Wildlife Watching in Sarawak
As the largest state in Malaysia, much of Sarawak is protected land, with varying landscapes that help nurture nature’s most precious residents! Here are some places in Sarawak where you can see these amazing creatures!
Semenggoh Nature Reserve
If you want to get up close and personal with orangutans, check out the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, located 24 kilometres away from Kuching city. Set up in 1975, it is home to over 20 semi-wild orangutans. The best time to visit Semenggoh is during feeding sessions, which happens daily at 9am and 3pm.
Opening Hours: 8am – 10am, 2pm – 4pm (Daily)
KM20, Borneo Highland Road, 93250 Kuching
Contact No.: 082 618 325
https://www.facebook.com/Semenggoh/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQpn7z-ll0P/
Kuching Wetlands National Park
The Kuching Wetlands National Park is one of the best places to see the unusual Irrawaddy Dolphin or snubfin dolphin. You can see these elusive mammals by embarking on a river cruise along the mangrove, as they tend to swim and dive around open waters and near local fishing boats. Other wildlife you can see in the area includes the estuary crocodile, water monitor lizards, mudskippers, white-bellied sea eagles and more!
Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching
https://sarawakforestry.com/kuching-wetlands-national-park/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DDHI1mhKq5M/?img_index=1
Bako National Park
Bako National Park is the oldest national park in Sarawak, and one of the smallest! The star of the park is undoubtedly the prosboscis monkey, followed by long-tailed macaque monkeys, silvered langur, plantain squirrels, mouse deers, bearded pigs and over 190 species of birds! To get there, you will need to get a boat ride from the Bako Boat Terminal.
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm (Daily)
Bako Boat Terminal
Contact No.: 011 6572 9294
https://sarawakforestry.com/parks-and-reserves/bako-national-park/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs_hKa4v2BJ/?img_index=2
Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park
Thanks to its abundance in pristine patch reefs, the Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park boasts more than 40 diving spots, said to be on par with those in Papua New Guinea and Maldives. The reefs house a wide variety of marine creatures, including leather corals, sea whips, clownfish, angelfish, sea perch, barracudas, nudibranches and sea horses!
Best time to visit: Between March and September
https://www.facebook.com/BorneoDiveNetwork/
https://www.instagram.com/p/COSj6lDHIK6/?img_index=1
Mulu National Park
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is not only known for its karst formations and caves, but also an incredible abundance of flora and fauna, including the Malaysian Sun Bear, mouse deer, Horsfield’s Tarsier, 305 bird species including 8 species of hornbills and 3.5 million bats from 54 different species! In the evenings, millions of these bats can be seen exiting the caves in spiralling formations called the ‘Bat Exodus’!
Opening Hours: 8am – 5pm (Daily)
No.11, Mulu National Park, Pekan Mulu, 98070 Miri
Contact No.: 085 792 600
https://www.facebook.com/Mulunationalpark
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCSGbtftQ2M/?img_index=4
Thanks to these parks’ proximity to city areas, sightings of Sarawak’s most cherished wildlife are not only accessible, but also encouraged, so that they could be better protected through awareness!