Malaysia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 479

TOURS FROM KUCHING
Kuching tour operators run trips to the longhouses for upwards of RM200 per person per day;
reductions are available depending on the size of the group. They can also arrange trips to
other parts of the state, including Gunung Mulu National Park.
Adventure Alternative Borneo Danny Voon
T 016 810 5614, W aaborneo.com. Tom of Lupa Masa
(see p.505) and Kuching-based Danny arrange offbeat,
sustainable trips all over Borneo. They can help you put
together an independent trip into less-trodden areas
and put you in touch with another Kuching-based
agency that organizes homestays at a traditional
Malay fishing village.
Borneo Adventure 55 Main Bazaar T 082 245175,
W borneoadventure.com. Award-winning, professional
tour agency with another branch in KK. Can arrange
anything from informative tours of Kuching to multi-day

wildlife-watching tours and stays in their own Nanga
Sampa jungle lodge in Ulu Ai, by the border with
Kalimantan, which has links to the traditional Iban
community next door and jungle treks.
Borneo Experiences Jln Temple T 082 241346,
W borneoexperiences.com. Apart from quirky city
tours and cycling trips to the Damai peninsula, this
Singgahsana Lodge -based tour agency also offers a
couple of adventurous options - a three-day/two-
night stay in a traditional Bidayu village in the Bungu
range, reachable only on foot, and homestays in Bario,
in the remote Kelabit Highlands (see p.494).

6

returning at 8.30am, 11.15am, 2.15pm
and 4.30pm; 45min; RM4 one-way)
from Jalan Masjid. his will drop you at
the entrance to the park where you buy
your ticket; it's then a 1.3km clearly
signed walk through pretty botanical
gardens along a tarmac pathway to the
feeding area. Taxis cost around RM100
return, including waiting time.

then take a motorized boat that bounces
along the surf all the way to the park
headquarters (RM94 return per boat of
up to five people, or four people during
rainy season when seas are rough;
20min), where you must register. Maps
are available from the park HQ.
he park boasts seventeen trails , which
all start from park headquarters and are
colour-coded with paint splashes every
20m. he trails vary in di culty and
length of time. he easiest and shortest
walk (and the best to see proboscis
monkeys) is the Telok Paku trail. here's
a hike to Tajor Waterfall (3.5km; about
2hr), which involves climbing the
forested cliff through kerangas , with
plentiful pitcher plants and peat bogs.
As you leave the main trail at the
wooden hut you'll see a path that
descends to two beautiful beaches, Telok
Pandan Kecil and Telok Pandan Besar
(30min), with dramatic karst jutting
out of the sea. he longest and most
demanding trail is the 13km Telok
Limau (8hr 30min one-way), which
ends on a remote beach where you can
camp. You can agree to get picked up by
boat at an assigned time (RM165), and
you can generally get a mobile phone
signal on the slopes above the beach.
Get a permit and reserve your lodgings
at the visitor centre in Kuching or online
at W ebooking.com.my before you go
(see p.479), especially on weekends, as

BAKO NATIONAL PARK
BAKO NATIONAL PARK was established
in 1957 and is the best place to see
wildlife in the state. he rare proboscis
monkey, found only in Borneo, is
resident here, and most visitors are
treated to a sight of its unmistakeable
hooter, which has earned it the native
nickname “Dutchman”. You'll definitely
catch sight of cheeky macaques that hang
around the visitor centre, and it's not
uncommon to see vipers, wild pigs, giant
monitor lizards and silver leaf monkeys.
Bako can easily be visited as a day-trip
from Kuching, but since wildlife is at its
most active early in the morning and late
in the afternoon, it's far more rewarding
to stay overnight.
To get to the park , catch the red bus #1
(hourly 7am-5pm; 45min; RM3.50)
from 6 Jln Khoo Hun Yeang, across from
the Open-Air Market to the jetty at
Kampung Bako. From here, you must
pay the park fee (RM10), sign in and