Getting here:
The boat jetty at Kg Bako is located some 45 minutes outside the city of Kuching. To get here, you can either simply hire a taxi from downtown Kuching or take the local Petra Jaya bus no. 6 that departs from Kampung Masjid near the Chinatown.

At the boat jetty, there is a registration counter for park-bound visitors; day-trippers and overnighters alike. The park entrance fee is RM10/pax. The local boatmen will be waiting at the jetty and the one-way transfer costs RM40/boat. Since each boat can fit in five people, the fare can be split equally depending on the number of passengers.

If you do not wish to wait until the boat is full, you may charter the whole boat for RM40.

Description:
The boat journey from Kg Bako to the Park Headquarters is often regarded as one of the main highlights for a trip to Bako National Park. For first time visitors to Malaysia (or even Sarawak), there are various eclectic sights to be enjoyed throughout this 30 minutes boat journey into the national park. The journey will pass along Tanjung Adam, Teluk Wangkang, Teluk Wankau (the last inhabited point before entering the national park jurisdiction), Teluk Delima, Tanjung Sapi and finally Telok Assam, where passengers will disembark.

The boats are run by authorised boatmen appointed by the park authority. Most of them are middle-age men and can be quite friendly to the tourists. They may know just a little of English, so sign language is probably the best. While there will not be a formal narration of the sights along the journey, I did notice that the boatmen would slow down the boat at various objects of attraction should the passengers were seen trying to take a photograph.

In the early part of the journey, you will be treated with views of the riverine villages on the banks of Sungai Bako. The houses are mostly built on stilts, especially those located very close to the river (modern and regular brick houses can be seen further higher up). Occasionally you will be able to see the locals doing their own things along the river, such as fishing, washing clothes and bathing. There are also unique structures erected in the middle of the waterway, which is actually a traditional fishing trap.

At about 20 minutes into the journey, you will leave the sights of Kg Bako behind. There are no longer visible settlements on the river banks, which should somewhat mark the border entrance into the national park proper. There should be plenty of mangrove forest zones at both sides of the river banks. If the weather is clear enough, you will be able to see the majestic Mount Santubong to the northwest. The flatlands of Santubong (or Damai) Peninsula give a sudden rise to Mount Santubong, almost at a 90-degree angle. Mount Santubong holds a mythical element to the natives of Sarawak, and the view exudes almost similar mysterious quality.

As you get closer and closer to the disembarkation point at Telok Assam, you will start to see a number of unique rock formations on the river banks, which should really act as an appetiser of what Bako National Parks has to offer. Layered rock faces of Batu Pengiran and Batu Serpit, though are not as spectacular as the famous Sea Stack, are quite dazzling in their own right.

Soon, you will arrive at Telok Assam, a two-kilometre long beach which houses the Park Headquarters. Interestingly, you will need to get off the boat into the knee-deep water during low tide. The boats can go no further to avoid any damage to the boat engines. Hence, no stilettos or Manolos please! One should expect to get wet a little bit (isn't that what national park adventure is all about?). Actually, there is a proper boat jetty at a small river estuary on the eastern end of Telok Assam near the mangrove forest, but it is deemed impassable during low tide. Some day-trippers from Kuching in fancy clothes, sun-shades and expensive shoes do arrive at this jetty, usually later in the day, as the appointed local guides do know very well the correct timing of the high and low tides of that area.