Bako National Park

5 star national park!
Well maintain n many flora n fauna to see
You can choose easy or long trail around the park,if long trail please prepare food n umbrella or hat
Bring cash for the boat fees and extra Rm50 for the seastack -cobra

One of the most beautiful places on the planet.
Arrived at low-tide, so had to wade through the beach to make it to land. 200RM for a boat, however that can split up between people and groups willing to share the boat there and back. The park is beautiful - full of jungle, interesting rock formations, views of the coast, and wildlife. Be careful with food - I saw a Macaque monkey steal a family's lunch! Likely the best hike / trek I've been on, can't recommend this park enough.

Highly recommended & go with a guide. Intro the unique of Bako National Park & walk the trails to find the proboscis money, silvered leave money and etc…. Wont waste energy to find on your own.

1. DON'T get scammed by boat mafia! You should not pay 200rm unless you want a boat for yourself. I paid 20rm one way only, and the same in the way back.
2. NO water filter. You will have to buy plastic water bottles and leave it there:(( see photo
3. Pay by scoop at restaurant. If you want to have a proper meal you will pay around 35rm. Most expensive out of all National Park resto.

Keep this all thing in mind, and enjoy your time there. It's an amazing place anyway!
I would recommend 2 nights to see all around.

Also you can take public bus from the city and pay 3.50rm only. Bus goes every hour.

This park is a must-visit if you’re in Kuching. While it’s relatively small (only 27 sq km) it is reputed to have almost every type of vegetation in Borneo within its boundaries. Bako also contains a rich variety of wildlife - including the endangered Proboscis Monkey - and a coastline covered with small bays, coves and beaches. It’s also criss-crossed with a number of hiking trails ranging in difficulty from moderate to challenging (Note: be aware that hiking here requires a reasonable level of fitness, and lots of water, in order to manage the heat and humidity).

We took the advice of a number of bloggers and booked accommodation for one night (booking online is easy, but book early as there is limited availability). Accommodations are simple (we stayed in a Type 4 Forest Lodge) but do the job. Our unit had air conditioning, ceiling fans and a private toilet and “shower”. Note: water pressure is almost non-existent in the shower, and there was no hot water, so a cold bucket and ladle shower had to suffice. Not a huge deal, though.

Staying overnight also affords you to take in the night tour, which we highly recommend. Our night tour didn’t reveal any large fauna (these things are always hit and miss), but we saw a remarkable variety of insects, arachnids, amphibians, lizards and snakes. It was great!

We also ensured that we arrived at the park early on the first day - around 9:00 a.m. - which allowed us to do some hiking both days (Note: getting there requires a boat trip, which costs RM200 round trip. If you can share the boat ride with others the cost per person goes down to as little as RM40 if you can get the five person maximum in your group).

We had a fabulous opportunity to see a troop of Proboscis Monkeys both days, including a very up-close and personal encounter with the Alpha male of the troop. We also had the good fortune to get great views of a couple different troops of Silvered Leaf Monkeys (aka: Silvery Languars), including three mothers carrying very young babies on their chests.

We highly recommend a visit to this amazing park.

A beautiful place to go, first the important thing is to prepare the telescope, because some animal stay too high or far on trees, difficult to saw them but if you hp can zoom far and still clear, is ok. Can planning stay overnight at here, room here looking good, just food here, expensive for me, you can bring you own food.

This is my second visit here. Came more than 10 years ago and we saw many Proboscis and Silverback monkeys. This trip, we only saw 1 Proboscis monkey from afar along the hiking trial. Nevertheless we enjoyed the hike. We chose the shortest trail (800m). Still, to and fro the Park HQ took us about 2 hours. Best prepared yourself with lots of water and insect repellent. Now the portion on getting to Bako via public transport from Kuching city. We lived in Imperial Riverbank Hotel at the waterfront area. There's a bus stop beside this hotel but it's not obvious. The bus stop is at the BURGER STATION. Bus Asia bus no 1 goes from the Electra House to Bako. Be at this bus stop by 7am for the first bus to Bako Terminal. The bus arrives here between 7.05 to 7.10am. Then it's about 1 hour ride to end point. Alight and walked about 50m to the jetty. There's a company with booths running boat rides to and fro from Bako National Park. Each way is RM100 per boat, allows sharing up to 5 pax. All sharing and payment got to be settled at the jetty. Me and my wife met another 2 guys at the jetty so we shared the one way out to the park. Guy A is staying 1 night there and Guy B is staying 2 nights there. So the out bound ride, sharing by 4 is RM25 each. As for the return trip, me and my wife paid RM100 while A and B paid RM100 each for their trip. Therefore, if you have a group of 5 for this trip going and coming back on the same day, it would be most economical. Lastly, bring your slippers or sandals together with your hiking shoes or sports shoes. Due to tide, most of the time, you would need to get your feet wet when you walked onto the beach when you reached the park. Going back to Kuching city, walked back to where you alighted earlier in the morning and wait for the same bus back. Best to check the busasia.my website for the bus timings.

Nice place, away from noise and pollution, very close to nature. Wake up in the morning to the sound of crickets chirping, seeing wild boars scavenging the area for food, monkeys trying to steal food from your plate, crabs burrowing into the sand. Enjoy the sunset before day ends. There are several tracks that one can explore, do try to estimate your end time and book a boat in advance, so that you can return to HQ while enjoying the scenery- rocks on the sea. Do note that last boats are always by 3pm. However, be prepared to be feasted by mosquitoes, milky tap water, no hot shower, limited choice of food (price hike as well). There is only one source of food - a canteen operated by the local, breakfast, lunch, and dinner is prepared. Basic room amenities like water boiler, hair dryer, soap, towels are not provided. Can be cold at night when it is raining outside. Do bring along your best earplug as the motor of the fan can get quite loud and disturbing.

Very nice park, several walks open.
Note that the sea stack collapsed on 13/2/2024…..
Boat 100 ringgit one way for 5 people. You book your return boat (again 100 r at the jetty as well if you are staying overnight.) you can call your boatsman if you want to return earlier. Overnight stay is clean and very reasonably priced - rooms and sheets provided are different per type of room selected, no soap/towel etc provided. “ebooking.sarawak.gov.my”.Food in cafeteria is decent and easiest unless you want to drag everything with you. Night walk at 15 pp, lots of insect sightings (green viper, tarantula, stick insects,…). Saw monkeys (proboscis, macaque, silver fur) on our walks and even close to the headquarters. Don’t forget to sign in & out at hq! No swimming due to crocodiles, anywhere.
Bus from Electra house is 1 ringgit. Same for return, bus station is getting out the terminal, turning right until the next road crossing. We asked to stop at our hotel as we drove past it.
We got a grab going there and paid around 30 ringgit.

Well marked trails that felt adventurous but were very easy to follow. The boat there was enjoyable and we saw a lot of wildlife. No need to do a tour (unless you are a solo traveller maybe...), getting a grab there and back and organising a boat at the visitor centre was easy.

Great place to visit. Incredible views
Boat trip to park is stunning. Ideally stay overnight but gets booked up. Some walkways get busy when the tour groups arrive on day trips.

Amazing place with a lot of animals in their natural environment. Different hikes are possible, I advise you to take a guide in order to help you spot the animals in the forest.
One cafeteria exists on Bako.

Beautiful National Park, 50 minute ride from Kuching. Recommended the stay or a day trip visit.

Loved our time here. We got the first number 1 red bus from Kuching (opposite majestic riverside hotel) at 7am (it was 1 ringgit per person). We shared a boat and paid 40 ringgit per person return (boat was 100 one way so if you can share between 5 people it is significantly cheaper). The entrance to the National park was 20 ringgit per person. The national park itself once you check in you receive a map and you can take various routes of different times / lengths. We took route 3 and route 6. We saw the proboscis monkeys which are native to Borneo and not found anywhere else, silver leaf monkeys, wild boars and also many birds. We got the boat back at 2pm (last boat is 3pm). Would highly recommend and would suggest you take your time through the park as many people rushed and then moaned that they didn’t see very much. I would say you don’t need a guide for this trip as you can spot things without one but it would depend on you.

COMPLETE REVIEW OF BAKO NATIONAL PARK (2 days / 1 night)

— Overall experience:
Exceptional.
The staff are very friendly and helpful.
The animals are magnificent.
The plants too.
Rain or shine, the experience is top-notch.

— Accommodation:
Decent. Clean. However, the water in the showers and sinks is yellowed.
The first-price rooms do not contain towels or blankets, unlike the more expensive accommodation. In fact, this isn't a problem, as it's hot in the country. Remember to book in advance, as they are oftenly full-booked.

— Canteen:
Offers a variety of dishes (noodles, chicken, fruit, etc.).
The quality is fairly average and the price is reasonable (less than 40RM per person). This is what you'd expect from a canteen. Some of the food is cooked by hand. The canteen is really often open. The staff told the meat is halal.

— Trekking:
Several routes. When you arrive, the staff will explain you the routes and you can ask them questions.
The routes are well-marked and very beautiful.

— Prayer:
There's a prayer room that's always open. You can pray fajr sobh in peace and quiet. It's very clean, and contains everything you need to do your ablutions and relieve yourself. Prayer rugs are also available.

— Additional information :
- Take trekking shoes (just forget about trekking with flip flaps/schlaps lol)
- Keep your voice low when walking, so as not to frighten animals away.
- Bring binoculars.
- Remember to take cash
- If you want to see animals, walk slowly and look up for moving branches. Just remember to keep your eyes on the ground, so you don't fall.
- From 6am to 10am you have more chances to see proboscis monkeys !

The best place to escape from the city. The view was so nice and calm. If you are a hikers, i suggest this place. The trail is quite extreme, but worth it. Really worth every penny to come here for nature.

Absolutely stellar day at Bako National Park!

I turned up solo, but it wasn't long before I bumped into some travel companions at the site. We shared stories, laughter, and many discussions on a wide range of topics - the perfect blend of camaraderie and exploration.

Our initial plan took a delightful turn when we decided to pursue a troupe of long-nosed monkeys first. Eager and filled with anticipation, we ventured closer to the spot where we had heard their unique chatter.

Our wait was punctuated by hushed whispers and the rustling of leaves. And just when we thought we might have missed them, a guide from another group pointed us a little further down the trail - just 200 meters away. We swiftly yet quietly made our way and held our breaths in anticipation.

After a few minutes of patient waiting, a flicker of movement caught our eyes - our first monkey sighting. Then another, and another, until the entire troupe passed right above us, a magical parade in the wilderness. Some of the curious critters even came close, with the nearest one just 15 meters away from me - a moment that'll forever be etched in my memory.

Bear in mind that my group, committed to the monkey pursuit, spent a significant time at the observation point. We saw other groups pass by but they didn't stick around as long, missing out on the monkey magic.

All in all, it was a spectacular day! Extremely glad to have visited and I'm brimming with joy from the experience. Bako National Park, you're an absolute gem!

Good place for hiking and to see beautiful nature. Recommended to go in the morning. Must have physical fitness if want to walk a long trail. Can stay overnight if want to go for a night walk. Unfortunately unable to spot special creatures during the night walk during my stay.

A recent 1st visit to Bako on a group trip. Tranquil nature park with jungle-like walking trails & nice rock formations by the sea. The boat ride was fun, makes one appreciate the gift of air, sea and nature.

We had a great time here, the hikes and the views are so underrated, would 100% recommend everyone to go here while in Kuching.