KOTA BELUD: The Tegudon Tourism Village (TTV) in Kampung Tegudon here is renowned for being one of the third famous stargazing sites in Malaysia.
Since it was officially opened to visitors on May 2017, the rural ecotourism site has attracted scores of stargazers from around the country every year. So far early this year, they have organised one event.
“Last year we have carried out two to three events here, and the stargazers who came will never disappointed as they can always see the clear night sky full of stars and meteor showers in the dark,” TTV hospitality bureau committee member Jakunis Gindua said.
Based on their visitors log book, she said the stargazers were coming from around Sabah, Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia.
“Our most memorable moment was in 2017, we recorded a total of 1,284 meteor showers and 18 fireballs blazing across the night sky. It was very visible and can see with our naked eyes,” she said.
She said they have established a close rapport with the Sabah Stargazers Association who will inform and guide them the best time to gaze at the constellations.
“The stargazers will gather at the open space and they will lie on the ground the whole night until the wee hours looking up at the night sky,” Jakunis said, adding that all the lights at the site will be switched off.
The stargazers must make their bookings two weeks before the event to prevent from missing out from the activity, because they have limited space to accommodate the enthusiasts, she said.
The campsite ground can only fit 500 people and they have camping tents available for rent at reasonable prices depending on the sizes, she said.
“Walk-in guests are still welcomed if the campsite is already full because we cannot turn them away since they come from far away. Usually, they will sleep inside their vehicles,” she said.
TTV adorned with a picturesque views of clear water river and paddy fields with Mount Kinabalu in the backdrop is located 15 kilometres away from Kota Belud Town.
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