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Marion Vicenta Payr - Travel Photography & Storytelling

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Marion Vicenta Payr - Travel Photography & Storytelling

Travel Photography & Stories by Marion Vicenta Payr, formerly known as . Based in Vienna, Austria.

08/09/2026

Rainforest villa at The Datai Langkawi.
(On assignment | Advertisement)

Tucked away under the canopy, embedded in emerald green. The rainforest villas are sanctuaries in the million year old forest that’s home to The Datai.

We stayed here during both our visits, listening to Tokay geckos and their distinct „Geck-kooo“ calls and dusky leaf monkeys casually walking over our roof.

I honestly can’t think of better sounds to listen to from below the canopy of our bed. Back home I have to make due with pigeon calls and the occasional visit of a squirrel on our balcony 😅

Langkawi, you are special! ✨🌙

07/09/2026

Langkawi beach moments for The Datai Langkawi.
(On assignment | Advertisement)

I’m not a beach person per se.

Yes, I can spend an afternoon at the beach, go snorkeling, watch the sunset. But I might need some entertainment in between. Like a visit to the mangroves to look for otters. Or a walk to collect shells.

Luckily the bay at the Datai offers plenty of entertainment.

1: A selection of shell and coral fragments found at the beach. I spent at least two mornings collecting (and no, I don’t take these home with me, as everything serves a purpose in nature. Hermit crabs need shells to build homes for example. So these are always left at the beach in the end!).
2: One of those morning walks during low tide. I love the rainforest right at the beach here—coconut palms have supposedly never been part of the natural flora on Langkawi.
3: Sand bubbler crabs create these intricate patterns by filtering sand through their mouthparts and leaving behind little balls of sand. The mosaics are true works of art and I admired them every evening! At the Datai the whole beach is covered in these.
4: The bay at low tide as seen from above.
5: Collection of shells at the Datai’s nature center—this is where you can also go on tours with the resorts’ own naturalists to learn more about the flora and fauna and spot wildlife.
6: Sailboats are up for rent at The Datai’s water sport center.
7: If you need a break from the beach there’s also a pool directly next to the beach.
8: Morning light and ripples in the sand during another sunrise beach walk.
9: Mangroves grow right at the beach.
10: Smooth-coated otters love these mangroves. These otters are classified as vulnerable according to IUCN, due to habitat loss and water pollution.
11: The sun sets during low tide.
12: That evening we saw a pack of eight smooth-coated otters hunting fish in the shallow parts of the mangroves. So special!
13: Ending the day with cocktails at the beach.
14: Always with the view of the rainforest, which makes this stretch of beach extra stunning and wild!

This way even I can spend some time at the beach 😉

06/09/2026

Only 2 seats left on our Borneo expedition in 2027.

I know 2027 seems far away, but we are holding spots in some of the most sought after places in Sabah, which grant us the best access to Borneo‘s wild.

Join us on a journey to the humming sounds of an ancient canopy and the privilege of encounters with some of the world’s most elusive creatures.

You can find all the trip details on marionpayr.com or comment „Borneo“ to learn more.

🇲🇾✨

05/09/2026

Mentally still here.
(On assignment for The Datai Langkawi | Advertisement).

1: Sunset ride on Amanea yacht.
2: Collecting shells at the Datai‘s beach.
3: Sunset behind the rainforest.
4: The Datai Main Building.
5: Gin masterclass at Gulai house.
6: Rainy day.
7: Dusky leaf monkey in the canopy.
8: Gulai house Malaysian restaurant.
9: Spa moments.
10: Raindrops on a leaf.

I hope to be back one day. Such a special place.

04/09/2026

Poolside at The Datai Langkawi.
(On assignment | Advertisement)

I don’t think these need much explaining—except for the fact that all the wildlife photos were indeed photographed right here at the main pool.

From giant hornbills and sunbirds to dusky leaf monkeys—everyone loves this part of The Datai.

Needless to say that my relaxation at the pool was always accompanied by my camera 😍

If there wasn’t the beach and a second pool down at the beach club I think this space would see more guests… but it’s usually lovely and quiet here and nobody minded me running around with a tele zoom lens in hand while wearing a bathing suit 😅

Any pool without wildlife just got downgraded 😉

03/09/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined yesterday’s Uganda webinar 🇺🇬✨

We hope we could share a bit of the magic of this country with you. I know Martina Trepczyk and I can talk about our Uganda stories for hours, but we tried keeping it to the highlights and the practical elements—as well as sharing some of the challenges (gators and safari ants among others) 😅

Just a reminder:
There’s only one last seat available for a female traveler on our Uganda journey in January 2027.

Please let us know if you’re interested ✨🙌🏼

02/09/2026

Malaysia travel guide.

I’ve been planning to share a comprehensive Malaysia travel guide for a while. After three trips to the country I finally managed to put this mini guide together that should help with a first orientation.

If you’re interested in nature and wildlife, ecotourism and conservation travel this should help as a first guide.

On thetravelblog.at you can find more detailed guides for Borneo and peninsular Malaysia alongside itinerary options.

Let me know if you have any questions or save this post if you ever plan a trip to Malaysia 🇲🇾✨

Why to go?
Malaysia is a cultural melting pot along the maritime trade routes uniting heritage, nature & wildlife. From pristine beaches to million year old rainforests, bustling metropolises to island paradises–the diversity of Malaysia is one of it’s best assets. And yet, it remains blissfully overlooked by travelers who favour other Southeast Asian destinations.

Where to go?
During our first Malaysia visit we only travelled through peninsular Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia is incredibly diverse and we easily filled three weeks here. But to see orangutans you need to travel to Borneo–where we later went on a separate trip. If you want to cover both in one trip we would suggest to skip some parts of Peninsular Malaysia to make room for Borneo instead.

Peninsular Malaysia:
Peninsular Malaysia is incredibly diverse, the only thing that’s missing are the orangutans. There is still plenty of wildlife like dusky leaf monkeys, massive hornbills, flying lemurs, long-tailed macaques alongside a huge variety of birdlife on peninsular Malaysia, so for nature and wildlife enthusiasts there’s also a lot to do even without a visit to Borneo. Personally we were not huge fans of the Cameron Highlands, but we’ll get to that later.

Sabah, Borneo:
The Malaysian state of Sabah is probably the easiest place to see orangutans in the wild. Sandakan is the gateway to the best locations like Sepilok and the Kinabatangan River. If you want to venture deeper into the rainforest then Danum Valley is the place to go.

What to expect:
In terms of natural heritage Malaysia is not just rich in wildlife, endemic species and unique hab

01/09/2026

Low light & wildlife photography with Nikon DACH (Advertisement).

Working under the dense canopy of Langkawi’s ancient rainforest challenged me with one of the ever present problems in wildlife photography: low light 🫠😅

Spotting a colugo (also known as a Sunda flying lemur) clinging to the bark with a tiny baby tucked under its belly was an absolute dream. But it also required pushing my camera gear to its technical limits.

The NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR delivers incredible reach and versatility, but in twilight or under heavy foliage, the variable f/6.3 aperture demands high ISO settings to maintain a usable shutter speed.

The colugo shots required pushing sensitivities beyond 12,000 ISO, with a few reaching 20,000 ISO.

Modern sensor performance and post-processing tools handle this noise remarkably well, preserving detail in the delicate fur textures of the colugo.

But since Nikon has announced the new NIKKOR Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S I‘m considering upgrading my wildlife equipment (yet again 😅).

While the 180-600mm has been my trusted partner since a few years, low-light situations like deep canopy tracking keep challenging me.

We have yet to wait for the official release of the 120-300mm (let’s see what it will cost 😅), and the weight is another factor that is concerning me, but let’s just say I’m enticed.

What are your thoughts about the new 120-300mm?! I’d love to hear what you think 💭🙌🏼

31/08/2026

Beach villa at The Datai Langkawi.
(On assignment | Advertisement)

For one glorious day we occupied one of the beach villas at The Datai. Not that we didn’t love our rainforest villa, but well… not that we’d need a private pool or our own butler, but well😅

We didn’t relax at the pool here though, but photographed the villa all day long until a sudden downpour stopped our plans. And so we moved inside to have a private afternoon tea served in the beach villa’s own salon. Let’s just say we wouldn’t mind staying here longer next time 😉

Thanks to The Datai Langkawi for everything! 🙌🏼✨

30/08/2026

The Datai Langkawi moments.
(On assignment | Advertisement).

Documenting a place is always special, but it takes on a whole new layer of depth when a resort actively works to protect the land and engage the community.

As a travel photographer, capturing how conservation and hospitality intersect is always one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

At The Datai Langkawi, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword attached to a resort ethos—it’s driven by The Datai Pledge, a multi-faceted programme built across four core pillars: Pure For The Future, Wildlife For The Future, Fish For The Future, and Youth For The Future.

For me, the real takeaway is seeing how restorative practices can be integrated directly into the guest experience without feeling transactional—it’s about building a genuine ‘brainprint’ alongside lowering an environmental footprint.

Because behind every luxury hideaway in nature lies a responsibility to the ecosystem around it ✨

The Datai Pledge

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