BAKO NATIONAL PARK, KUCHING, SARAWAK, BORNEO
BAKO NATIONAL PARK, KUCHING, SARAWAK, BORNEO
Lying 37 kilometres northeast of Kuching City is Bako, Sarawak's oldest national park. Often underestimated by travellers, this is actually one of Asia's most perfect nature parks with a wild shoreline of mangrove swamp and a hinterland of kerangas bush bustling with proboscis monkeys and bird life.
The journey to the national park starts with a half hour boat ride from Kampung Bako, a picturesque fishing village some 45 minutes by road from Kuching, to the park's headquarters at Telok Assam. Along the way, you will see numerous wooden houses on stilts from riverside villages and fishermen tending to their fish traps. On a clear day, you may even catch a glimpse of the majestic Mount Santubong on the distant horizon.
Once at the park headquarters, the ranger will supply the visitor with a park map which clearly shows the trails. You may want an hour to look around the excellent displays and exhibits at the Information Centre; which identifies the flora and fauna available in the park as well as describe in detail the park's history and unique characteristics.
Bako is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak, yet one of the most interesting, with seven distinct eco-systems: beach vegetation, cliff vegetation, kerangas or heath forest, mangroves, dipterocarps (tropical rainforest), grasslands and peat swamps. Considered the best nature park in Malaysia for self-guided treks, these eco-systems can be explored via the 17 jungle trails (some criss-crossing one another) running more than 30 kilometres within Bako.
One of the great pluses of Bako is the near certainty that you will see wildlife around the chalets or out on the trails. Monkeys are always lurking around on the lookout for food. Snakes, wild boar, giant monitor lizards, squirrels, bearded pigs, otters and mousedeer can be sighted, especially if you're quiet and observant. The park headquarters and the open paths in the kerangas are also the best places for bird watching.
A short walk to Paku beach landed us among the long-nosed Proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus). There are estimated to be only about 150 of them in Bako. They spotted us quickly and casually moved up the trees, honking their low monotone protests like a tenor saxophone.
The most obvious unusual characteristic of the proboscis monkey is the huge fleshy nose sported by adult males. How the nose evolved is something of a mystery. According to one theory, having a long nose helps attract the females. Being strict vegetarians, they need a big belly to contain all the bacteria to break down the heavy fibre they consume. Big males can weigh up to 20 kilos. The noses on the females end in a little snout and they have a redder coat on their backs.
Although rated as the shortest track at Bako, Paku trail was an obstacle course of steep inclines; slippery mossy rock holds and gnarled roots waiting to trip us up. Needless to say, this not too physically fit trekker was soon huffing and puffing uphill, wondering if she would ever make it to the end of the trail.
What made all the effort worthwhile, however, was the chance to see a kerangas forest whose trees housed many anthills on their branches as well as the many pitcher plants found along the trail. The fine white sand on the forest floor was like those found on beaches and the rocks had strange pits in them, suspected to have been gouged by raindrops falling over many years.
Although relatively small, Bako is spectacular in its own way; its steep rocky cliffs, punctuated by deep bays and lovely sandy beaches. Guarding the coastline of the park are hard and porous rock formation known as sandstone, which over the years, has been worn down to produce delicate pink iron patterns on cliff faces, honeycomb weathering and contorted rock arches rising from the sea.
Lan Berambeh Ke Sarawak!
