Rescuers say an Australian backpacker lost for days in a Malaysian mountain range was "weak and happy" when found 20 metres off a track in dense and rocky forest on Tuesday.
A helicopter winched 26-year-old Andrew Gaskell from the forest in the Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak on Borneo island and flew him to a hospital in the town of Miri.
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Missing Aussie hiker found in Malaysia
Australian backpacker Andrew Gaskell has been found two weeks after he went missing in Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia.
He had numerous leeches on his legs but was conscious and able to chat with his rescuers.
Mr Gaskell, a Tasmanian, was found about five kilometres from the Mulu airport in a remote area known as Hidden Valley.
He had set off hiking on October 18 in an area with poor mobile coverage, saying in a social media post he wanted a "genuine cultural experiences with local people outside main tourist attractions and to climb a lot of mountains".
"And maybe, just maybe, in the course of my travels I'll come to some sort of conclusion as to who I am and what I want to do with my life," he wrote.
"And so begins my journey beyond the horizon."
The 544-square-kilometre park has fast flowing rivers, dense jungle and one of the world's largest limestone cave systems.
When no one heard from the 26-year-old, his family reported him missing to Tasmania Police on October 27.
He is being assessed in a Malaysian hospital, Tasmanian Police said in a statement.
Andrew Gaskell being carried onboard Bomba M17 at Mulu airport pic.twitter.com/cZpIp48A7U
— RTM SARAWAK (@rtm_sarawak) November 1, 2016
Backpacker Andrew Gaskell found weak but alive after being lost for weeks in Malaysian jungle https://t.co/Z2QcUQmhIZ
— ABC News Tasmania (@abcnewsTas) November 1, 2016
(Pic: @rtm_sarawak) pic.twitter.com/B098kEw01e
Mr Gaskell grew up in Hobart but has lived in Cairns for the past three years and it was his family in Tasmania who alerted police.
His mother Elizabeth Gaskell said she "felt amazing relief" when her youngest son phoned to tell her Andrew had been found.
"I'm really thankful to all the volunteers that helped and I'm so thankful to God he's safe," she said in a statement to Sky News.
"We're so overwhelmed with everyone's support."
with AAP