Bako National Park — Attraction in Borneo

Getting here: Bus Asia (red, labelled "Bako"), starting from 7am from the station in front of "All Joy Bakery", 1MYR to the driver, no change (about 1h). Walk about 5min to the jetty. Register online and pay the entrance fee (20MYR), find someone to share the boat (5pax max) and pay for it (100MYR each way per boat, you have to pay for both way; sharing between 5 will be 40MYR each return). The ride last about 15min, depending on the tide you will arrive at the NP jetty or straight at the main beach (Talau Assam). At the reception the provide you with a map of the trails and other useful tips.

The park: All the structures and facilities are nice, clean and well maintained. The staff is kind and friendly. You can book different kind of accommodation and stay overnight. I've been to the hostel for 15MYR/night. It was a lodge with 4 rooms and 4 beds per rooms with shared bathroom. They provide bed sheets, towel and a blanket. Toilets had toilet paper, the shower has one temperature that is not cold, it's nicely cool. Cafeteria provide snacks and drinks (1.5L water 5MYR) and buffet menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner (you pay per scoop or piece for example 1scoop of rice 3MYR). I found the buffet style perfect for the place, you can build your meal (veg, carb, proteins) according to your needs and this is extremely important in such environment.

The trails: Before starting check both the estimated time and the length, a trail of 700m might seem easy but the time is 1h15 so probably it's pretty hard! T. Paku (trail 4) and T.Pandan Kecil (6) end on a sandy beach, T. Pandan Besar (5) end on a cliff with a nice view of the bay. 4+5+6 will take about 4-5h. T. Delima (2) is a short trail that ends on a mangroves beach, the way here has a beautiful vegetation. Lintang (9) is a loop, the only view point is actually obstructed by trees. Tg. Rhu (7) ends on a cliff with a view, there are no trail to go down to the rocky beach but if you want you can make it. Make sure you stop at the shelter for a great 180° view on the bay. 9+7 will take about 7h.

Tips: If you do a day trip make sure you take the first bus from Kuching (7am), the last boat to go back is at 3pm; start with 6+5, add 4 and 2 if you have time. I recommend to stay minimum one night to see more animals (proboscide monkey are more active at sunset/sunrise) and not to stress too much with the time. I think the best option is 2N3D, you have more chance to see animals and a good sunset (and a beautiful night sky), and to make shots with nice light. Also, you have time to do all the trails available.

Do not overestimate yourself and do not underestimate the trails! It's HOT and it's HUMID, breathing is harder. Drink at least 1L water before going and bring minimum another 1.5L. Pack the lunch (not a snack!) if you walk for more than 3h. If you think it can help, bring your own snack like protein bars or sport drinks since cafeteria doesn't have these kind of stuff (you can buy chips, chocolate bars and coke). Apply suncream more often than usual since you're going to sweat a lot. There are parts of trails not covered by trees.

Do not come with kids! There is not much else do to beside hiking, yes you can go for a boat ride and see wild animals but that's it! You CANNOT swim in the sea (there are crocodiles)! And there are no swimming pools! Trails are too hard for kids and, as I already...

I reached the boat terminal of this island park around 12 noon as I went first to see the orangutan sanctuary. Boat terminal were charging 100 Ringgits for the 20 minutes boat ride and another 100 Ringgits for return of the boat. I suggested the boat fare to be shared with other passengers who would use the same boat and the person at the counter said no other person were travelling after 12noon. So my first advice would be to reach the boat terminal at 8am and therefore you get a cheap deal with the shared boat fare. Washrooms at the Boat terminal and the main office at the island were ok. However, neither toilets nor drinking water facilities were available along the trails. On arrival to the island I went to the main office to collect the map. Though a photocopied map was given after charging 20 Ringgits for entrance fees, the routes were not clear and without a guide it was very difficult to follow the trails. I would recommend to go as a tour group to minimize the costs and hire a guide as well. Though the website stated that the park would open up to 5pm, boat service informed me that the last regular return boat service would be at 3pm. I negotiated to return at 5pm as I left to the island park late. The boatman agreed to pick me up at 5pm though he suggested me to come to another part of the seashore as he cannot pick up after 3pm at the usual dock. Then I had to enter the boat through the sea water and consequently I had to remove my shoes and socks. The seashore was interesting with starfishes, small crabs and plovers moving around. During the boat ride I also noticed several fishes were jumping and apparently this part of the sea was having abundant fishes though the water was muddy. Also I noticed prawn traps were laid on the way. On the other hand, I could not find the proboscis monkey which was said to be the main attraction of the park. I could not see much birds except some small birds such as sunbirds, tailorbird and fly catchers. There were multiple warning signs to not to get inside the sea as it was infested with dangerous crocodiles though I could not see any. In one of the trails I saw a small pond with large catfishes, smaller fishes and a turtle. Beautiful butterflies and dragon flies were abundant in addition to few lizards such as monitor lizard and skinks. Trails were moderately difficult and in some places steps need to be taken very carefully to avoid accidents. Some of the wooden steps were broken and not repaired. Polythene had spoiled the beauty of the beach in several places.

The last public transport bus from the park left to Kuching at 5pm and after that it was very difficult to find a transport vehicle. I returned to the boat terminal at 5.30pm and was waiting for the "Grab" to find me a car for more than 2 hours in vain. Finally I spoke to one of the locals living near the boat terminal and he kindly agreed to drop me at Kuching town by his car. I would therefore suggest all tourists to leave the island at 3pm or else to stay overnight. It would be also difficult to cover all the trails within a day between 8am and 3pm. Malaysian Government should take more effort to improve the trails and...

How to get there Bus- number 4 from open air market. Takes 1 hour. MONDAY TO FRIDAY 6.30 AM-7.30 PM *Bus Frequency: Every hour (PEAK TIME) 6.30 AM-8.30 AM/ 4.30 PM - 7.30 PM *Bus Frequency: Every 30 Minutes SAT/ SUNDAY 6.30 AM-8.00PM *Bus Frequency: Every hour 3.40RM per person. Accepts contactless card payments or cash. Grab- easy to get a grab from town out there. Not as easy to get one back unless you book in advance. There are guys hanging around the ferry terminal offering taxis back but was more expensive than Grab. Boat the only way into the park for foreign tourists is by boat. Costs 200RM return which (as others have mentioned) is a bit steep. This can be shared with other people and more people seem to arrive all the time so it's worth waiting around the hall and asking to share. Boat tickets must be paid for before entrance to park fees. 20 minute boat ride. It can be a wet and wild ride- it was raining and incredibly bumpy/ wavy on the way in- everyone that arrived the morning we got there was incredibly wet and bedraggled. Waterproof coverings for luggage/ day packs were essential! The ride back- smooth and enjoyable to see the scenery. Can arrange times for coming back if staying overnight and need to be back at a certain time (if sharing with others all need to arrive/depart at the same time). Also note that the boats there/back are tide dependent and so they can require you to be on the return boat by 1pm. Worth checking and bearing in mind if going for a day trip.

What to do there- hike, hike, hike! There are a wide variety of walks that are available and you are guided to load the park information on arrival to the park. Timings are accurate. Be sure to take plenty of water. If not able to hike there is plenty of wildlife to be seen around the main HQ area. Proboscis monkeys, Macaques, Silvered Langur and bearded pigs (as well as insects, lizards, snakes and crabs) all seen in the vicinity of the cafe and accommodation areas. There is also a night tour available for 15RM per person from 8-9.30PM where the guides are very good at finding snakes and insects around the park. They have very good torches so we were able to see despite not having our own. If you have one it would be beneficial.

Cafe- offers meals and drinks. Very basic food, not particularly flavourful but reasonable in price (3-5RM drinks/ 10-15RM main meal). A wide selection of soft drinks, teas, coffee and also beer available. 1.5L bottles of water for 5RM. *Make sure to take plenty of cash as do not accept cards.

Accomodation- book in advance on Sarawak Forestry site. There are a limited number available and they book up quickly. Rooms are basic but clean and functional. Some accomodation types have air con, the 4-bed room we booked had only a fan. Be warned it can get very warm overnight. Provided with towels and blankets. Due to the boat timings staying overnight allows for a much more relaxed visit to the park. *Payment online repeatedly failed for me. Payment only in cash at ticket office when paying for park entrance fees.

Make sure to take: sunscreen, bug repellent, water, waterproofs, hiking shoes/ trainers (sandals...