Bako National Park
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Southeast Asia, Malaysia 945 spp. recorded
Bako National Park is a protected tropical rainforest situated on a rugged coastal peninsula in Malaysian Borneo. Dense mangrove forests, steep sandstone cliffs, and sandy beaches frame networks of dirt trails that wind beneath a thick jungle canopy. Unlike vast interior reserves, this compact coastal park brings diverse ecosystems into close contact, creating a concentrated habitat for specialized wildlife.
1.704° N 110.467° E
🦜 Nature
260 Species sighted
4,814 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
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📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 844 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Bako National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
35Jan
40Feb
36Mar
37Apr
39May
44Jun
43Jul
40Aug
40Sep
32Oct
17Nov
22Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Bako National Park HQ
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
North Philippine Temple Pitviper~90%≈
Sunda Flying Lemur~80%≈
Common Water Monitor~70%≈
Kendall's Rock Gecko~70%≈
Green Crested Lizard~60%-10%
Plantain Squirrel~50%≈
Littoral Whiptail-skink~50%≈
Brown Marsh Frog~50%≈
Common Iora~50%-20%
Copper-cheeked Frog~50%≈
Inger's Bow-fingered Gecko~50%≈
Lowland Dwarf Toad~40%≈
-
Bako Bazaar
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 506
🐒 Mammals 184
🦎 Reptiles 212
🐸 Amphibians 43
945 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
98 Threatened 48 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
71% 📊
Coverage (169 species at ≥5% of 945 in the inventory)
18% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (6 mammal, 4 reptile, 2 bird)
81% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
83 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
7 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
34 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.6
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
I had only seen the male proboscis monkey, its big bulbous nose unlike anything I have seen.
Bako National Park – passports & pepto bismol November 4, 2023 Malaysia, Sarawak One of the main reasons we came to Kuching, or Borneo in general was the chance to see the proboscis monkey.
We heard but didn’t see birds – 150 species are recorded at Bako, including kingfishers, barbets, woodpeckers, flycatchers, owls, and more.
Instead, we found a group of long-tailed macaques and silvered-leaf monkeys.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Bako National Park?
945 species
Bako National Park has 945 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are North Philippine Temple Pitviper (about 90%), Sunda Flying Lemur (about 90%), Western Bearded Pig (about 80%), Silvered Leaf Monkey (about 80%) and Proboscis Monkey (about 80%). Among birds, the most-seen is Asian Glossy Starling (about 70%); among amphibians, Brown Marsh Frog (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit Bako National Park for wildlife?
April to December
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in January to March.
Can you see a Proboscis Monkey in Bako National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Proboscis Monkey sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 300 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April–May, July–August and December–January (about 80%).
Can you see a Western Bearded Pig in Bako National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Western Bearded Pig sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 244 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March, October and December (about 90%).
Can you see a Silvered Leaf Monkey in Bako National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Silvered Leaf Monkey sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 293 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March and December (about 90%).
Can you see a Sunda Flying Lemur in Bako National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Sunda Flying Lemur sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 147 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March, May, July, September and November (about 90%).
Where in Bako National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Bako National Park HQ
The richest sighting zone is around Bako National Park HQ, followed by Bako Bazaar, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Bako National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.7 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Bako National Park rates 3.7/5: 158th of 316 parks worldwide and 16th in Southeast Asia. 44 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
