A visit to Bako National Park

In late July 2013 we visited Kuching, Sawarak, Malaysia, on the north western tip of Borneo.  This is our 6th or 7th visit to Kuching.  This time we did something different, we took two guided trips to two nearby national parks: Bako National Park, and Semonggoh Wildlife Center.

On a bright Sunday morning (is there anything else in Malaysia) our guide picked up at our hotel to drive us to Bako National Park.  He insisted we look for sunblock and mosquito repellent (we had both back in KL but had forgotten to bring them, along with hats and binoculars), neither of which were available in the four 7-11 stores we visited.  Hotel sundry shops were closed (out of business), and pharmacies did not open until 10 am.  Off we went and hoped for the best.

Mawi, our guide

Bako National Park is located approximately 35 km from Kuching on a peninsula in the South China Sea.  After about an hour's drive we arrived at the entrance and ferry dock.  The vendor there sold all sorts of chips (crisps), ice creams, and drinks but no sunblock or mosquito repellent.  We signed in, waived all legal rights to sue anyone, and boarded our boat.

Cannot say we were not forewarned

 The small outboard powered skiff with canopies took us to the headquarters of the park (about 30 minutes away). It was low tide.  Instead of skirting the fishing net structures in the river, we sailed under them.  Our pilot was excellent, anticipating and avoiding back jarring waves caused by the wakes from other boats.  As we neared Bako National Park, we left the river and entered the South China Sea, with gentle waves.  We were advised to take off our shoes, socks, and roll up our pants legs, as we had a wet landing.  Low tide closes the jetty and we walked through the gentle surf onto the beach.  A hundred or so metres and we were ashore, washing our feet, and putting on our shoes while keeping a wary watch on the local monkey population.

We were greeted by a long-tailed macaque

We visited the museum, mostly photographs of the fauna, reptiles, mammals, and birds to be found in the park.  Here the most important mammal is the proboscis monkey, found only on Borneo.  Sometimes it is called the orang belanda ("Dutch Monkey"), due to the length of nose and size of the belly.  Our guide disabused us of this, saying the coat and hair coloring is similar to that of colonial Dutch soldiers.  Government posters showed vulnerable and threatened species within Malaysia.  The distinction is the amount of protection provided, and the penalties for violating the rules.

A regular green viper in a tree next to a park cabin

Off we went wandering through the beach scrub, staying clear of the trees (snakes).  Pythons and vipers are present.  We saw a regular green viper and kept our distance, but did not see a python.  As we walked on the boardwalk over the marshland walking towards Ulu Assam overlook.  Several hundred metres into the hike we came upon a troop of long tailed macaques.  The mother macaque nursing her child refused to give way, and the male macaques were in a protective mode.  We decided to retreat to the lodge to have lunch.

The alpha male of the troop who did not want to pose for the camera

After lunch ("one hour") we went back on the trail to Ula Assam.  The macaques were still around but did not block our progress.  We saw a hive (high on a cliff) of aggressive stinging bees. The guide commented his job was to stay between the guest and problems, but that did not apply to bees.  We walked and observed the fauna learning about: vines that can grab you (with their thorns) but provide protection from rouge animal; a wide variety of edible and inedible mushrooms, fruits, and construction materials (vines, leaves, and variety of timber).  Some timber is good for window and door frames, and others are great for joists.  After a while the trail petered out and we returned to the park HQ.  We then followed a trail back to staff quarters (badminton and soccer areas), water pumps, and a mobile phone tower.

And yes, we were actually there.

We emerged near the jetty (now usable because the tide was in).  We had a 30 minute wait for our boat to arrive but just in the nick of time, a Proboscis Monkey was spotted.  So with our guide we walked along a boardwalk and spent time viewing the juvenile monkey eating sprouts and leaves in the nearby trees.  Many other tourists without guide walked by without noticing one of the reasons they came to the park.

A proboscis monkey in a distant tree.

On our boat we visited some rock formations carved by the sea before returning to the town and our trip back to Kuching.  We will probably return to Bako National Park, but stay one or two nights so we can do some walking, birding, and wildlife viewing.  Besides, it would be a great place to sit on a balcony and read a book (or Kindle).  Even in retirement, one needs to get away for the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Rock formations etched by the waves

Some notes: We booked the tour through Ooo Haa Tours & Travel . Surprisingly the Sarawak Tourist Office (across the street from our hotel) is only open Mon-Fri from 9 - 5 or maybe 8 to 5. We were too surprised to pay close attention. While one can get to Bako without a guide we learned that the major advantages of hiring guides is that they know where the animals are, have a keen eye for spotting less visible species, and trade information with each other.