Monkey Business in Kuching, Sarawak

There are two iconic primates on the island of Borneo. The smart and intelligent Orangutan and the huge nosed Proboscis monkey.

The best place to see these primates in Sarawak would be from its capital city of Kuching.

Visiting two of these iconic primates of Borneo, the orangutan and the proboscis monkey, can be done in just two days by visiting the two main parks in Kuching that are home to these primates, Semenggoh Orangutan and Bako National Park.

I will share a suggested itinerary at the end of this article.

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre

Annuar the alpha male orangutan being handed some bananas from one of the park wardens at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre

Apes Together Strong

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre  is a half day tour and the best time to come and try to catch a glimpse of the orangutan would be during the feeding times.

Feeding takes place between 9.00-10.00 am and between 3.00-4.00 pm every day.  Be a bit earlier as it is also a nice scenic walk from the park entrance to the feeding site.

There are about 28 orangutans in Semenggoh and each orangutan have their own name such as Annuar, Delima, Seduku, Sadammiah and so forth. It’s an amazing and interesting show when the rangers start calling them out by name during the feeding time.

The other centre for the Orangutans in Kuching would be in Matang Wildlife Centre in Kubah National Park

Bako National Park

Acclaimed to be the best national park for wildlife tours in Sarawak would be Bako National Park.  Probably the reason behind this is because the animals here are reasonable very easy to spot as they have become accustomed to human presence.

Getting to Bako National Park is about 1 hour drive from Kuching and another half hour boat ride from Bako Village. There are public bus shuttles to Bako or you can take up a guided tour which is a lot more convenient.

Their numerous jungle trails laid out throughout the park and the best part is most of the trails are not that far for the park headquarters. The upkeep of the trails are  pretty well and is not a to walk these trails.

Bako National Park wildlife experience can be done by going on a day trip but best to stay overnight so that you have more trails to explore.

Along the trails you would most likely encounter some of the main superstars of the park, the proboscis monkey, silvered leaf monkey and also the bearded pig.

The superstar of Bako , a young male proboscis monkey 

Silvered leaf monkey on the prowl for food in Bako National Park.

It is after about one year old that the baby silver leaf monkey would change its fur to silver

Of the three primates in Bako National Park, one should be extra careful and cautious around the notorious long-tailed macaques.  They are well known for snatching foodstuff from visitors.

Notorious long-tailed macaques

Suggested Itinerary

Here is a suggested itinerary based on a common tour package from Kuching.

Day one

After an early morning local breakfast of Sarawak Laksa or Kolo Mee, depart for Semenggoh Orangutan Centre at 8.00 am and arrive at Semenggoh Orangutan for feeding time at 9.00 am.

10.30 am depart back to Kuching or proceed with another half day tour.

Day two 

Just like in day one, after a nice local breakfast in town such as the beef noodles, Sarawak Laksa or Kolo Mee, pick up from hotel and depart to Bako Village.  Register at the park registration centre before embarking on a half hour boat ride to Bako National Park.

After a full day tour of Bako, return to Kuching in the late afternoon.

Boats waiting to ferry visitors to Bako National Park. 

So there you go, it is easy and not much travelling involved to go and see these two stars of Borneo, the Orangutan and the Proboscis monkey.

So if you are thinking of an easy wildlife experience in Borneo, remember there is  plenty of monkeying around to do in Sarawak.

Thank you for reading and if you want extra details on the caves above, drop me a line and I’ll get back to you soon as possible.

Till my next Bejalai, take care and do leave your comments.