With its rich ecosystems, dramatic coastal scenery, and abundance of incredible wildlife, Bako National Park is one of the very best places to experience the wild beauty of Borneo.
Despite its relatively small size (just 27.3 square kilometres), this spectacular park packs a real punch. Bako National Park is famous for its thick tropical rainforests, hidden beaches, sea stacks, mangroves, and dramatic rockfaces transformed by millions of years of erosion. It’s also home to some of Borneo’s most amazingly rare animals, including the bizarre-looking proboscis monkey which can only be found in Borneo.
Unlike some of Borneo’s more remote parks, Bako is also surprisingly easy to visit. Whether you’re looking for a simple day trip from nearby Kuching or want to spend the night surrounded by jungle sounds and nocturnal wildlife, it’s one of the most accessible rainforests in Malaysian Borneo.
In this guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know before a trip to Bako National Park, including how to get there, entrance fees, the best hiking trails, wildlife to look out for, and whether an overnight trip is worth it.
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How to Get to Bako National Park
Getting to Bako National Park involves two stages: travelling to Bako village jetty, followed by a scenic longtail boat ride to the park headquarters.
The easiest option is to take a Grab from Kuching (Grab is the Asian equivalent of Uber), which takes around 35-45 minutes and costs roughly 30-40 Malaysian Ringgit (RM).
Once you reach the jetty, you’ll need to arrange a boat transfer into the park. Departures usually begin around 8am, though exact timings depend on the tides and how many passengers are waiting. You’ll often find other travellers at the jetty looking to share a boat, as going in a group helps keep costs down. Boats require a minimum of five people to depart, so if you’re travelling alone and can’t find people to share with, you may have to pay significantly more for a private transfer – around RM200 for the return trip.
I thought I was saving time and stress by pre-booking seats for my husband and I via Bako Boat Tickets, an official partner of the national park. We assumed we would just arrive, show someone our ticket and be placed in the next available boat. Wrong!
When we arrived and showed our tickets to the staff at the jetty, we were met with blank expressions. They didn’t seem familiar with Bako Boat Tickets, so I urgently called the company’s emergency WhatsApp number to ask what was going on. It turns out we had only paid for our tickets online in advance, but still needed to find 2-3 other passengers who were staying overnight and were willing to travel back at the same time as us.
Most people we asked were only doing day trips, but luckily we eventually found another couple who were staying overnight. However, the boatsman refused to take us as we were only four passengers, so we had to pay for an imaginary fifth passenger – creatively named “John Smith” on the online booking form – to meet the minimum fare requirement.
If you’re visiting Bako National Park for the day, especially during the summer season, it should be fine to just turn up and look for people to share the boat costs with. If you’re a group of four, you may need to pay for an extra fictitious passenger like we did. If you’re in a group of five, you’re good to go!
Once your boat ride is sorted, you’ll pay the park entrance fee (currently RM20 for non-Malaysian nationals, with concessions for children), before taking a 20-30 minute boat ride to the park headquarters. The ride itself is part of the experience, passing mangroves, rocky cliffs, and jungle-covered shoreline before arriving at the park.
Wildlife and Nature in Bako National Park
Bako National Park is a treasure trove for nature lovers. The park contains seven distinct ecosystems, including mangrove forest, beach vegetation, cliff vegetation, and kerangas (heath forest), meaning there’s an incredible variety of plant and animal life packed into a relatively small area.
Flora and Fauna to Look Out For
There are plenty of fascinating and exotic plants to look out for here, including several species of the carnivorous Pitcher plants, which trap insects inside deep fluid-filled chambers. Sadly we didn’t manage to spot any pitcher plants ourselves, but other travellers we met had seen several on the longer hikes – so they are definitely out there.
While exploring, you’ll also encounter huge rainforest trees, tangled mangroves, strange fungi, and dense tropical vegetation. I was both captivated and cautious around the towering, spiky trees, their branches dangling in easy reach along the trails – tempting to grab for balance, although you’d end up with a palmful of unforgiving spikes.
Wildlife in Bako National Park
While Bako is a botanical wonderland, the wildlife is the true highlight of Bako. The park is home to more than 100 bird species, bearded pigs, macaques, monitor lizards, butterflies, arachnids, snakes, silver langurs, and other fascinating creepy-crawlies. If you’re lucky you will get to see some cute little baby pigs scurrying around too.
One of the main reasons people come here though is to spot a Proboscis monkey. These elusive creatures, with their distinctive, comically-large noses and pot bellies, can only be found in Borneo. We managed to spot a lone male proboscis monkey wandering near our accommodation and briefly along the beach before disappearing back into the forest. He didn’t hang around long but I managed to get a cheeky snap.
Our best sighting was an adorable little Silvered Langur, who was just chilling out by the beach, calmly munching on some leaves in a tree. We stood there watching him/her (I’m not a primatologist) for about 10 minutes as it casually went about its day, barely acknowledging us.
That said, it’s important to manage your expectations. Bako is a genuine rainforest, not a zoo. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, and animals are often hidden high in the trees or deep in the jungle. We saw plenty of different animals during our visit, just not quite as many as we had hoped. So don’t be disappointed if a proboscis monkey doesn’t stroll over and shake your hand!
Hiking Trails in Bako National Park
One of the best things to do in Bako National Park is explore its jungle hiking trails. There are nine marked trails to choose between, ranging from short 30-minute hikes to demanding full-day treks through the rainforest. All routes are marked with signs or painted symbols so you don’t get lost, though we found some routes are definitely clearer than others.
My husband and I decided to stick to the shorter ones, as trekking for several hours in extreme heat and humidity sounded really unappealing! We completed Trails 1, 2, and 4, and found them to be different enough from one another to make them worthwhile. The trails were classified as Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Tough. I am by no means an expert hiker, but I felt the grading system was accurate. We did one Easy (Trail #2) and two Moderate hikes (#1 and #4).
The trails themselves weren’t particularly difficult, but the humidity made everything feel far more strenuous than it should have been. At times you’ll have to clamber over big rocks and exposed tree roots, navigate narrow paths, shuffle past giant boulders, and walk up steep, slightly precarious-looking wooden steps. In total, each hike took around 90 minutes there and back to the national park’s headquarters – with plenty of pauses along the way to rest, take photos, and wring the sweat from our clothes.
Important Hiking Tips
Before starting any trail, remember to:
- Carry plenty of water
- Bring snacks or electrolyte drinks (we brought electrolyte powder with us from Kuching – you can buy the sachets at Watsons or any other pharmacy/drug store)
- Wear proper walking shoes with grip.
- Expect high humidity and very warm temperatures
You’re supposed to sign in before each trail for safety reasons (the sign-in book is at the main office). We did this on the first day, then forgot on the second day, which probably makes us terrible role models! I think it would be better to have a sign-in book at the start of each trail, rather than having to go to the headquarters each time.
Lintang Trail
One of the most popular routes here is the Lintang route. This loop trail takes around 4 hours and passes through several different ecosystems, making it a popular choice for day trippers. Unfortunately it was closed for maintenance during our visit – although if I’m honest, I doubt I could have handled four hours in that humidity anyway.
Day Trip or Overnight Stay?
If you are planning to visit Bako National Park, you will need to decide whether you want to do it as a day trip or stay overnight. This will likely depend on how much time you have, but if you can I strongly suggest staying for at least one night. Staying overnight gives you the chance to experience quieter trails after day trippers leave. You can also stroll along empty beaches, go on more hikes, and spot more wildlife early in the morning and after sunset.
That said, if you’re short on time, Bako is still absolutely worth visiting as a day trip from Kuching. Just remember that the final boats back to the mainland usually leave relatively early (around 2-3pm), so plan your hikes carefully.
Guided Night Walks
If you do choose to stay overnight, one of the biggest rewards is the chance to join a 90-minute night walk led by the park’s expert guides, where you’ll have the chance to spot some of Bako’s fascinating nocturnal creatures that call Bako home.
As we didn’t see any animals on our hikes (although we heard some monkeys rustling in the trees above our heads), we were keen to go on the night walk. It is incredible how talented the guides are at spotting the tiniest, most inconspicuous animals in the darkness.
Our guide first led us to the mangrove forest and pointed out a large cluster of fireflies, twinkling away. We turned off all torches and lights, and enjoyed watching them doing their thing in the darkness. Then we continued walking through the rainforest, as our guide scanned the trees, branches and floor around us. He pointed out a viper and a bronze-back snake, various large spiders (one of which was having a cicada for dinner), scorpions, stick insects, long-legged centipedes, cute little frogs, and, somewhat bizarrely, some crabs chilling out on trees. Apparently they climb into the trees to avoid predators – who knew!?
Our guide also saw a civet (a small feline-like mammal), but sadly we couldn’t see it. Other nocturnal animals occasionally spotted on these walks include slow lorises, mousedeer, tarantulas, and flying lemurs, so keep your eyes peeled. I can confidently say I would not have spotted ANY of these animals our guide pointed out, so if you stay overnight I strongly encourage you to join the night walk (RM20 per person).
Accommodation at Bako National Park
If you are staying overnight you will stay in the park’s lodges. There are several options to choose from depending on your preferences and budget;
- 3-bedroom chalets
- 2-bedroom lodges
- Hostel-style rooms
- Camping areas
We opted for a 4 bedroom hostel, but paid for the whole room for privacy. The room only cost RM40, which works out as £7.50/ €8.65 / $10 – bargain!
The room was very basic, but by no means bad. The beds were surprisingly comfortable, and the shared bathrooms were cleaner than we expected. We only had a ceiling fan, but some more expensive lodges have air-conditioning, fridges, and private bathrooms.
Rooms/lodges will need to be booked in advance online. I managed to book our room but couldn’t get the online payment system to work, so I emailed the national park office (npbooking@sarawak.gov.my) and they agreed I could pay on arrival at the jetty.
Food and Drink in Bako National Park
There’s an onsite café serving meals throughout the day. It was slightly more expensive than restaurants in Kuching, but not ridiculously so. Breakfast is served from 7.30-11am (which gives you time to eat before or after a morning hike), then lunch from 11am-4pm, then dinner from 6.30-8pm.
During our visit, lunch was a buffet of different meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, where you pay based on the items you select, while breakfast and dinner are ordered from a menu.
Visiting Bako National Park as a Tour
We chose to visit Bako without a guide because we were hopeful about spotting animals by ourselves in the wild (which did not happen!) and were already planning to do the guided night walk.
If you don’t want the hassle of organising transport, boats, entrance tickets and timings yourself, joining a guided tour can make things much easier. One popular option is Bako National Park Wildlife Tour by Seek Sophie, which includes boat transfers, guided trekking, wildlife spotting, and visits to some of the park’s famous coastal viewpoints and sea stacks. Having a knowledgeable guide definitely improves your chances of spotting animals you’d otherwise walk straight past.
What to Bring to Bako National Park
Here are a few essentials you’ll definitely want with you:
- Lightweight Long Clothing – Long sleeves and trousers help protect against both insects and sun exposure.
- Walking Shoes – You don’t need big hiking boots, but sturdy walking or trail shoes with good grip are ideal for the trails. The tracks can often be slippery with large rocks and other obstacles to avoid. I wore my trusted Jack Wolfskin Women’s Vojo 3 Texapore and they didn’t let me down.
- Insect repellent containing DEET – There are lots of mosquitos at the park, especially if you go out in the evening. We still got bitten despite covering ourselves in insect repellent, so I dread to think what would have happened without it.
- Torch or Headlamp – Especially important if you’re staying overnight or joining a night walk. We just had our phone torches, which were pretty rubbish and didn’t really help much. Luckily our guide and the other guests all had good torches. If I returned to Bako National Park, I’d bring something like Gritin LED Head Torch (lightweight with three different modes)
- Rain Jacket or Poncho – There is always a chance of a heavy down pour, so a raincoat or poncho is a good idea. We got lucky while we were there so we didn’t need ours, but you never know.
- Cash – Cards are not accepted at the jetty, ticket counter or onsite restaurant, so make sure you have plenty of cash with you. We could use our bank cards to book our tickets with Bako Boat Tickets.
I hope this blog post has answered all your questions about Bako National Park! Between the exotic animals, scenic coastal trails, dense rainforest, secluded beaches, and surprisingly affordable accommodation, it’s easily one of the best things to do in the Sarawak region. Whether you visit as a day trip or stay overnight, Bako is a fantastic introduction to the wild side of Malaysian Borneo.
Ciao for now
Izzie, the Curious Sparrow
