By Ling Hui
KUCHING, July 25: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah regards the Beccari Discovery trail at Mount Matang as one of Sarawak’s many tourism treasures to be enjoyed by the younger generations and visitors both domestic and international.
Abdul Karim highlighted the two hot-spots at the end of the trail, namely the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple and the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari’s Vallombrosa house when he labelled Mount Matang as a historical tourism spot.
“This place was established more than 100 years ago. The famous Italian explorer and naturalist Beccari did his two-year research on plants and insects in this area during Sarawak’s colonisation period under Charles Brooke,” he explained in a press conference beside the Hindu temple today.
He also noted the beauty of nature along the Beccari Discovery trail marking a 3.2 kilometre long tar-sealed road following the route of an old cart track along the side of Mount Matang.
“Although visitors have to climb up a hill for more than 3 kilometres throughout the entire trail, the beauty of the flora and fauna would be an entertainment.
“This would be a good (tourism) spot for visitors from within and outside of Sarawak because it carries the history of the state itself,” said Abdul Karim after he himself finished the trail this morning.
He added that the ministry would discuss with the local council on plans to improve the infrastructures such as parking spaces, toilets and rest stops at the area when he saw the lack in such facilities during his visit.
Besides the launching of the new Beccari Discovery trail marking the 100th year of Beccari’s death, Abdul Karim climbed to the very top of the hill to plant trees along the 108-step stairs up to the Sri Maha Mariamman temple.
The launching of the Beccari Discovery trail was a collaboration of Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, Friends of Sarawak Museum and Sarawak Forestry Corporation together with Kampung Matang and the Hindu temple communities. —DayakDaily
