Page 241 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK 239
wildlife sanctuary, a major Malaysian-Indonesian conservation project. It has the highest known density of wild orangutans in Borneo (1.7 per sq km), and is an important sanctuary for gibbons, white-fronted langurs, maroon langurs and hornbills. Set upriver from Batang Ai Hydro Lake, the park is for serious nature lovers wanting to get off the beaten track.
The highlights are the internationally renowned trekking trails which explore the orangutan’s challenging habitat. Visitors stay with local Iban longhouse communities - who
are actively involved in
conservation management
- and get to take part in everyday activities. The park also provides an Orangutan Research Excellence
Centre for institutions and individuals to conduct Orangutan research.
SIMILAJAU
NATIONAL PARK
(Bintulu Division) Similajau, 30 minutes
from Bintulu, covers 8,996 hectares of golden sandy beaches and dense green forest, punctuated by small rocky headlands and jungle streams. It is home to 24 mammal species including long-tailed macaques, gibbons, banded langurs,
shrews, mouse deer, barking deer, squirrels,
wild boar, porcupine, and civet cats, along with 185 species of birds. Unusual reptiles include the green turtle, which lays its eggs on the beaches, the estuarine crocodile, which grows
up to 6 metres in length here, and the small, narrow nosed false gharial. The main trekking trail hugs the coast so visitors are never far away from the main attractions. Similajau is
best visited during the dry season (March - October) when the coastline at
its most beautiful and
the waters are ideal for swimming.
Batang Ai National Park – rugged and inaccessible, yet for the determined traveller totally unforgettable.