Koperasi Kampung Bestaria (Bestaria Village Cooperative), or KOBEST was formed in September 2015 and received approval from Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM, Malaysia Co-operative Societies Commission) in February 2016. Our members are mostly the local villagers of Kampung Bestaria, Ulu Telupid, with a common interest of conducting tourism and conservation program within the area of Ulu Telupid Forest Reserve.
KOBEST aims to improve village livelihoods by:
• establishing a clean and healthy living environment;
• minimizing illegal activity such as hunting, logging, and encroachment;
• promoting community- and conservation-based tourism to create jobs for local youths and ultimately generate extra income
With collaboration, we will be expanding our program to other villages to involve more local communities in preserving their environment through low-impact tourism and conservation.
We are featured in The Rough Guide to Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, and other online media:
SilverKris 2016: Top destinations around the world for eco-tourism
Rough Guide 2017: 7 places to get off the tourist trail in Malaysia
Travel+Leisure Asia 2017: Into The Jungle In Sabah