With its rainforest, abundant wildlife, jungle streams, waterfalls, interesting plant life, secluded beaches, panoramic rocky shoreline, bizarre rock formations and extensive network of trekking trails, Bako National Park offers visitors an excellent introduction to the rainforest and coastline of Borneo. Bako may not have an instantly recognisable star attraction, but there can be very few places in the world that pack so much natural beauty into such a limited area, all just 37 km from Kuching. Its accessibility - and its sheer range of attractions and activities - have made Bako one of the most popular parks in Sarawak.
Local boats can be hired from the Park Headquarters to the famous Sea Stack. This iconic landmark of Bako National Park is located between Teluk Pandan Kecil and Teluk Paku.
Description:
Ask anyone about what is the most well-known landmark of Bako National Park, and the answer would be the famous Sea Stack. On a map that I saw at the Park Headquarters, the Sea Stack is locally denoted as Batu Belah, which literally means "a split rock". I often refer the Sea Stack as Batu Kapal (or "Ship Rock" in English) as this unique rock formation uncanningly resembles that of a ship bow when viewed from certain angles.
Whatever the correct name of this renowned landmark of the national park, the Sea Stack is a truly unique attraction on its own. Otherwise, its photos will never be widely used by travel brochures to introduce Bako National Park to the world. Perhaps the Sea Stack is the holy grail of testament on how millions of years of sea erosion have produced such a spectacular rock formation. In fact, the sign of ocean ravages is so extreme that the base of the Sea Stack is left with a thin supporting structure that hold the overhead outcrop in its place. On its walls, one can witness various linear formations as a result of the erosions. To me, they are natural carvings at their best.
Gazetted in 1957, Bako is Sarawak’s oldest national park, covering an area of 2,727 hectares at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula. It is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak, yet one of the most interesting, as it contains almost every type of vegetation found in Borneo. The well-maintained network of nature trails - from easy forest strolls to full-day jungle treks – allows visitors to get the most out of this unique environment.
One thing to note that while the Sea Stack is the main landmark of Bako National Park, it is not easily accessible. Bako is unlike many national parks around the world where the landmarks are most probably within reach from the Park Headquarters. The Sea Stack is ONLY accessible by boat as this unique rock formation is actually a tiny islet located off the coast of Teluk Pandan Kecil. One can actually see the Sea Stack from the beach of Teluk Pandan Kecil but in all honesty, the view is considered unappealing due to the distance.
If you really wish to view the famous Sea Stack up close, there are plenty of single-engine tourist boats that depart from the Park Headquarters in Teluk Assam to the Sea Stack and terminating at Teluk Pandan Kecil. The journey is very interesting as the boat will pass along other exciting rock formations that form the coastline of Bako National Park.
The one and a half hour trek to Telok Pandan Kecil is one of Bako’s most popular. It ascends the forested hills overlooking Telok Assam, reaching a plateau covered in scrub vegetation, and continues along a sandy path lined with carnivorous pitcher plants, before reaching a cliff top with stunning views of the secluded bay below and the famous sea stack just offshore. A 10 minute descent through cliff vegetation brings you to one of the best beaches in the park. Whilst swimming, watch out for monkeys who steal unguarded bags. The Telok Pandan Besar trail ends at a cliff top with views of the beach below.
Bako is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak. However, it features multiple biomes (including rainforest), abundant wildlife, jungle streams and waterfalls, secluded beaches, and trekking trails. A network of 16 marked walking trails of different lengths allows visitors access. In addition, various beaches are accessible by boat from Kampung Bako or Teluk Assam, as well as a geologically interesting sea stack rock formation.
Bako’s extensive trail system is made up of 16 colour-coded jungle trails which offer a range of walking and hiking options. The fit and adventurous can opt for full-day jungle hikes or overnight camping expeditions, whilst those who prefer to take it easy can opt for a relaxing forest walk. The following table provides details of approximate trekking times and distances and the colour codes used in the park.
Flora and Fauna
In particular, Bako is famous as a home to around 150 of the highly endangered proboscis monkey. Macaques are more fearless as well as more common, and thus much easier to spot. Another distinctive mammal indigenous to Borneo is the bearded boar. The common monitor lizard, growing up to 2m long, is the largest of the park's many types of lizard; flying lizards may also sometimes be spotted
Wildlife is most active just before dusk, which means that an overnight stay may be needed to fully appreciate it.
Bako contains almost every type of vegetation to be found in Sarawak, including highly distinctive carnivourous plants. There are seven distinct types of ecosystem: beach vegetation, cliff vegetation, heath forest (kerangas), mangrove forest, mixed dipterocarp forest, grasslands vegetation (padang) and peat swamp forest
2 Days 1 Night Bako National Park Package
Day 1 (Lunch / Dinner Included)
- At 0900 hours, pick up from your hotel in Kuching and have an hour leisure drive which passes through the mangrove forest with its unique nipah palms and passing Santubong River before arriving at the Bako Fishing Village.
- Then, continue by a boat trip for 30 minutes cruise along the coast facing South China Sea to reach Bako National Park.
- Upon arrival of the park, registered names, check into basic accommodations.
- Visit the Information & Exhibition Centre for an orientation.
- Stroll along the headquarters compound to see monitor lizards and macaques.
- Afternoon, proceed for a guided trails to search for proboscis monkeys & other wildlife.
- Dinner & stay overnight at guesthouse.
Day 2 (Breakfast / Lunch Included)
- Early morning, birds watching along Telok Assam Bay before returning to guesthouse for breakfast.
- Then, proceed to the Plateau, which is the home to various botanical delights and several species of the carnivorous pitcher plants.
- You may notice how its vegetation changes from mangrove to rainforest, to Kerangas and to padang fores.
- Depart the National Park and return to Kuching with lunch enroute at local restaurant.
- Return to your hotel by 1700 hours.
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