Sarawak National Parks - Bako, Batang Ai & Mulu National Park
o Bako National Park
Just a short ride from Kuching, Bako National park is Sarawak's first and oldest national park. It is home to the rare proboscis monkey, known by Malays as ‘Orang Belanda’, or Dutchmen or even ‘Pinocchio of the jungle’, because of their long noses. The park also is home to squirrels, mousedeer, sambar deer, wild pigs, long tailed macaques, flying lemur, silver leaf monkeys and palm civet cats.
Bako National Park, 37 kilometres from Kuching, can be reached by 30-minute drive to Kampung Bako and then followed by a 25-minute boat ride. Bako National Park is a treasure chest of fauna and flora.
You can certainly discover a wide range of vegetations including the varieties of pitcher plants and wild orchids. The varieties of vegetation found in Borneo can also be seen in the Park's mangrove forest, mixed dipterocarp forest, peat swamp forest and kerangas forest.
Trek through its sixteen well maintained jungle trails. Apart from trekking, swimming, beach combing at low tide and sunset watching are popular activities along the sandy bays of the Park. Bako National Park is truly an ideal place for nature lovers and eco-minded adventurers.
o Batang Ai National Park
Enclosing a huge lake, the park is inhabited by wild orang utans, gibbons and hornbills. There are also several traditional Iban longhouses. You can enjoy the wilderness while pampering yourself with the comforts of the nearby Batang Ai Hilton Longhouse Resort. The national park protects the much endangered orang utan, and is home to a wide variety of other wildlife, including hornbills and gibbons. The park has no visitor facilities, but four walking trails have been created. One of them will take you in an ancient burial ground. You will also be brought to one of the 29 long houses surrounding the dam.
o Mulu National Park
A true tropical wonderland, Mulu has it all - the world's most extensive cave system, the world's largest cave chamber, limestone pinnacles, Gunung Mulu jungle trekking, rock climbing, kayaking and a chance to meet the nomadic Penans. It is also the largest national park, covering 544 sq km of primary rainforest, which is criss-crossed by fast flowing rivers and clear jungle streams. The park is covered in rich primary rainforest and offers a whole range of nature-based activities. There are some excellent jungle treks and mountain hikes, including the challenging trek to view the Pinnacles - 45 metre high, razor sharp limestone spikes that sit on the slopes of Gunung Api.
