Bako National Park, Kuching, Sarawak

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. 

After arriving in Kuching at noon, we took a 20-min boat ride from Bako Park Jetty

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. 

Why rush back to Kuching if you could enjoy a serene sunset at Bako National Park?

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. 

The fan was good, but it was a bit too loud.

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. 

It's been too long since my last hike, while it's the first time someone tried hiking, oblivious of the challenges

I still rate Malaysia having the best national parks and trails in the region

I woke up the next day rather pleased. It was a national park, so it was quiet and air was really fresh. 

I like to observe tourist

The Proboscis Monkey was having breakfast - A particular type of leaves

What more do you want?

It felt as though the animals live here unperturbed - What a carefree life

There are several treks we could choose to undertake. No guides are required, but you could still engage one if you wish. We were given a map and some emergency contacts. There is full internet access (4G+) as the park HQ. 

In the morning, we trekked to Telok Paku, which is 2km return (2 hours).

Hiking for 2km is probably equivalent to running 6km on a flat path

Again, almost the entire whole (Telok Paku) beach to ourselves

After lunch at the HQ, we set out to Telok Pandan Kecil at around 12.30pm. It rained the night before, so the treks were not perfect. This route would take 3 hours round trip (5km).

The treks were actually good, with ladders and logs

Towards the hill top

Introduced as 'carnivorous plant'

After 1.5 hours of hiking, we reached the lookout point, on top of a sandstone rock. 

Again, no one

No longer tired. Taking a photo of the famous 'stacked rock'

There were fishing boats on the horizon, but none came into the bay despite both of us waving, shouting and opening my umbrella. It was around 3pm when we decided there would be no tourist boats that would bring us back to HQ, so we decided to head back on foot. 

As we pass the lookout point, a tourist boat, distinct with its blue boat cover came into the bay, and made a few turns. It is probably the last boat of the day, normally at 3pm. We hurried back down to the beach, but did not see the boat. 

In the wild, it is important to remain calm, assess the situation and calculate the risk and worst case

For me, the situation was very manageable. We are in a national park, and the HQ is not too far away. We registered at the HQ our treks, so if we do not sign-out by the end of the day, the park rangers will know. I knew that trekking back (another 1.5 hours) was doable, but if it turns dark, we will be ill-equipped as we do not have touch lights. Any incidents like spraining of ankle will make the trek a long one. I reckon the solution would be to spend a night on the beach, or up at the lookout point, which has some wooden huts. There will be tourist the next morning. We still had some water and snacks. 

I then climbed back up the lookout point, trying my luck to get some cellphone signals, so we could call the HQ to request for a boat. There was no cellphone signals.

There was always a boat or two in the bay (see if you could spot Susu on the beach)

Out of a sudden, 4 young hikers, appear behind me. I was glad to meet these 4 westerners, and helped them to take a group photo at the lookout point. Upon learning they too did not book a boat, they took out their cellphones to try if they could contact HQ, without much luck. But they were confident of making it back

While our western friends were taking photographs and enjoying the beach, Susu was anxious

Then suddenly, I spotted a fishing boat in the bay, within 'shouting distance'. I requested the fisherman to send us back to HQ (20 minute ride), and would pay for his fuel. He gladly agreed. I was very grateful. I ran back to our 4 friends to check if they wanted to get on the boat, and to my astonishment, they politely turned me down and decided to hike back to HQ. 

At 4pm, Susu and I jumped onto the fishing boat, and together with the catch of the day, we head back to HQ, passing by some attractions such as the 'stacked rocks'

Taking a 20-min boat ride rather than another 2 hours hike, after a long day

The 'stacked rock'

Catch of the day

Lion or tiger head

Saved!

As a responsible hiker, I went to the office at HQ to report that there are still 4 tourist that were on Telok Pandan Kecil beach at 4pm, and they would be trekking back to HQ. The rangers did not look surprise. They just wanted to check if they were young and fit (which they are). 

In truly tropical weather, a storm came after 45 minutes. We were concerned, and hoped our friends would come back safely. 

I was also taken aback how rapidly the weather changed

A companion adventurer for a lifetime

We found out the next day that our 4 friends got back to HQ at around 6pm. They took shelter when the rain got too heavy at one of the mountain huts. They still managed to join the night walk at 7:30pm. Being young (they are probably in the 20's) backpacking throughout South East Asia, and fit is probably the best years of life. 

I am glad that when I was also once young and fit, and managed to take up adventure and saw the world. 

On the next day, I left Bako rejuvenated and recharged. 

Dawn - Tourist boats

We had 2 more days visiting Kuching city. There is no doubt that Sarawak is the most harmonious place in Malaysia, where mutual respect is accorded among the people of different races, religions and cultures. The concept of Malaysia (formed in 1963) is probably best reflected here. 

I hope Sarawak will remain true like this for a long time.  

Searching for 'midin' at the local wet market