# General > Member's Lounge > Nature and Conservation >  Exploring Gunung Tapang Batu & Gunung Moi

## kuching

Last Saturday (March 17, 2007) I planned to "conquer" the giant rock of southern Sarawak - Bukit Tapang Batu.....but I failed to reach the summit. It's very short hill, probably around 500 feet only, so I didn't bring water & worst, I didn't bring parang (machete) to clear the path which is covered by bushes / grasses taller than me.

I picked the wrong trail & when I found the right trail, I only managed to reach the shoulder of the hill. This rocky hill is very steep & slippery & if I failed to find the trail built by the local, it is impossible to reach the summit. As I was completely exhausted & almost dehydrated, I had to surrender & plan to conquer this hill again & to find out whether the summit area got any interesting orchids or pitcher plants in the near future.



The giant rock , Bukit Tapang Batu:






Pitcher plant, _Nepenthes mirablis_ found abundantly in the foothill:






The baby staghorn fern. (_Platycerium_ sp.)

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## kuching

The following day, I joined Robert & other photography friends to search for the rare _Nepenthes veithchii_ in a remote area near Gunung Moi.


Gunung Moi.





We have to drive pass a big oil palm plantation where the road is not suitable for a normal car to drive through. When we reached the end of the road inside the plantation, we had to hike for at least 1 hour on the abandoned logging road. The road in this logging area is worst than the one inside the plantation and there is almost no shade at all as all the big trees are gone (Thanks to the logging people!). 


Driving cross a bridge.



The whole area is a disturbed Kerangas forest, but I can see that there are undisturbed forest at the higher ground on the hill. We didn't go up to the hill, but only searching for _Nepenthes veithchii_  near the foothill area. We didn't find N. veitchii. The largest population of pitcher plant in this area is _Nepenthes ampullaria_.



A river in that area:





Walking on the old logging road. It is hot & dry over here.

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## kuching

This terrestrial orchid, _Bromheadia finlaysoniana_  is found abundantly here. 





_Nepenthes rafflesiana_ (upper pitcher)






_Nepenthes rafflesiana_ (lower pitcher)

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## kuching

90% of the pitcher plants in this area are _Nepenthes ampullaria_. Most of the pitchers are either green or spotted green colour. However, I was shocked to find a spotted red coloured pitcher.....it's very rare over there:




_Nepenthes_ x _hookeriana_ also found a lot over there....this one below is the upper pitcher:





And this one is probably _Nepenthes rafflesiana_  cross with _Nepenthes gracilis_  (?) :





The unopened pitcher of _Nepenthes rafflesiana_  cross with _Nepenthes gracilis_  (?) :






The almost rotten pitcher of _Nepenthes rafflesiana_  cross with _Nepenthes gracilis_  (?); the mouth is very small like _N. gracilis_:

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## kuching

More photos; here:

http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/tapangbatu.htm

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