Bako National Park

Last few days on Borneo we spent in Bako National Park. This is one of the smaller parks of the island, but one of the most interesting ones. It is a place where you actually do see animals, also the “furry” ones:)Bako is less than an hour drive from Kuching by public bus. In Kuching we booked a hostel accommodation for two nights packed our luggage and went to bus station. The bus ride was fun. Watching the locals talking to each other, listening loud music on their mobile phones and singing at the same time… We met fellow travellers and we agreed to share the speed boat to the park.

It was damn hot and humid, but we liked the place from the beginning. The first creature we met was this young Proboscis monkey male which was climbing the trees just nearby the park HQ.

There are many beautiful beaches in the park and if you go to more remote ones you will probably have one just for yourself.

Mudskippers are common coast dwellers in Bako. The ones at Tarakan island were much bigger than these here.

Close to park headquarters there is a beautiful Mangrove forest. This is how it looks at low tide. A lovely place to observe Proboscis monkeys and shore birds.

Mangroves at golden hour.

The soil in Bako park is not very rich and this is why there are so many Pitcher plants around. We especially liked the small ones.

Beautiful caterpillar. Imagine how beautiful must the butterfly be?

This mustached pig is a celebrity at Bako. Usually he is hanging around the restaurant waiting for some leftovers.

Macaque monkey. These charming creatures can be a real pest! They are used to people and they are always around, waiting for the right opportunity to steal some food. We saw them come in big number and they just scared away all the tourists at the restaurant eating everything that was left on the tables. Be sure to hide your food in the backpack and to lock your room and close windows tight!

Mangrove forest at high tide.

Pit Viper. This beautiful snake was hiding in a bush just behind the restaurant. It was at the same place at least for the last two months. Our new friends from Montenegro and Canada both told us for it when we met them at Gunung Mulu NP. When we arrived to Bako this was one of the first things to check out – and yes – it was still there! Amazing.

Bako was one of the most amazing places we visited in Borneo. Although it is a small park it is packed with wildlife and it has a great variety of habitats. It is best explored on your own and all you need is a map of the trails and plenty of water. It was very hot and humid while we were there and because of that it was extremely hard to hike around the park. But it was definitely worth the effort. A perfect conclusion of out trip to this fascinating island, Borneo.

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