Page 239 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK 237
KUBAH NATIONAL PARK
(Kuching Division)
Kubah National Park covers 22.3 sq km of massive limestone hills rising up
to 911 metres, less than an hour’s drive from Kuching. First described by Italian naturalist Odoardo Beccari in the 19th Century, the
park offers trekking trails through dense rainforest, jungle streams and waterfalls, and panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and the coast of southwest Sarawak. The forest consists mainly of mixed dipterocarp
with some areas of scrub. Kubah is also rich in palms and orchids; a palmarium trail allows visitors to view a wide variety of the park’s palm species. Animal life includes Asia’s smallest frog (see page 229) as well as over 50 bird species.
TANJUNG DATU NATIONAL PARK
(Kuching Division)
Tanjung Datu, on the remote south-western
tip of Sarawak, some
two hours drive and an hour’s boat ride from Kuching, is Sarawak’s smallest national park. Its 13.8 sq km forest runs to
a shoreline of beautiful beaches, fringed by small coral reefs. The close proximity of rainforest
and reef - the world’s
two most diverse natural communities - makes Tanjung Datu an important reservoir of biodiversity.
Where Sarawak begins: the isolated beaches of Tanjung Datu National Park are located on the extreme western tip of the state.
Animals found here include Bornean gibbons; pig- tailed and long-tailed macaques; silvered and banded langurs; bearded pigs; sambar, mouse and barking deer; bearcats
and civet cats. Highly endangered green and olive ridley turtles visit the beaches to lay their eggs,
which are transferred to
a secure turtle sanctuary for hatching and release. Visitors can stay in the park HQ (basic rooms or open-air jungle shelter) or friendly nearby villages. Tanjung Datu is best visited during the dry season (May - October); high seas limit access at other times.
The amusing antics of the mischievous long tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are a constant source of amusement for visitors to Bako National Park.