Santubong

Santubong National Park lies on the Santubong Peninsula in Sarawak, about 35 km north of Kuching. It is dominated by the steep, rainforest-covered slopes of Mount Santubong, which rises to 810 m, and is managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. It is listed as IUCN category II^[1].

The rhinoceros hornbill, Sarawak's state bird, has been recorded in the park in past surveys^[1]. Dolphins can be seen in the coastal waters, and dolphin watching is popular near the mouth of the Santubong River^[2].

The vegetation is mainly mixed dipterocarp forest, with smaller patches of kerangas (heath forest) and beach forest^[1].

Mount Santubong is an inselberg, an isolated rock hill rising above flatter land, and its rock is sandstone. Earlier observers often mistook it for limestone tower karst or a volcanic plug, and prospectors searched it for gold without success^[3].

The climate is tropical, with temperatures of about 23°C to 32°C. Rainfall is heaviest from November to February, and March to September is the drier season and better for hiking^[2].

Archaeologists have found Hindu-era remains around the base of the mountain. Sultan Tengah built a fortified palace at Sungai Bedil in 1599, making the area the administrative capital of the Sultanate of Sarawak until his assassination in 1641. Alfred Russel Wallace stayed at Santubong briefly in 1854^[3]. Local legend tells of the princesses Puteri Santubong and Puteri Sejinjang, whose quarrel broke the mountain and scattered the nearby islands.

Santubong was gazetted as a national park in 2007 and has since become a key destination for nature tourism^[1]. It forms an important catchment area. The park is partly bordered by privately owned forest.

The Mount Santubong Summit Trail is a challenging climb of 4 to 7 hours with views of the coastline and the South China Sea^[2]. The ascent is steep and rocky, with ropes and ladders on the steepest sections^[3].

The park is about a 45-minute drive from Kuching city centre and is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily^[2]. Nearby are the fishing villages of Kampung Santubong, Kampung Buntal and Kampung Pasir Pandak, the Sarawak Cultural Village and beach resorts^[1].

The park is managed by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation and protects the catchment of the peninsula along with the rhinoceros hornbill, a threatened species whose population and movements in the park are little known^[1].