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Words by Asiah Bujang, photos by Mohd Syazuan Sulaiman
Home to an incredible range of tropical bio-diversity, Sarawak is the place to see the extremely rare and elusive species of flora and fauna, including the magnificent giant Rafflesia and endangered primates such as the Orang Utans and Proboscis monkeys.
Although most of the rare types of interesting animals and plants are confined mainly to the deep interiors of the state’s vast rainforests, there are many places that can easily be accessed by visitors who wish nature in its pristine glory.
To protect the state’s amazing wildlife and plants as well as provide visitors and nature lovers with excellent facilities to see and study the creatures, plants and surrounding habitats, the Sarawak government has created many reserves and state or national parks. Some, such as the Gunung Gading National Park were established due to threats to just one single species.
Gunung Gading National Park
This big reserve is within easy distance from Kuching and is located close to Lundu, a small town in Southwest Sarawak where life moves at a simple pace. Its star attraction is the Rafflesia tuan-mudae.
Your two-hour car journey to the Gunung Gading National Park from Kuching takes you pass four magnificent mountains, their peaks hidden in thick clouds. Primary jungle clad the area and the vast greenery is broken here and there by resulted in the crystal-clear jungle streams and tumbling waterfalls.
We arrived at the park entrance with bated anticipation and our guide led us through a jungle track where the Rafflesia grows surprisingly close to the path. However, luck was not on our side that day as there were no full blooms to be seen. But we got to see some buds, which resembled cabbages.
Our guide told us these huge buds start as small excrescence in the looping woody stem of its host, nearly always at ground level where the vine runs along the earth or under leaf litter. For many weeks, this hard round heavy growth gradually gets bigger, just like a cabbage. The elusive Rafflesia tuan-mudae is endemic to Sarawak where it is found only in several small locations.
The Gunung Gading National Park was gazetted in August 1983, to conserve the Rafflesia tuan-mudae. However, visitors can also enjoy other attractions such as forest walks where well-maintained trails allow for close encounters with the flora, witnessing of some wild creatures, or experiencing a plunge at the park’s natural swimming pools. One of the easiest and shortest trails in the park is the Waterfall Trail, which follows a river and passes seven waterfalls, although not all the falls can be accessed.
The Gunung Gading Summit Trail takes two and a half hours to reach the summit of the Gading Mountain, where a former British army camp was set-up during the communist insurgency of the 1960’s and can still be seen until today. A cave-like formation called Batu Berkubu served as a communist hideout during the insurgency period. The formation is indeed a huge rock that provided shelter for the communist terrorists at that time. The trek to Batu Berkubu is relatively easy, taking about two hours and traverses a scenic valley.
Tanjung Datu National Park
The next day, we ventured to Tanjung Datu National Park. Our guide explained that tourism falls second after conservation here but we never really gave the statement much thought - until we endured the most uncomfortable 45-minute boat ride to the park entrance.
A bane to some, its relative remoteness is indeed the real appeal of Tanjung Datu National Park. Seclusion has helped to preserve a wide range of unusual plant species like the night-blooming Putat tree, which produces pink and white flowers. Other interesting plant life found here are huge Umbrella Palms and Strangling Figs. The Rafflesia Hasselti, which blooms in November, also thrives in this park.
Tanjung Datu is perhaps the smallest national park in Sarawak, totalling just 14 sq km but is one of the most beautiful places. It is located at the western tip of Borneo bordering Kalimantan and that added to our excitement as the thought of boat riding close to international waters and sailing into misadventure played games in our minds. Nonetheless, we were treated to mesmerising views of the scenic surroundings.
According to Park Ranger, Dohem Dibok, Tanjung Datu is a popular turtle landing site and two species, the Green Turtle and Olive Ridley make annual visits to the islands here to lay their eggs at sandy beaches. A fenced-off turtle hatchery constantly monitored by park staff, is part of the conservation effort that takes place here.
Other notable animal life includes three types of hornbills, Argus pheasants as well as several types of primates including the Borneon gibbons, Pig-tailed and Long-tailed macaques, and Silvered and Banded langurs.
Viewpoint Trail is on one of the less arduous jungle trails here and we were guided through a forested path that opened up to spectacular coastal views. The Telok Melano Trail on the other hand is close to a fishing village also called Telok Melano. It is a two-hour loop trail starting at the Park Headquarters and passes parallel to the beach through shore-side until Tanjung Antu Laut. Lastly, the two km Belian Trail is steep and leads through mixed diptorecarp forest to the highest point in the park, the peak of Gunung Melano.
Sarawak’s oldest and one of its most popular national park is Bako, which is just about two hours from Kuching. Weather was not on our side on the day we visited the place. It rained heavily the entire morning but that was not going to hinder our visit, so after a good bowl of Laksa Sarawak for breakfast, we decided to throw caution to the wind and forged on with the trip to Bako.
Wearing ponchos to shield ourselves against the wind and the rain, we arrived wet and cold. Bako was gazetted as national park in 1957 and stays fascinating till today. Compact with an area of 27 sq km, it mainly straddles a sandstone peninsula on the South China Sea opposite Gunung Santubong. The name Bako comes from a mangrove forest tree known as rhizoph ora, also known as bakau in Malay.
Famed for its unique rock formations, Bako comprises a plateau and is the site of the country’s most spectacular geological erosion. Bako’s icon is its Sea Stack, which is perhaps the most photographed structure in the park. Exuding various shades of earth colours, coupled with a unique shape, this formation, along with other similar natural structures in the park baffles the mind to think of the awesome power of nature in creating these masterpieces.
 
Bako is also the perfect place to discover and see some of Sarawak’s unique wildlife. The park has accommodation facilities, which allows visitors to stay longer and get better opportunities to spot and photograph the creatures that live here. The park has many friendly ‘furry’ residents. As we walk towards the Park Headquarters, we watched in fascination a bearded pig, foraging lazily just by the wooden stairs of the park’s office. The pig seemed unfazed by the incessant snapping of visitors’ cameras. We had to look out for mischievous macaques though, as they have earned the reputation of stealing from right under the nose.
Rain limited our movements but once the weather eased, we were geared in our pursuit to spot the famed Proboscis monkeys. It took a while for them to appear amidst the trees and we could hear their loud and strange grunting sounds from afar as they leapt across the branches. Bako is home to approximately 150 of these monkeys, endemic to Borneo Island.
Bako also sustains an incredible variety of plant species and supports seven different habitats in its compact area. You will find kerangas, cliff vegetation, beach vegetation, mixed dipterocarp forest, peat swamp forest and mangrove swamps here.
The park also has many well-marked trails, which allows good chance to spot long-tailed macaques, wild boars, snakes, monitor lizards, squirrels, and many other forest residents.
Talang Satang National Park
Our journey of discovering the national parks near Kuching ended with a visit to the Talang Satang National Park, which is probably the most scenic and beautiful protected area in this part of thisvast state. Covering just 19.4 sq km, the park comprises several islands surrounded by hard and soft coral reefs. The reefs provide shelter and resting grounds for sea turtles, thus the area was gazetted as national park to protect these creatures.
Pulau Satang Besar is one of the islands here. It’s a fascinating and beautiful surrounding with a turtle hatchery where visitors can learn more about conservation efforts. There is a designated zone where scuba diving and snorkelling can be done.
Interestingly, a local named Abol Hassan who provides services, which include boat and accommodation, owns the island. Travel agents wishing to bring tourists over to the island are required to first seek permission from the owner.
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Getting to the National Park:
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Gunung Gading National Park
From the Brooke Dockyard in Gambier Street at Kuching bus station, take the Sarawak Transport Company bus to the 3rd mile bus terminal. From there, take the express bus to Lundu – the journey takes approximately one and a half hours. From Lundu, take a van or taxi and ask to be dropped off at the park office. Or you can also take a package from any of many local tour operators in Kuching.
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Tanjung Datu National Park
The only access is by boat from the nearby village of Telok Melano. The boat journey takes about 45 minutes or two and a half hours by foot via the Telok Melano – Telok Upas – Tanjung Datu HQ Trail. Telok Melano is only accessible by boat from the town of Sematan. Boats from Sematan to Telok Melano are infrequent, unscheduled and cater to local communities, so it may be difficult for independent travel to the park.
Easily accessible by bus or taxi from Kuching to Kampung Bako, a picturesque fishing village, visitors can reach the park from here by small boats from Telok Assam. If you have to wait at Kampung Bako for a bus, or for the tide to rise, there is a good seafood restaurant near the jetty that also serves snacks and drinks.
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Talang Satang National Park
Pulau Satang Besar is a 30-minute boat ride from Damai Beach Sarawak Boat Jetty or Telaga Air Jetty. No regular boat service to the islands is offered and visitors should travel with an organised tour. Few tour operators run day trips and such trips are often tied to other activities in the area, such as dolphin watching or mangrove cruises.
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