Bako National Park in Kuching (Sarawak)

Part of the Kuching (Sarawak) travel guide — see every topic in All Kuching (Sarawak) Guides.

Bako, gazetted in 1957 and Sarawak's oldest national park, occupies a peninsula about thirty-seven kilometres from Kuching and is reached only by a twenty-minute boat ride across a shallow bay. It packs an improbable amount into twenty-seven square kilometres: seven distinct vegetation types from mangrove to kerangas heath forest, sixteen marked trails, cliffs and sea stacks, and the most reliable proboscis monkey viewing in Malaysia. It is the best day out from Kuching and it works even better as an overnight.

The wildlife

Proboscis monkeys — endemic to Borneo, the males with the extraordinary pendulous nose — are close to reliable here, usually in the mangrove and riverside trees in the late afternoon. Bearded pigs root around the park headquarters and are entirely unbothered by people. Silvered langurs, long-tailed macaques (which raid bags and buildings, so lock everything), monitor lizards, flying lemurs and a good range of birds fill in. Pit vipers coil on branches along the trails and are pointed out by guides.

The trails and the landscape

Sixteen marked trails run from short boardwalks to a full-day route across the peninsula, colour-coded and generally well maintained. Telok Pandan Kecil, about ninety minutes each way, ends at a clifftop view over the park's signature sea stack — a rock formation eroded into the shape of a cobra's head — and a beach below. The Lintang loop crosses the kerangas heath plateau, a strange scrubby landscape of poor sandy soil where pitcher plants grow. Trails are hot, rooty and often muddy; register at the office before starting.

Staying overnight

The park has basic lodges and hostel rooms at headquarters, bookable through Sarawak Forestry and frequently full — book well ahead. Staying transforms the visit: the late afternoon and early morning are when the proboscis monkeys and the bearded pigs are active, night walks turn up flying lemurs, tarantulas, tree frogs and sleeping birds, and the day trippers are gone. There is a canteen with fixed meal times. Bring a torch, insect repellent and everything you need; there is no shop.

Practicalities

Take a bus or Grab to Bako village, roughly forty-five minutes from Kuching, then register and hire a boat — boats are shared and priced per vessel, so joining others reduces the cost. The crossing takes about twenty minutes and depends on the tide; at low tide you may wade the last stretch to the beach, so pack accordingly. Park entry is a modest fee. Bring water, sun protection and shoes with grip. The last boats back leave in the afternoon and the schedule is enforced by the tide, not by demand.

Bako National Park at a glance

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