So you are now in Kuching city and you are looking for an accessible, green place to go to.
Fret not, here are the six nature attractions near Kuching city you visit and enjoy a day out with Mother Nature.
1. Santubong National Park
Santubong National Park is about 40 minutes drive from Kuching city.
Here visitors can climb to the top of Mount Santubong, take a dip in the waterfall or simply enjoy the rainforest.
There is no accommodation at the national park but there are handful of resorts and homestays nearby.
2. Kubah National Park and Matang Wildlife Centre
Kubah National Park is situated about 22km from Kuching city.
It is rich in floras and is a scientifically important site for palm trees.
One 1992 study by Katherine Pearce found that there are 86 species of palm trees in the area, 16 of them only found in Borneo.
You can choose to climb to the top of Mount Serapi or go for trekking in search of waterfall at Kubah.
Next to Kubah is Matang Wildlife Centre where endangered species such as orang utans are rehabilitated and released into the forest.
Beside saying ‘hi’ to the orang utans, visitors can also go for jungle trekking at one of the four trails here.
3. Sama Jaya Nature Reserve
Imagine New York’s Central Park but a thousand times smaller. (Okay, it’s only approximately eight times smaller. New York’s Central Park covers 341 hectares, while Sama Jaya Nature reserve spans 38.)
Much like Central Park, however, Sama Jaya is a small patch of forest in the middle of an urban area located at Stutong.
Just a 10-minute drive from Kuching City centre, the nature reserve is famous among joggers as it offers two jogging tracks at 870 metres and 1600 metres respectively.
As the jogging tracks wind through this urban jungle, do not be surprised if you spot some local wildlife.
According to Sarawak Forestry website, here you can find squirrels, shrew, fruit bars, frogs, lizards and monkeys.
Other perks this reserve offers is the Hiroshima-Sarawak Friendship Garden, forest biology museum and an ethno-botanical garden.
4. Wind Cave and Fairy Cave Nature Reserves
Wind Cave and Fairy Cave Nature Reserves are located at Bau bazaar, just half an hour’s drive from Kuching city.
The two caves are located 8km from each other.
There are plankwalks available for visitors to explore the caves.
Keep your eyes open to spot various species of bats, squirrels and birds at these nature reserves.
5. Semenggoh Nature Reserve
Here is another great place to visit the orang utan. It has a wildlife centre for the rehabilitation of rescued orang utan.
Semenggoh Nature Reserve is 20km away from Kuching.
The best time to visit Semenggoh is during feeding times. It usually takes place between 9 to 10am and between 3 to 3.30pm.
6. Bako National Park
Sarawak’s oldest national park, Bako National Park requires a boat-ride to visit but is still accessible from Kuching city.
It is a nature lovers’ paradise where visitors can opt for bird watching, beach-strolling or jungle trekking.
It takes about 45 minutes from Kuching to Bako market. From there, it takes another 20-minute boat ride to reach the park.
Here you can spot proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaque monkeys and bearded pigs roaming around the park.
