KUCHING CITY  >  PLACES TO GO  >  Kubah National Park

Kubah National Park
with Matang Wildlife Centre
Kuching, Sarawak

Accommodation are available in both Kubah National Park and Matang Wildlife Center

ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES

Both Kubah National Park and Matang Wildlife Centre are favorite destination for day-trippers because of its short distance away from Kuching City Centre. For those who want to explore more of the forest, accommodation and other facilities are available.

Accommodation facilities are available at the park and also at the Matang Wildlife centre.

ACCOMMODATION in KUBAH NATIONAL PARK  

ACCOMMODATION in MATANG WILDLIFE CENTRE 

Applications for permits and reservations for accommodation can be made at the National Parks booking office, Kuching.
NATIONAL PARK & WILDLIFE BOOKING OFFICE  

(Sarawak Tourism Complex, Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg) TEL: 6 082 248088 FAX: 6 082 248087 ONLINE BOOKING: http://ebooking.com.my

HOW TO GET TO KUBAH NATIONAL PARK AND MATANG WILDLIFE CENTRE

Kubah National Park is 20 kilometers west of Kuching City
Kubah Park is only 21 km from Kuching
Matang Wildlife Centre is 35 km from town.
Matang Wildlife Centre is 3 to 4 hours walking from Kubah Park via the Ulu Rayu trail.

Approximately 20 kilometers west of Kuching is the Kubah National Park. It is dominated by sandstone plateau and covers an area of 2,230 hectares. The Matang Range formed a scenic backdrop at the park which includes three mountains— Mount Serapi, Mount Selang and Mount Sendok that can be seen clearly from Kuching. The Park is a Mixed Dipterocarp forest and has one of Borneo's widest selections of palms and orchids.

Getting There:

Kubah is only 21 km from Kuching whilst Matang Wildlife Centre is 35 km from town.

Travel agents can arrange tours to the park, or take Matang Transport Co. bus No. 11 or a local mini-bus (see Travel Connections). Bus 11 passes Kubah Park HQ but it does not go all the way to Matang Wildlife Centre. If you are heading to Matang Wildlife Centre ask to be dropped off at the turning for the Polytechnic. You may be in for a long wait; at the time of writing there is no regular bus service to the Wildlife Centre. Local mini-buses (bos sewa) serve the villages in the Matang area but the service is irregular. If you do see a small white bas sewa, flag it down and ask the driver to drop you off at the Centre. The only other alternative is to try and hitch a ride.

The one-way taxi fare is RM 30-35 - negotiate a 'wait and return' fare or arrange a pick up time. Alternatively, local tour operators run day trips to both the National Park and the Wildlife Centre.

CAMPING IN KUBAH NATIONAL PARK
Although there are no camping facilities at Kubah National Park HQ, but campers easily find campsite at the near by Wildlife Centre.
Overnight in the national park is highly recommended as it is not quite possible to explore the whole park in just a day. Chalets are provided among the accommodations in the park and be sure to arrange it with the headquarters beforehand. You can also make reservations few days before you reach the park.
There are also campsites available for all camp lovers in the wildlife centre. However, do note that there are no tents provided, only shower rooms and public toilets. Thus, remember to be well equipped with all the necessary camping equipments if you chose to overnight in the campsite.
To make yourself convenient, remember to go shopping for can food or dry food before you overnight in the park as there are no restaurants around in the park. However, basic cooking equipments are offered in the hostels such as fridge, utensils and etc.

CAMPING AT MATANG WILDLIFE CENTRE
There is a designated campsite nearby the park headquarters (tent not provided). 32 sites (RM5.00 per camp)
Matang Wildlife Centre is situated at the western corner of the Kubah National Park in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, and is covers around 180 hectares of lowland forest.

There are four trails at Matang Wildlife Centre.
Kubah National Park offers four trails and one of it leads to Gunung Serapi. Trekking Gunung Serapi is fun and looks easy because of the tarred road but can be quite challenging as the return trip takes about 5 to 6 hours . On top of the mountain is the telecommunication Tower, which is a restricted area.  
The park has six jungle trails and a path that leads to the summit of Gunung Serapi (5-6 hours return trip). Wooden shelters are located along the various trails. The Main Trail passes through dipterocarp forest and links the various trails of the park.
 

1- Sungai Rayu trail will lead to Kubah National Park. Visitors who want to go to the waterfalls can try the Sungai Senduk or Sungai Buluh trail. Along the Pitcher Trail, visitors will be able to spot pitcher plants scattered all over the forest floor.  
All the jungle trails meander through the cool forest and provide opportunities to observe the rich variety of plant life. The picturesque waterfalls provide perfect spots for picnics and cool refreshing dips after the energetic walks through the forest.
 

2- Palmarium Trail, along the trial visitors can expect to see lots of palms trees. The waterfall could be reached in about 2 hours using the Waterfall Trail which is the most popular trail. The Palmetum is the park's showcase trail, passing through an area rich in palms.
 

3- Ulu Rayu trail leads to Matang Wildlife Centre and takes about 3 to 4 hours. The Rayu trail leads from the park HQ to the Matang Wildlife Centre and takes about 3-4 hours (one way). First follow the main trail before turning right to begin a relatively easy descent through the rainforest. Mid-way along the trail you'll find some rainforest giants, and pass numerous Bintangor trees which are currently the subject of Aids research. At the end of the trail you enter a swampy section (watch out for leeches) before coming to a crystal clear stream and the riverside picnic areas at the Wildlife Centre. Note that you can also start both the Waterfall and Rayu treks just past the 900 feet point on the Mount Serapi path. The trek from the road to the waterfall takes about 45 minutes and begins with a steep descent on a wooden staircase that winds its way down the forested slopes.
 

4- Selang Trail offers a good view of Matang and the Santubong peninsula. The Selang trail leads to a view point about 45 minutes walk from the HQ. After about 30 minutes you come to a very steep section where ropes are provided to help with the climb. At the end of the trail you'll find a raised wooden platform complete with a bench chair and some superb views of Matang and the Santubong peninsula.
 

5- The Waterfall Trail is the most popular trail in the park. It passes through mixed dipterocarp forest and incorporates a number of plankwalk sections that cross streams and swampy land. From the HQ, it takes about 1 hr 30 mins to reach the waterfall.
 

6- The new Belian trail is about 1 hour's easy walking and as well as huge Belian (Borneo ironwood) trees, there is a wide variety of other plant life. Colorful forest birds including the maroon woodpecker, white rumped shama, chestnut-naped fork tail, and rufous-collard kingfisher are often heard and seen, and giant squirrels are frequently spotted jumping from tree to tree.

Visitors to Kubah National Park will have the chance to see the plant life of Borneo as the forest area dominating the park is rich in palms trees and orchids which include species like Licuala, Rattans, Pantu, Pinanga, Appendicula, Dipodium and Eria. The park is also a haven for a wide variety of butterflies.  
The dipterocarp forest, interspersed with patches of scrub and kerangas, is also home to a variety of wildlife which include bearded pigs, mouse deer, squirrels, black hornbill, amphibians and reptiles. Chances of seeing the animals are quite slim here as compared to Bako National Park, as the animals tend to hide deep in the forest.  
As not to disappoint visitors to the National Parks, there is the Matang Wildlife Centre as an alternative, which is very much a part of Kubah National Park. The centre houses the endangered wildlife such as Sambar Deer, Crocodiles, Sun Bears, Civets and Bear Cats. The major attraction are the Orang utans, which are either orphaned or rescued from captivity.  
The animals are kept in large enclosures. There are also three aviaries for Hornbills, Sea Eagles and a host of other indigenous birds. The best time to visit the centre is during it's feeding time.  

Kubah National Park is an easy and enjoyable day trip from Kuching. Situated on a small sandstone plateau, this small park (2,230 ha.) boasts crystal clear streams and a host of small waterfalls and bathing pools. Kubah is mostly covered by mixed dipterocarp forest, but it also has one of the widest selections of palms and orchids in Borneo. The varied wildlife includes bearded pig, mouse deer, black hornbill and many species of amphibians and reptiles. However, Kubah's wildlife tends to stay deep in the forest so it is not really a park for "wildlife encounters" (Bako is unbeatable in that respect). Kubah's appeal lies in its rainforest scenery, its waterfalls, streams and bathing pools and the 93 species of palm found within its boundaries.

CAMPING IN SABAH:

Polumpung Melangkap
View Camp Site

30 Km from Kota Belud Town of Sabah

Polumpung Melangkap View Campsite (PMVCS) has Mt. Kinabalu as backdrop with  elegant river, exquisite landscape.

The jaw-dropping view of the majestic Mount Kinabalu from Kampung Melangkap Baru has transformed this village from farming  to a new Eco-tourism.

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