Bako National Park

There must be easier ways to get to a beach than an early morning taxi ride, preceding a journey by bus, followed by a boat ride, and a 1.5hr walk through the jungle. However, Telok Pandan Kecil beach at Bako National Park was certainly worth the effort.

After a short taxi ride to the city bus station we boarded a public bus (which looked like it had been built from Lego) for the hour long ride to Bako National Park. The bus ride was nothing special, but the following choppy speed boat ride in the South China Sea, which takes you to park headquarters, was a highlight in itself.

The beach at Bako was our ultimate destination, so after a quick breakfast, during which we encountered some of the wild boar and monkeys which roam around the national park, we started our trek along the path to Telok Panadan Kecil. It is only a 2.5km path but when negotiating mud, rocks, tree roots, climbs and descents in the tropical heat it took about 1.5 hrs to complete. Although we didn’t see any wildlife on our walk, at one stage a strange grunting/howling noise coming from inside the jungle was able to scare us sufficiently.

The track finishes at a cliff face which gives an awesome view of the beach below, and the surrounding National Park. The descent from the cliff was the trickiest part, but most certainly worth it as the picturesque beach was one of the most unique ones I’ve seen. Apart from looking like a postcard, there is plenty to explore around the area, with a few caves and waterfalls, and a couple of small rivers leading to the sea. There are also heaps of creatures we spotted including lots of crabs, lizards, fish and even a strange sort of jumping fish/frog thing (later discovered to be called mudskippers).

On the whole, Bako provided an excellent day trip from Kuching.

Mudskippers in Bako National Park - up close