Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Buses run by the Sarawak Transport Company (STC) link Kuching Sentral long-haul bus
station (counter 20) with Lundu (RM12, 1½ hours); departures in both directions are at
8am, 11am, 2pm and 4pm.
At the Lundu bus station, it's possible to hire a private car (RM5 per person) to take
you to Gunung Gading National Park or Sematan.
Gunung Gading National Park
The best place in Sarawak to see the world's largest flower, the renowned Rafflesia,
Gunung Gading National Park
( 082-735144;
www.sarawakforestry.com
;
adult
RM20; 8am-5pm)
makes a fine day trip from Kuching. Its old-growth rainforest covers
the slopes of four mountains
(gunung)
- Gading, Lundu, Perigi and Sebuloh - traversed
by well-marked walking trails that are great for day hikes. The park is an excellent spot to
experience the incredible biodiversity of lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, so named be-
cause it is dominated by a family of trees, the Dipterocarpaceae, whose members are par-
ticularly valuable for timber and thus especially vulnerable to clear-cutting.
The star attraction at 41-sq-km Gunung Gading is the
Rafflesia tuan-mudae
, a species
that's endemic to Sarawak. Up to 75cm in diameter, they flower pretty much year-round
but unpredictably, so to see one you'll need some luck. To find out if a Rafflesia is in
bloom - something that happens here with human knowledge only about 25 times a year -
and how long it will stay that way (never more than five days), contact the park or call or
visit the National Park Booking Office in Kuching.
Sights & Activities
A variety of well-marked, often steep trails lead through the lush jungle. Park signs give
one-way
hike times. Except when instructed otherwise by a ranger, keep to the trails to
avoid crushing Rafflesia buds underfoot.
Don't count on seeing many animals as most species found here are nocturnal and
wisely prefer the park's upper reaches, safely away from nearby villages.
Since these hikes must be done in one day (camping is permitted only at park HQ), you
might want to arrive the day before to facilitate an early morning start.
