One of the highlights of traveling in Borneo was visiting Bako National Park. I spent two days at the park, which is north of Kuching. Getting there requires taking a 2 hour bus ride from Kuching and then boarding a small boat that takes you for a 30 minute cruise to the park. The park is hugely popular and if you wish to stay overnight like I did then you need to reserve your room in advance.
The day I left for the park happened to coincide with low tide. My new German friends and I hopped off the bus after our pleasant journey, grabbed a boat with two other travelers, and proceeded to enjoy the view down the river. But first, we noticed a nice sign before boarding our boat warning us about crocodiles. Yeah, right. Crocs. I’m not scared of crocs. They don’t frighten me.
As we passed the midway point of our boat journey things got a little interesting. First, I noticed that the river was low. Really low. As in there only seemed to be a narrow passage at times more than one foot deep. Second, I heard the propeller hit mud bottom more than once. Then, finally, it happened. We got stuck. Majorly stuck. After rocking back and forth and trying to back the boat up without success, the only option left was to get out and push.
As we were talking through this last option with the boat driver, who spoke a smattering of English, one of our fellow travelers offered to jump out the boat and help push. The boat man responded, “No. Too dangerous.” Too dangerous for whom, I thought? Then we saw it. Two eyes peeking out of the water. It first looked like a log flowing down the river, but no log looks like this. Plus the stream created by it was way too long. “I think that’s a crocodile”, noted one of the German girls. Um, yeah. It sure looked like one. Twenty meters from our boat.
In what seemed half hilarious and half serious our boatman stripped to his skivvies and hopped out of the boat. The poor girls tried not to look as our courageous boatman came close to laying bare his own propeller. Surprisingly when he jumped out he didn’t sink into the mud but it held him fairly solid. The rest of us sat helplessly in the boat while he pushed with all his might to set the boat free. Finally the boat came loose and we cheered our new hero on.
Due to the low tide we were let off at least 200 yards from the national park. We had to walk across the beach, which is covered in water at high tide, in order to get to our rooms and the actual headquarters. After settling in to our rooms, the three girls and I headed off on our first hike. The intense humidity surrounding us from all sides quickly drenched us in sweat, and the hiking was thus fairly difficult. The views, however, were great. We passed through mangrove trees, into a rain forest, out into open areas, spotting pitcher plants along the way. We followed a stream, sometimes walking in the stream, until we crested a hilltop viewpoint. The view was absolutely worth the hike.
Of course as soon as we crested the top and soaked in the view, the rains came, soaking us again. However, it was a bit of a relief after sweating from the horrible humidity. We took refuge in a small rock ledge, eating some snacks and passing the time chatting or in the silence of our own worlds. Soon the rain stopped and we continued our hike. Unfortunately, the rain came again off and on throughout the rest of the day and into the evening before stopping the next morning. I had a chance to go on a night walk and view a few kingfisher birds, some walking sticks, spiders, and other odd creatures.
The next morning I got up early and walked to the mangrove trees. Every morning a group of about 12-15 proboscis monkeys eat here before heading back into the sanctuary of the forest. I spent a few hours here watching, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the scene, as the monkeys slowly moved as a group through the mangroves. Once they departed I entertained myself by watching small crabs and lizards pick their way through the mangroves, now without water due to low tide.
Bako National Park was definitely a highlight, albeit one of many, during my time in Borneo. I was unaware at the time just how incredible my travels in Borneo would be, with one experience seemingly topping the next. I would soon find out though…
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