Death March: Only the ‘true mid track’ gives an original 1945 jungle experience

Published on: Sunday, August 25, 2024

By: Kan Yaw Chong

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The latest Australian trekkers, from left: Lee John Orval, Kevin Muree, David Connor, Graheme Fox with Labuk River in the background from Gambaron ridge.

ONLY the true mid track across the Taviu Valley gives trekkers a real experience of the infamous original Sandakan-Ranau Death March 1945, veteran war tourism guide Tham Yau Kong says.

“This is because the Allied prisoners of war were forced to walk through dense jungles those days.”

And only the mid track through Taviiu Valley goes through two forest reserves where trekkers can still feel the aura of the original jungles, he said.

These are the Bauto Hill in Tawai Forest Reserve – a 8km up and down walk through dense primary forest that feature a lot of big trees some 100ft high, although it has been logged before, said Tham who usually take Death march buffs to start the walk from this point.

Tham shows towering at large tree 100ft high inside Tawai Forest Reserve, Bauto.

“That’s Day One, we start our guests with a real feel of jungle that the POWs once walked, by skipping the 1st 100km Sandakan to Bauto route because it’s now all oil palm.”

“Day 2 is another 17km of jungle walk across the Gambaron Ridge inside the Tawai Forest Reserve. Here the tree are shorter but still dense,” Tham said.

Actually at the top of Gambaron Ridge you can see the Labuk River in the distance but that’s not where the death march track went, based on our interviews with two direct witnesses we have interviewed – track cutter Tuaty Akau and porter Zudin.”

“Impressive jungle experience is the most often heard comment,” he said.

“Day 3 gets into open country but they love walking across a series of rivers – the Telupid river, Tapang river, and many small rivers to Kg Koporon – village of the late Zudin, a weapons porter for the Japanese army who confirmed the POWs were marched through this mid track and not anywhere else.

Dense jungle in Bauto Hill.

“Day 4 is a 14km walk towards the Taviu Forest Reserve after going through a small amount of plantation and up a small river,” Tham said.

“The next two days take guests through farm track to Nabutan, Kg Nalapak, Kg Muruk before cross Marakau Hill to Ranau POWs campsite, altogether six days.”

How important is the jungle In a death march walk package?

“The death march 79 years ago walked through jungles, today if you do death march, the tour must start with a jungle or at least some jungles, not in the open,” Tham reasoned.