Kubah National Park covers 2,230 hectares of mixed dipterocarp forest that is rich in palms, orchids and pitcher plants. The park is dominated by the 911 metre high Mount Serapi, the mountain that provides the stunning backdrop to sunsets over the Kuching Waterfront. The forest at Kubah is mixed dipterocarp, with small areas of scrub forest and isolated patches of kerangas or heath forest.
Located just 20 km from Kuching, Kubah National Park is a good day trip destination. There is also a range of accommodation at the park HQ for those interested in an overnight stay. The park’s rainforest scenery is superb and it has a rich variety of orchids and ferns. It is also famed for its rich diversity of palms, with 93 species found in the park. The park’s jungle streams and waterfalls offer great resting places to cool down after a jungle trek.
Jungle Trails
A series of trekking trails allows visitors to experience the park’s attractions. The Palmetum is a short trail (30 mins, one way) devoted to Kubah’s best-known feature – its palms. The Selang Trail (45 mins, one way) ends at a viewing point on Bukit Selang, one of the many hills in the park. The Belian Trail (45 mins, one way) as the name suggests passes a number of Belian or Ironwood trees. Belian is one of the finest hardwoods in Borneo owing to its strength and durability.
The Waterfall Trail (90 mins, one way) is one of the most popular and leads to a series of rock pools and waterfall whilst the Rayu Trail (2 hours, one way) connects Kubah to Matang Wildlife Centre.
Visitors can also walk along the Summit Road that leads to the top of Mount Serapi. It takes 5-6 hours to walk to the top and back. There is a viewing platform at the summit that offers amazing views of the rainforest, coastline and the wider Kuching area.
Wildlife
Wildlife found at Kubah includes bearded pigs, mouse deer, monitor lizards, long-tailed macaque monkeys, squirrels and range of birdlife. Whilst visitors do occasionally see wildlife at Kubah, it is not is as good as Bako National Park for wildlife watching. Kubah is however a good bird watching destination with the paved road from the park HQ to the summit a good spot for early morning birding.
In recent years Kubah National Park has gained a reputation as a great place to go frogging. Over 60 species of frogs are found at Kubah, including one of the smallest species of frog in the world.
Accommodation
The accommodation at Kubah is basic with many of the units somewhat run down and in need of renovation.
The Forest Lodge Type 4 is RM 225 per night and can accommodate 6 people. These are large two storey houses set in the forest. Each house has two air-con bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a living room, refrigerator and kitchen. Bedroom one has 2 single beds whilst bedroom two has 2 single beds and a bunk bed.
The Forest Lodge Type 5 is RM 150 per night and can accommodate up to 10 people. Each unit has 3 rooms (fan), living room, refrigerator, kitchen, shared bathroom and toilet.
A bed in a 3-person hostel room is RM 15.
There is a also campsite with space for 8 tents. The camping fee is RM 5 per person.
There is no canteen at Kubah and no food stalls or places to eat within walking distance of the park HQ. So you will need to bring your own food and drinking water (or boil water at the park). There are cooking facilities and a BBQ area.
Entrance Fees
The entrance fee for foreigners is RM 20 (adult) and RM 7 (child, 7-18 years). The price for Malaysians is RM 10 (adult) and RM 3 (child, 7-18 years). Malaysians may be asked to show their IC card as proof of citizenship. Children 6 years and below are free.
Getting There
Kubah National Park is around 45 minutes drive from Kuching. City Link Bus K21 departs from the bus station near Saujana car park. The service is infrequent with departures every 2-3 hours. The first bus departs Kuching at 8 am. The last bus back from Kubah is around 3 pm. The bus fare is RM 4 (one way). The taxi fare from Kuching is around RM 70 (one way). A much cheaper option is to take a Grab car which is RM 25 (one way).
Tours
Our Frogging at Kubah National Park tour departs on Saturdays at 6 pm.
