PADANG TERAP, Jan 31 -- Pedu Lake or Tasik Pedu as it is better known among the locals, is undoubtedly an under-the-radar destination, however, for those who are adventurous enough to stray off the beaten tracks, this place offers a rich diversity of flora and fauna to lucky visitors.
To make it even more exciting, visitors will have the opportunity to see wild animals, especially herds of elephants that often visited the salt licks around the Kedah’s largest man-made lake, which is located about 80 kilometres from Alor Setar.
Pedu Lake Eco and Services operation manager Amir Wahab said working on an ecotourism packages featuring a boat house concept has given him an added advantage as he could take visitors to a number of salt licks in the area to see wild animals within the safe distance.
“We really prioritise the safety of our visitors, as this place is surrounded by wild, expanse of rainforest jungle, so seeing wildlife from the boat house is much safer as they can watch the animals without any obstructions.
“Thus far, our visitors have had the opportunities to see herds of elephants, as well as other animals such as rusa (deer) and seladang (gaur or Indian bison), but personally I think watching a herd of elephants is more exciting,” he told Bernama here.
Amir said as the jungle surrounding the Pedu Lake creates a corridor for wild animals to cross into the Thailand jungle, the area often witnessed the presents of elephants at the salt licks particularly in May.
“Thus far, we have received an impressive number of tourists, over 1,300 arrivals throughout last year, including those from European countries. This is exciting for a destination like ours as it is not as popular as other major tourist destinations,” said Amir, a former employee of a resort at Pedu Lake which has since closed due to plummeting tourist arrivals .
Apart from wild animals, visitors can also get a glimpse of variety of tree species in the dense jungle surrounding the lake which are not found elsewhere.
“Here we have that famous Tualang tree which synonymous to high quality wild Tualang honey, which is usually harvested by the end of February,” he said.
He said visitors who stayed at his boat house would also be served a variety of local dishes from freshly-caught fish including ‘baung’, ‘lampam’, ‘tengalan’, and shrimp as well as of a type of mussels locally known as ‘kedaya’ or ‘temagik’, found in the area, particularly during the current dry spell.
His boat house-based ecotourism activities also received the support of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA), which provided a wide range of assistance including solar power equipment and building a proper sewage system, he said.
-- BERNAMA
