Program Reviews

I was lucky enough to live as an intern at the Perhentian Island Turtle Project and assist with their programme for a few months in 2019. I loved kayaking over to the turtle feeding sight, it is quite a paddle but it certainly keeps you fit. Learning to free dive to take photos of the turtles feeding was great too because you can see up close just how magical these creatures are. However, nothing beats spending nights with the nesting turtles to collect their eggs and releasing hatchlings. The beach is closed off to tourists at night so it feels incredibly special to be there. The sunsets are incredible and in the day you get to relax and catch up on sleep on one of the most pristine and beautiful beaches in the islands. Plus the team and manager Mel were amazing and welcoming, and very knowledgeable about turtles and marine life; I learnt an incredible amount from them. Finally, I found living in the local village a really unique experience. The locals are so welcoming and you really get to live amongst another culture. Yes it might be hot having to cover up more than usual, but I loved being a part of the community and discovering about their beliefs, culture and of course their cuisine. A life-changing experience!

This program was truely magical! I went with one of my best friends two years ago and we still frequently reflect on our time spent at the Perhentian Islands.
Firstly, the people we met were like no other. All the interns were passionate, fun-loving, enthusiastic and so caring. Everyone working on this project had a common goal of helping the world and it was such a refreshing approach to life. Secondly, it really feels like you are contributing back to this planet when you release the little hatchlings into the ocean. Moments I will never forget. Thirdly, it was simultaneously such a relaxing trip with lots of downtime. However, I would definitely recommend travelling with a buddy so you can spend this time exploring the island together
The absolute trip of a lifetime!!

The sights and sounds of life and biodiversity in the rainforest here are truly captivating. It was an amazing experience having the staff of MRS and people of the Bateq tribe to introduce me to the jungle, wildlife, and the way to appreciate the beauty and resources nature has to offer.

However, the planning and execution of the arranged activities could have been done better by explaining their significance to the volunteers. I was not convinced that the activities were scientifically based, as claimed by the MRS staff and website. Perhaps it was just not made obvious to me. Either way, that was what I would have liked to see and participate in, the scientific research in biodiversity conservation.

I had an amazing time here, it was so cool to be up close to the wildlife. All of the keepers are nice and make the time in the animal area even more exciting. I got to work alongside keepers, vets and also help with tasks like enrichment and maintenance as well as animal feeding! Javan dinner, english community and Kids club are great activities and keep the weeks different and interesting. I was able to help monitor the orang-utan and sun bears and help cleanup the turtles ponds. There is plenty of places to visit on the weeks: Waterfalls, temples, city centre, forests and lakes.

I was one of the school expedition Team Leader's who traveled with a team of students from Rhyl High School to Merapoh.

Our project was to help start the refurbishment of one of the houses, so that it can be used as a school house. It was great to have the Batek children getting involved and learning how to dispose of rubbish in the recycling bins we made.

We spent a morning with the Batek people in the Jungle, learning to wild fish and make bamboo tea. We also experienced how to track animals.

It was an absolutely amazing experience for everyone.

I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks at this beautiful island. As a Malaysian, it was extremely rewarding for me to be able to do something meaningful in my country, which also happens to be a tropical paradise! The organisation is relatively small, which is perfect because you get the chance to bond with the amazing interns volunteering there. The whole group is made of people from different countries, which I loved; however, it was also a little disappointing to see so few Malaysians being interested in conservation projects like this. If you're Malaysian and you're reading this, good on you because you're halfway there! (now go click the sign up button will ya?)
Enough talking about the people, the turtle experience is truly one of a kind. I saw turtles for the first time at my very first snorkel survey. It was such a wonderful experience watching it swim around and feeding off sea grass, we then took pictures of the turtle, for photo identification later in the day. Throughout the past 2 weeks, I saw so many turtles, from our snorkel surveys and snorkel tours. It's amazing watching these wonderful creatures swimming about in the waters.
I think the best experience for me though, was when I encountered my very first nesting turtle. I was so amazed by mama turtle, looking for different spots for the perfect nest, laying hundreds of eggs, one by one, and slowly making her way back towards the sea. I was truly mesmerised by this whole process, of mama turtle, of mother nature. Imagine having a 170kg of weight at your back and you've only got flippers to drag you across the sand??!! I don't know about you, but I'm sure I can't! Hats off to you turtles!

I applied for this project because it sounded like a great mix of conservational activities, and it was! I learnt a lot in the jungle about identifying animal tracks, and how this is useful in terms of conservation. The project manager Izereen was really knowledgeable about different animal species and made the project very interesting.

It was great to meet so many people from different backgrounds all interested in conservation, and to share the experience with them. The staff and interns were all really fun and welcoming, and made it so easy to immerse yourself in the projects.

The turtle project was so amazing and I think releasing baby turtles is always going to be one of the highlights of my life. It was so cool to see the turtles up close, and learn about identifying turtles, and analysing data so that we were actually having a positive conservational impact, not just a holiday.

Both projects were involved with the local communities, buying local produce and for example helping teach the Batek children one morning, and going camping with a few of the Batek villagers.

Other highlights were caving in the jungle, sleeping in hammocks on the beach, and eating Wid's delicious food :D
Would recommend the project to anyone who likes animals and travelling!

I volunteered with Fuze Ecoteer on the conservation program in Merapoh Malaysia, and it was absolutely amazing. Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. I've never been to Malaysia, nor had much experience with conservation work. I was interested in learning more and experiencing a new part of the world.

The Fuze Ecoteer staff were very helpful and supportive throughout the whole experience. The interns and volunteer coordinators at the project site were really knowledgable and passionate about conservation. It was as treat to experience the jungle through their eyes. Even though myself and another volunteer were there just for the week, we felt very welcomed by the staff and like we had been friends for much longer.

Some of my personal favorites from the week:

- Camping with the Batek! These women are incredible, we got to witness them building their shelter from the forest. Something I'll remember forever.
- The Malay dinner and night markets! I love Malay food (and the evening actives that involved food :) ) and interacting with the locals.
- Trekking in the forest with the group and being totally overwhelmed (in an awesome way) by the sounds, smells, sights of the jungle.
- Lastly, just taking in the views of the massive limestone rocks and caves from the back of the truck.

Merapoh is a magical spot, and Fuze does a really fantastic (and community-centric) job of showing it off. Highly recommend, feel free to email me with any questions!

Note: I am a Go Overseas employee, but the above review is an honest personal reflection of my recent volunteer trip with Fuze.

Me and my friends were in Merapoh for few days but in the end we felt like we were there for a month. So much to see and Explore.

Thanks to ecoteer we had an amazing Opportunity to meet indigenous tribe - Batek, see a cave snake, Scorpions, take an offroad 4x4 ride, treeclimbing, and camping in a middle of a jungle. That was a big inapiration and that gaves us great memorys. Highly recommended! Amazing place, amazing crew, amazing views and storys about Batek like this when one lady from Batek community met a Tiger and she scuttled him by kicking a rock. Must to see and hear!

I had the best couple of weeks at the project on the Perhentian Islands in July/August 2016. I had an amazing time, as well as learning so much about turtle conservation, as well as the environment in general which certainly lead to many lifestyle changes afterwards.
I'd never seen turtles before, and as they're my favourite animals, this was such a special experience. You get to see many turtles in their natural environment; feeding, nesting and babies heading to the sea for their first swim.
Would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who was thinking about going