Bako National Park: Eco-tourism hotspot lures Nature lovers

THE Bako National Park has become the latest eco-tourism hotspot with visitor arrivals increasing manifolds over the years even though the tropical getaway is accessible only by boats.

Its general manager Siali Aban revealed the park received a total of 38,810 visitors last year, exceeding the number as of October this year.

“There were 28,793 foreign and 10,017 local visitors last year. We have not totalled up the number of arrivals this year as we are just about to do our year end report,” he told reporters on a visit the park recently.

“However, our records show the figure (38,810) has exceeded the total number of visitors as of October this year.”

Siali also presented interesting statistics on visitors from 1980 to the present.

According to him, in the whole of the 80’s, the park recorded 127,336 visitors, of whom 93 per cent were locals.

“There was a sudden surge in local visitors after Kuching-Bako road was completed in 1985 – from 5,579 in 1984 to 29,247 a year later,” he said.

In the 90’s, however, overseas visitors increased greatly, forming 48 per cent of the total 161,559 visitor arrivals.

“There was an increase in foreign visitors in 1994-5 because of Visit Malaysia Year – from 3,634 in 1993 to 8,675 in 1994 and 9,795 in 1995,” Siali added.

Statistics on local visitors to the park show a steady trend while overseas visitor arrivals escalate annually.

“From the millennium to 2010, we have recorded a total of 286,203 visitor arrivals, of whom 74 per cent were foreigners,” he said.

A comparison between decades, the overall statistics show a distinct rise in foreign visitor arrivals from just seven per cent in the 80’s to 48 per cent in the 90’s and 74 per cent today.

As for local visitors, the graph reveals a strong turnout with 93 per cent in the 80’s followed by a sudden 52 per cent drop in the 90s to a small 26 per cent today.

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Direct flight from Korea to Kuching a possibility

KUCHING: There is a possibility that the state will have a direct flight from Korea through the local tourism industry network with the country.

According to an officer from the Korea Institute of Tourism and Culture, Dr Kim Dock Key, the possibility would be given serious consideration to further enhance existing bilateral relationships between Sarawak and Korea.

“Korea now has a direct flight to Kota Kinabalu and we will consider having a direct flight to Sarawak to further promote tourism here.

“Besides that we also intend to enhance cooperation among the industry players in both Sarawak and Korea,” Kim said during a visit to Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg here yesterday.

Kim, who led a delegation to meet Abang Johari added that the group was attracted to the tourism products in the state.

He mentioned Bako National Park, which he described as a natural tourism product with beautiful tropical forest and scenic views.

A group of 16 delegates from the Korea Institute of Tourism and Culture joined in the visit; they will also be visiting Sarawak Cultural Village.

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Borneo: Nosy in the jungle

Deep in the Borneo bush, Jim Eagles breaks off from his tour group to snoop on some proboscis monkeys going about their business.

I tip-toed carefully along the rough jungle trail in the direction of the periodic loud grunting sounds, peered cautiously through the leaves, and there he was: a big proboscis monkey sitting on a branch in a shaft of sunlight, munching on tender young leaves.

His fur glinted reddish-brown in the sun and his enormous red nose - the proboscis that gives the monkey his name - testified he was the alpha male of the band of monkeys I could hear crashing through the treetops all around.

At the clicking of my camera shutter he briefly flicked his eyes in my direction, confirmed I was no threat, and resumed filling his face.

Although to his harem of females he was obviously the pinnacle of sex appeal, to my eyes he was a strange sight, with that massive conk and a big, round stomach, apparently swollen with the gases produced by the process of digesting those leaves.

The natives of the eastern portion of the island of Borneo once ruled by Holland, who had no love for their masters, apparently called the proboscis "Dutch monkeys", considering both to be ugly creatures with big noses and pot bellies. A bit unkind to both parties, I thought.

This was the first proboscis monkey I had seen close up and, though he certainly wasn't beautiful, he did have a certain ... hairy charisma.

We were in Borneo on the inaugural visit of the new expedition ship Orion II, a cruise I chose because I was keen to explore the island's tropical jungle, experience the diverse local cultures and see our close relations the primates, especially proboscis monkeys, which have long fascinated me (partly because I used to joke unkindly that my dad looked like one).

In the course of the 10-day trip we saw orangutans at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, met Dyak headhunters outside Kota Kinabalu, visited a traditional fishing stilt-village in Bandar Seri Begawan, marvelled at the golden palaces and mosques of the oil-rich Sultan of Brunei, and admired the spectacular colours of massive hornbills, delicate butterflies and prolific fungi in the forests of Sarawak and Sabah.

But during our first few forays into the Borneo jungle, though we heard the calls of proboscis, gibbons and macaques, we didn't see any. Now, at the Bako National Park, we were surrounded by them, and felt like true explorers.

Even getting here from the ship had been an adventure, involving a long Zodiac ride past amazing rock formations, a squelch through thick mud to the shore and finally a sweaty walk to where a network of boardwalks extended through a mangrove swamp.

This is where the crab-eating macaques and proboscis monkeys come to feed at low tide and as we arrived, a proboscis troop was right at the end of the boardwalk.

Unfortunately, the racket made by a lot of eager tourists clattering over a rickety wooden path was rather off-putting so the troop promptly headed off.

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Bako National Park temporarily closed to overnight visitors

KUCHING: The Bako National Park, Sarawak’s oldest national park, is temporarily closed for overnight visitors with immediate effect due to a serious shortage of fresh water supply.



Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) said further announcement would be made when the park, located at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsular about 37km from here, was ready to receive overnight visitors.



“Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” SFC said in a statement here today.



Gazetted in 1957 and covering an area of 2,722 hectares, it is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak yet one of the most interesting as it contains almost every type of vegetation found in Borneo.



The Bako National Park offers visitors an excellent introduction to the rainforest and coastline of Borneo while its accessibility and its sheer range of attractions and activities has made it one of the most popular parks in Sarawak.



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Tourists bask in Sarawak's culture and nature

KUCHING: Borneo’s rainforest and its beauty are the attractive features that draw tourists to Sarawak and make it their favourite holiday destination.



“We love Borneo Island. This is my third time coming here. Twice Kuching, once to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan,” said Rhonda Laffar from Busselton, Western Australia when met here yesterday.



The 51-year-old is here with her husband Mike. The couple has been here for a few days after their trip to the peninsula.



“It is interesting. Here, we saw the State Legislative Assembly building by the river side. We visited the orchid farm, it’s beautiful. We love nature, the greens, everything,” said Rhonda.



She said she and her husband had a great experience at Bako National Park. They enjoyed jungle trekking, and the spectacular sceneries of the rocks and the blue ocean amazed them.



“It’s magnificent. But one thing saddened us. We saw a lot of rubbish on the beach. We were thinking of how we could help to clear it all.”



She said when they travelled here they did not just sit inside the hotel and wonder around the bar and the pool.



She added that she likes the culture here, noting that people of different races live together in perfect harmony.



“It’s a very good thing. Actually it is the people that make the place so good. This place is so nice. I enjoy going out mixing with the locals. We go to places where locals go,” she said further.



On food, she said they loved to select from the array of different types of food which reflected the multi-ethnicity of the state.



“We had tried seafood and some vegetables at a seafood centre at Jalan Bukit Mata Kucing. Delicious! This is the best food I have ever eaten in my whole life,” said Rhonda.



Mike added that they loved to eat in places where there is a crowd.



“If that shop has less people, the food might be not so great.”



Besides the food, the couple also likes the warm weather.



Mike, a 57-year-old real estate agent said: “It is a bit hot but better than cold.”



They said they knew about this place from a hairdresser in Australia, prompting them to come to Sabah for the first time four years ago. They made their first visit to Kuching last year.



Rhonda said they felt safe walking around in town as they had prepared themselves to face incidents like snatching.



Rhonda bought some jewellery and accessories as gifts for her family.



“I hate shopping in Australia but I enjoy shopping here. We bought anything we like – clothes, shoes, bags and so on. Definitely we will come again,” she said.



Mike added: “Almost everything is good here. There is only one, the Tourism Information Centre should provide us information about tours in Kuching.



“They should be proactive organising some tours for tourists.”



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Bako National Park needs facelift

KUCHING: Facilities that need upgrading are signage, hostels and trails. Among the challenges faced by the management include aging accommodation facilities that had undergone several renovations but have design and material weaknesses, and there are also problems with termites and rats.- Siali Aban, Bako National Park manager

An estimated RM1.5 million is needed for the upgrading of existing facilities in the state’s oldest national park.

Bako National Park is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the state, with an average of 35,000 visitors per year.

Last year alone, visitors numbered at 38,810.

“Facilities that need upgrading are signage, hostels and trails. Among the challenges faced by the management include aging accommodation facilities that had undergone several renovations but have design and material weaknesses, and there are also problems with termites and rats,” said park manager Siali Aban.

Over 30 tourism players, including members of Sarawak Tourism Federation and travel agents, participated in a product visit and briefing organised by Tourism and Heritage Ministry led by permanent secretary Datu Ik Pahon Joyik yesterday.

Based on current trends, the number of visitors to Bako National Park is increasing every year, with a high number of repeat visitors, which is why the upgrading is necessary.

According to Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) statistics, the annual number of visitors to the national park consists of 25 per cent locals and 75 per cent foreigners, with Europeans being the majority. It is found that expectations among the foreigners are higher when it comes to service level in terms of maintenance, guide, food and safety.

“Guests face higher charges through tour agencies so they expect a certain level of services and they tend to compare them with those of other parks they have visited,” said Siali.

Another challenge faced by the park management is the lack of human resources and it is operating with a skeletal number of staff, which naturally affects the service quality.

“Our workforce is on a ratio of one worker to 2,000 customers annually. We have three park rangers, so in terms of enforcement and protection of the park, we work on a ratio of 1 ranger to 909 hectares.

“In terms of maintenance, we only have two cleaners for 132 beds at 11 buildings during peak time and also other facilities such as compounds, boardwalks, shelters and others,” said Siali in his briefing.

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Borneo Highlands Resort are birding havens in Sarawak

BORNEO Highlands Resort, Kubah National Park, Semenggoh Nature Reserve and Bako-Buntal Bay are birding havens as they are home to more than half of all bird species found in Sarawak.

Sarawak has 553 bird species out of which 312 are found in these sites, says Third Sarawak Bird Race patron Datuk Ose Murang.

He said 12 out of 37 endemic bird species could be found in these four sites.

“Borneo Highlands Resort is one of the few places where we still can find hornbills. Sarawak has eight hornbill species out of which four are found in this mountain range,” he said at the closing of Sarawak Bird Race at the resort, about 50km from Kuching on Sunday.

The resort is an “Important Bird Area” under Birdlife International.

Ose was glad to note that bird-watching had evolved from a favourite pastime to an environmental conservation activity in Sarawak and hoped that the annual race would garner more support from nature lovers and the government.

The presence of birds were important as the well being of the environment was indicated by the number of birds and bird species found in a particular site, he added.

Assistant Tourism and Heritage Minister Datuk Talib Zulpilip, who closed the race, commended the organisers Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and Borneo Highlands Resort for promoting conservation through an enjoyable activity.

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