Bako National Park is definitely underrated among Malaysians. Not many heard of it, but this national park turned out to be worthy of a visit.
You can fly from Senai, Johor to Kuching directly. We got our return flights on AirAsia for RM180 each. Flight time from Senai to Kuching is about 1 hour 15 min, which was a bit surprisingly fast. AirAsia was also punctual.
I observed that the number of visitors was surprisingly low, so was scale of open/available treks. The park is huge, but only a small portion is open to the public. Most of the time, you basically have the entire beach or treks to yourself. This is somewhere exclusive with an affordable price tag. Some people would label this place boring, but I found peace and 'Zen' here.
Most locals do day trips (9am to 3pm), while most westerners would stay at the hostel for a night, then visit somewhere else. For us, we booked the hostel for 2 nights, as there were much to see. Part of me doubt you could see the best of any national parks within a day or two. I personally thought the hostel (at RM 100 per room per night) was decent. 2 of us took 1 room.
I had a good rest for 2 nights. Meanwhile, food is available at the canteen, which cost more due to the remoteness. A complete meal cost around RM12. A cup of milo kosong is RM4. I would suggest to bring some snacks or chocolates from Kuching.
