Bako National Park

Taman Negara Bako

Sarawak's oldest national park. You must reach it by boat, and along its rainforest trails, sea stacks, and sandy beaches you can spot proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs, and flying lemurs.

Bako National Park was established in 1957 as Sarawak's first national park. It sits on a peninsula at the northeastern tip of Kuching. There are no roads leading to it, so you must first travel to the jetty at Kampung Bako and take a boat for about 20 minutes to reach the park. The park packs nearly every vegetation type found in Borneo into its small area. It is one of the best places to see proboscis monkeys, and it is also home to bearded pigs, long-tailed macaques, and silver leaf monkeys.

The park has more than ten clearly marked trails. The shortest, Tanjung Sapi, takes about 1 hour round trip and offers views over the bay. The popular Telok Pandan Kecil trail takes about 2.5 hours round trip and ends at a white sand beach and the famous sea stack. To see proboscis monkeys, take the Telok Paku trail near the headquarters, where activity is highest in the early morning and evening.

Admission costs about RM 20 for foreign adults. Boat fares are charged per boat, so it is recommended to share a boat at the jetty. You can stay overnight in the park and join night tours to see snakes, frogs, and fireflies.

Tips: Boats cannot dock at low tide, so plan your return trip around the tides. The long-tailed macaques will steal food, so do not leave snacks exposed. There are crocodile warning signs by the sea, so do not swim.

Bako National Park

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