I was traveling alone, and the park was a perfect, safe place to visit and stay a couple nights. My boat arrived in the early afternoon, to a sandy beach surrounded by the strange shapes of limestone cliffs.
Immediately I went on a hike. Macaque monkeys lounged in the sun along the first part of the trail. As the path increased in elevation, lush tropical foliage transitioned into sandy white soils and small, stunted trees. Lovely Nepenthes pitcher plant vines grew over the trees, and some were flowering!
Sweaty and happy, I arrived at the beach. It was lovely, nestled between cliffs covered in brilliant green tropical plants. The water was so warm and salty that it was not refreshing, but the green ocean was beautiful.
Some of the cliffs were fantastically colored: purple, green, yellow and blue, above the white sand and the orange water of a tannin-filled stream.
The park headquarters had sleeping cabins and a large, open cafeteria where cheap meals were served three times a day. The food was simple, yet tasty, and the hostel was rustic, but nice. In my shared room I met two friendly Danish girls who went on a long loop hike with me on my second day. A highlight of the walk was a waterfall and swimming hole, with very red water. The dark, rich color is from tannins in the tropical leaves.
One of the reasons Bako is so special is the variety of ecosystems contained within a small area. A one-hour hike may pass through trails densely covered in networks of roots shaded beneath plants with large green leaves, then over sandy exposed soils and pitcher plants, and along black pockmarked volcanic rocks with stunted conifers.
Because Bako is Borneo's oldest National Park, and because it is inaccessible from land, it has been well protected from poachers. This means animals are abundant and not too afraid of humans. I got quite close to a family of round-bellied, long-nosed, leaf-eating Proboscis monkeys.
Bornean bearded pigs (with their dainty little feet that look like high-heels) wallowed in mud pools around the living areas.
A camouflaged green pit viper watched people walk past on the path.
On a great night walk led by one of the park rangers, I saw a colugo (sometimes called a flying lemur), tree frogs, many huge spiders and stick insects, and lots of sleeping birds.
Sunsets after dinner were amazing...
...with baby bearded pigs traipsing along the ocean's edge.
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