The best Bako National Park Visitor Guide you can find

What got us interested in Kuching was Jawa Mee and the proximity (Yes, living near Malaysia is great.) of Kuching to home. Also a few herping blog post convinced us that a trip to our neighbours is worthwhile. The most well-known national park in Kuching, Bako, stood out to us for the concentration of numerous landscape types within a small area. Within a day hike around, you can see a variety of different landscapes - towering sea stacks, a bare summit with sand and boulder, mangroves and a verdant rainforest. A huge bonus was the accessibility of the National Park from the city and the availability of facilities at the park.

How long to spend at Bako and should you have a guide?

The first boat comes at 8am and the last one leaves at 3pm. That limits a day trip to just a short 6 hours, which is a shame because there are so many good trails at Bako National Park. Additionally, those hours are too hot to enjoy hiking and also the wildlife tends to hide to escape the heat. In the heat, the wildlife take cover in holes and behind foliage and is harder to spot. The best time for viewing wildlife and enjoying cooler temperatures is 5-8am and after 5pm. Making an overnight trip would give you the best hours for hiking and also observe wildlife.

For most types of visitors, a guide would vastly improve your experience. For those who are first-time visitors or new to Southeast Asia rainforests, a knowledgeable and experienced guide can provide fascinating insights into the park's unique ecosystems and geography, helping you appreciate its beauty and understand its ecological significance.

Instead of going for a packaged tour organised by a tour agency, I would advocate for privately hiring the services of a licensed park guide directly. Choosing a good private guide instead of taking a tour package can really make a difference in your trip and make the best out of your trip. The tour packages tend to stick to a cookie cutter plan but a private guide can specifically cater to your interests. Transport to Bako National Park is really easy and can be done with Grab (ride-hailing app in Southeast Asia) to the boat terminaland buying boat tickets at the boat terminal.
The amount you pay for a tour is not correlated with quality of the guide. The cheaper large-group tours cost a whopping 100 Euros. Also, with a large tour group, you will very unlikely to see as unique wildlife other than the Borneo pigs, Proboscis Monkey, and Pit Vipers at the Park Headquarters because the vibrations from a larger group would scare away most wildlife. Small groups are essential for unique wildlife if that is a point of interest for your trip. It is generally almost impossible to find rare wildlife in Southeast asia rainforest with a large and noisy group.I don't think the other large tour groups that day saw anything other than the common colugos, proboscis monkeys, pigs, macaques and the pit vipers around the lodges. I think we saw way more wildlife than the visitors who were in private groups, partly because we had the help of a talented and licensed park guide who not only grew up in Bako but also was an academic who was researching snakes in SEA. We really had a great time in part due to his delightful personality and generosity in sharing his knowledge.
Arranging your own stay means you can choose your own accommodation type on the park accommodation booking site. Organised tours by tour agencies are much more expensive than a DIY trip as a large amount goes to the tour agency as commissions instead of the guide who is doing the bulk of the work, a lot of them can speak English. DIYing your trip to Bako can be more enjoyable and potentially getting more value out of your money.

I had seen the news that Bako National Park now requires visitors to be accompanied by a guide. I was dismayed. This increases the cost of people visiting the park and I really don't think one needs a guide if they have been to the park several times and had a guide there before. The blanket restriction makes it economically harder for regional visitors to visit the park. Authorities claimed that forcing people to have a guide would improve the park experience. While this helps to park guides get revenue, I wonder if there might be other motivations for this ruling as the cut of the fees the guides get might not be sufficient and guides are doing the bulk of the hard work.

A guide might not be so useful for a visitor who is familiar with South-east asia rainforests and is knowledgeable in the nature in Malaysia. However, I will still strongly recommend a guide for people who have never visited this park with a guide as the ecology you can find in Bako is quite unique in Malaysia. A private guide can help you see the hidden biodiversity in Bako if you ask for it.

An overnight stay is also highly recommended because wildlife is easier to sight in 5-7am and after 5pm. It is also much cooler. For those inexperienced with flighty southeast Asian wildlife, a guide would vastly improve your experience. You also need to put in the work to see the wildlife. night walks can be gruelling to those less fit, and u need to climb up and down on steep terrain.

As with all wildlife adventures, be prepared for disappointment after putting in the work. Getting a better and private guide doesn’t mean u can easily see more wildlife as wildlife sightings is largely dependent on luck, but a guide improves yours odds drastically. Guides share intel on wildlife whereabouts. Our guide, Sabariman is, well-known for his herping knowledge and skills amongst the local guides. Other guides were asking for wildlife intel and whereabouts when they pass by us.

Cost of visiting Bako National Parks and where to stay in Bako National Park

Boat return trip costs 200 MYR return boat and you can have it much cheaper if you can share the boat with others who agree to go back at the same time (daytrippers vs overnight stayers) as you. The boat can fit 5 passengers. Most people arrive at the park at 8.30am in the morning so you can most easily find others to share the boat if you arrive around this time.

There is only the National Park accommodation available. It can cost 225MYR for an air-conditioned room (2-4 pax available) and 100 MYR for a fan room (2-6 pax available). The rooms should be booked in advance as there are peak visitor seasons for the National Park.

The meals at the Kerangas restaurant at Bako National park cost around 6-15 MYR.
Park entry fees are around 20 MYR for non-Malaysians. This will be paid at the ticketing booth at the Bako boat jetty. You will need your passport.

Transport to the Bako boat terminal: 40 MYR via Grab from the City Center or 3.5MYR via the hourly bus is 3MYR. If you are coming from Santubong, you can also take an advanced Grab booking from Santubong to Bako terminal and it will cost around 80MYR one way. Maxim is cheaper than Grab, but the drivers can bid for higher rates and Grab has an advanced booking feature which is great for picking up from outside the city.

How to get to Bako National Park

You need to get to Bako Jetty Terminal and then take a boat from there to the Bako National Parl Jetty.
Option 1: Bus from city center to Bako Terminal from City Center (insert bus schedule and price). Route and timetable for the pink Bus to Bako jetty terminal can be found here
Option 2: Ride-hailing via Grab or Maxim.

To get to Bako Terminal outside of the city center in the early morning, you can try using Advanced scheduled ride on Grab. Wait for a driver to accept your booking which you will make the evening before and you can contact the driver to confirm the ride 30minutes before the scheduled arrival. If you are coming from Santubong, you can schedule a ride from Santubong to Bako Terminal using this method the day before.

Buy a ticket at the ticketing booth and register with the link given by the QR code pasted at the counter. You actually can register your visit before arriving if you already have the URL/QR code. You will need your IC card or passport when purchasing tickets. If you have a booking at the forest lodge, the counter staff will pass you a permit slip with the details of your stay which you would use to get your keys at the National Park HQ later. Also you can buy boat tickets and optionally ask for a private guide at the counter. It can be around 200+ MYR and more for a licensed park guide arranged at the counter for a day trip. Some of the guides can speak foreign languages like Chinese, Spanish and Japanese.
The last boat back to Bako terminal from the national park is 3pm, so you would want to get here the earliest (8am) to have more time at the park. Most visitors come at 8.30am.

Then, get boat tickets at the ticket counter at Bako Jetty Terminal. Find people who has the same return date and time as you so you can share the cost of the boat. (eg daytrippers, people staying for 2d1n or 3d2n) as you will be coming back with the same people.

When you arrive, you will follow the signs along the walking path to the headquarters where you can check in for your hikes and lodging.

Facilities at Bako National Park

The only Restaurant at Bako National Park is Kerangas Cafe.
It is actually pretty decent for a restaurant with 0 competition and being situated far from civilisation. The restaurant receives supplies and groceries via small passenger boats. They have western and local cuisine. You can get breakfast, lunch and dinner and water from the cafe. They even have a massage chair with a standing fan for the caucasians who are dropping like flies in the heat and humidity. The iced drinks available at the cafe are excellent.

Sometimes the restaurant does self-serve "buffet" and you pay for what you take from the "buffet".

Bako National Park lodging and accommodation

• There are lodges and campsite where you can spend the night. You can book and pay for it on https://ebooking.sarawak.gov.my/eBooking and pay online.
• The water in the lodges is a little brown, probably from rust, but it won't kill you.
• Birds sometimes knock on the windows and towkays may be hanging out in the toilet. Behind the lodges, you can find snakes, birds and colugos.
• I would say usually an aircon forest lodge is not necessary as it is much cooler at night than in the day and that a room with fan is enough. This is especially if you are used to the tropical heat.
• Avoid third party booking sites with high logistical fees. Book directly with the official booking website of Sarawak Forestry

Bako National Park services:

• You can request for a guide directly with the National Park. It should be around 200MYR for a day trip and much more for overnight as it includes the guide's stay. I highly recommend booking directly with an independent local guide or at the park ticketing booth instead of a tour agency which takes a large commission.
• The mobile data signal at the visitor center of Bako is good even at the main trails.
• There is a free luggage room to keep your bags when you go out hiking. But do not leave your valuables there as the room is unlocked.
• The trails are very well-documented here in the National Park website. Most people do the Pacu trail for the Proboscis Monkeys. I would also recommend Lintang Trail to see a different side of Bako National Park - the large boulders and sand and different type of Fauna at the park.

Park etiquette and must-haves:

• Please respect the wildlife and the environment. Please take nothing but photos and not leave litter behind. Before our visit, a group of Caucasian tourists were sent to the hospital because a viper had bitten one of them while they were poking the snake with a stick 😦 Snakes are shy and generally would not attack unless provoked. The macaques are aggressive, so please avoid eye contact with it and do not leave your bags unattended. Keep a respectable distance from wildlife.
• Please respect the staff, locals and the park rules. Also, please take your trash with you and not dump your cigarette butts or waste around. There is a large ash tray at the visitor centre if you need to take a smoke.

• Please bring enough water and do not go hiking if you are not feeling well. Not too long ago, some Brit died from heat stroke here. The temperature and humidity can be challenging for those not used to the tropical rainforest climate in Southeast Asia. The best times for visiting the national park is actually 6am-10am and after 4pm when the sun is less scorching.
• In a heavy rain, do not go out hiking in the treks. The trails can be really slippery.
• If u see anyone trapping wildlife or poaching activity, please report it to the park staff or guides.
• Do not camp without a permit.
• Please bring cash, no card works at the park.
• Long sleeves and pants because the mosquitoes can be relentless if you stop moving around.
• There is mobile data signal at Bako National park, even at many parts of the trails.

Bako Night tour

For a night tour, a guide is essential for your safety. The trail boards and railings are not that well-maintained, and some were shaky. Some edges are steep. There are no lights along the trails.

The group night tour by the park is 50MYR per person. A night tour for a private group is 150MYR per guide. These 2 can be arranged with the National Park. A big group does create noise that can scare away night life so a private group would likely have a better experience. I would highly recommend doing a night tour. It is not suitable for small children or those with mobility issues as it is dark and trail is not flat. Also, the tour needs to be silent because any noise would greatly disturb the group's experience, hence young children might not be suitable for the group tour.

During the night tour, you can easily find crabs on certain mangrove trees, find colugos around the buildings, sleeping small birds and a lot of forest geckos and stick insects after dusk. If you are lucky, you can find wildlife like snakes, frogs and even the leopard cat.

Wildlife at Bako National Park

Unlike River Kinabatangan, these animals get to roam a round a large land area. River Kinabatangan is easy to spot wildlife because they are trapped in a small forest patch surrounded by palm plantation, unfortunately. While travelling to the river from the Sandakan city, you would be driving through 2 hours worth of palm oil plantations. A a poignant reason why the wildlife is easy to spot. The National Parks in Kuching are large and the wildlife have got large land area to roam around, hence it would not be the easiest to spot some of the rarer wildlife here.

To find wildlife, you need to nail

• Timing
• Weather - snakes and frogs appear after a rain. Different wildlife can also be seasonal
• Guide who has intel on the recent local wildlife movements.

Some friends at Park Headquarters and main trails

• bearded pig (outside the HQ, near the start of the trails). These are some very bizarre-looking pigs.
• proboscis near trees at the lodges (At night, they often sleep at the top of trees near buildings) and can be seen feasting on trees at the start of the main trails or outside the restaurant.
• Macaques near cafeteria while you are having lunch.
• Hermit crabs, crabs along the river and mangroves
• At the summit trail, you would not find wildlife but you can see many large pitcher plants. Pitcher plants are the carnivorous plants that prey on small insects.

Common residents near the headquarters

• Hermit crabs, fiddler crabs around the mangroves. Ghost crabs at the beach
• Asian blue fairy birds, Malkohas, and drongos flitting around the mangroves in the morning.
• Mudskippers at all the mangrove areas.
• Silver leaf langur near the beach feasting on leaves.
• Crabs of all sorts. Blue ones and fiddler crabs at the jetty.
• Fruit trees outside the cafeteria have brown barbets in the morning, starlings and crimson sunbirds.
• Drains around HQ have prawn and crabs
• Brown barbets feeding at the trees outside cafeteria

Friends who need some luck and skill to spot.

• snakes around the mangroves after a rain
• Pit vipers
• Colugo, at the trees around the buildings and lodges
• Frogs, the frogs are singing at night after a rain and if it’s not too dry.