Batang Ai National Park is a place where Orang Utans live as they are an endangered species in this planet. Other wildlife such as gibbons and hornbills also has a place called “home” in this park. This park is located in Sarawak. Batang Ai National Park is also a water catchment to Sarawak’s only artificial lake. Batang Ai Hydo-Electricity Complex which is a part of this dam, also provides a certain amount of energy.
From Kuching, this park is about 250km away and because of this hot spot for tourist to visit, there is a longhouse and Hilton Longhouse Resort that provides accommodation for visitors after their trip.
From Kuching, this park is about 250km away and because of this hot spot for tourist to visit, there is a longhouse and Hilton Longhouse Resort that provides accommodation for visitors after their trip.
Orang Utans
Batang Ai Resort
Batang Ai Artificial DamThe community around this area is the Ibans. Ibans usually stay in a longhouse. In this longhouse, they have a chief that takes care of everyone’s safety and also makes decisions in certain dilemmas. As you can see, the longhouse resorts that are owned by Hilton are actually copied from how the Ibans live as a community.
Hilton Longhouse Resort
An example of an original longhouse Also, around this area, water is their main transport. Clear, fast and refreshing are the words that describes the rivers. An hour of upstream boat ride, the visitors can actually see the forests of Batang Ai. The forest in Batang Ai are so beautiful with drooping trees that hang across the rivers.
Batang Ai RiverAs you can see, because of the wide surface area of the water, you can actually do river rafting here!
Transport
The local Community Cooperative provides boating services for trips to and within the park. The park is only entry point is from the Batang Ai hydroelectric dam Lubok Antu, roughly 5 hour from Kuching. From the dam park visitors are require to chartering a longboat as Batang Ai National Park is located in the interior and is only accessible by river.
The first hour of the boat ride will take the visitors across the scenic Batang Ai lake and the journey will be upstream the fast flowing Batang Ai river.
direction to Batang Ai Longhouse Resort
Accommodation
There are no accommodation facilities within the park at present. Therefore, Hilton Longhouse Resort and several longhouses provide accommodation facilities just outside the park. Visitors can get the real experience through staying in Iban longhouse if they require.
Food
There are not available sale inside thePark or in the immediate vicinity of the park. Food provided for those on organized tours or self bring, But there are several restaurant and shop outside available outside the National Park.
Environment
The Park also shelters many other protected species of wildlife such as the lush dipterocarp( is the family of 17 genera and approximate 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest tree) forest are the home to the Orang Utan, gibbons, and hornbills. The lakes create a beautiful environment and give a sense of peace and harmony. The local inhabitants are mostly Iban, and tours to nearby Iban longhouse are also a place of tourism. The communities have formed a cooperative and are helping to conserve the park.
