant clams and endangered fish species from the waters around Borneo.
Make a difference on your next holiday by preserving endangered marine species all the while staying in a five-star villa perched on stilts over the South China Sea. Located in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine National Park, skirted by coral reefs and calm turquoise seas, Gayana Eco Resort offers a diverse range of activities under water and on land for adults and children alike.Become a marine biologist for a day and transfer replanted coral fragments to the underwater coral garden or collect coral fragments in the sea and attach them to a biorock structure, snorkel the house reef with an underwater camera or take a kayak trip into the mangroves, explore mudskippers and hermit crabs or trek into the dense jungle bursting with butterflies, birds, cicadas and endless flora. The resort also houses a PADI Certified Dive Centre for both novices and experienced divers to experience exclusive and uncluttered dives, as most of the area is closed to the general public.“With neighbours such as sea turtles, clown fish, giant groupers, coral fish and majestic whale sharks, it is our duty to place serious importance on the natural environment. Since the opening of our Marine Ecology Research Centre in 2007, we have successfully cultivated 500 giant clams of seven different species and 8,000 coral fragments in our ocean nursery through our in-house guest participation programme. All the giant clams as well as 1,000 corals have been reinstated into their natural habitat, half of which have been sponsored by foster parents though our adoption programme,” says Tomas Anderson, general manager of Gayana Eco Resort.