Desaru Coast, Malaysia – A luxury beachfront resort set on 24 acres of pristine rainforest land, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas has expanded its collection of nature-centric activities to include Tree Planting, Seed Collection and Camera Trapping experiences designed to help guests discover local flora and fauna.
The new activities are complimentary for guests who opt into ‘Dollar For Deeds’ – Anantara’s CSR programme where guests can donate MYR5 for every night of the stay, with the resort matching the amount and donating it to Rewild Desaru, a local non-profit organisation that supports resident wildlife species to encourage safe migration and ensure long-term viability of native gene-pool.
During Tree Planting, guests will visit a nearby tree nursery to plant such native species as sea almond, sea apple and various rainforest fruit trees. Once big enough, the saplings will be moved to a forest and planted in a pre-selected spot, where they will continue to grow and contribute to the ecosystem. Seed Collection, an activity suitable for the entire family, invites guests to enjoy the great outdoors while collecting seeds from the forest floor. The seeds are then germinated and grown into saplings for future planting. With the Camera Trapping exercise, guests will be joining forest rangers on their daily rounds of Panti Recreational Forest – a protected natural reserve a 1.5-hour drive from the resort – to check the batteries on motion-activated cameras and ensure wildlife monitoring equipment is working properly.
A popular holiday destination for guests who are interested in nature and wildlife, the resort offers a range of family-friendly activities as part of the existing recreational programme, including Desaru Beachlife & Tidepool Discovery, Bird Watching: Desaru’s Winged Gems, and Nature Walks.
Morning and evening nature walks around the resort are led by Resident Naturalist who points out native plants and flowers; beach walks take place at low tide when intricate patterns left in the sand by fiddler crabs are especially captivating; and bird-watching with a birding expert guarantees sightings of Stork Billed Kingfisher, Oriental Pied Hornbill and Crested Serpent Eagle.
To further encourage appreciation of the beauty of plants and nature, the resort hosts terrarium-making classes on Saturday afternoons where guests can make their own terrarium and take it home as a souvenir. Guests can also learn how to make all-natural self-care products such as pain-relief balms, scrubs and bath bombs during DIY classes, or practice mindfulness in nature with weekday Sunrise Dong Sticks workshops and weekend yoga sessions on the beach.
