Kuching Wetlands National Park

The park covers about sixty-six square kilometres of mangrove between the Sibu Laut and Salak rivers west of Kuching, gazetted in 2002 and listed as a Ramsar site - a system of tidal creeks, mudflats and mangrove forest with no dry land infrastructure at all, so the whole visit is by boat. The draw is cetaceans: a resident population of Irrawaddy dolphins lives in the estuary, along with finless porpoises and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, and afternoon boat trips out of Santubong look for them - they are shy, surface briefly and do not bow-ride, so this is not a dolphin show and sightings are a matter of luck and patience. Proboscis monkeys, crocodiles and a long bird list are in the mangrove. Boat operators are licensed and there are approach rules; the population is small and disturbance is a genuine concern.

What you actually see

• Irrawaddy dolphins - a resident estuary population, shy and briefly surfacing.
• Mangrove creeks by boat - the park has no land access at all.
• Proboscis monkeys and crocodiles - in the mangrove along the channels.
• A Ramsar wetland - listed for the tidal forest and its species.

When to go

All year, afternoon. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Dolphins are not guaranteed and do not perform - they surface briefly and vanish. Use licensed operators who keep the approach distance; the population is small. Trips are cancelled in rough weather.

Nearby

Santubong and Bako National Park are north; Kuching is east.