Similajau National Park

Similajau is a long thin park - about thirty kilometres of coastline and rarely more than a couple wide - running north-east from Bintulu, and the walking is the point: a coastal trail links a sequence of beaches, Turtle Beach one and two, Golden Beach, with headlands and river mouths between them and mixed dipterocarp and kerangas forest behind. Green turtles nest on some of the beaches. Dolphins and porpoises are sometimes seen offshore. The thing to understand before swimming is that the river mouths here hold saltwater crocodiles, and this is not a theoretical warning: signs mark the danger points, swimming is restricted to specified stretches, and the park is serious about it. Accommodation is at the headquarters. Getting to the far beaches is a full day on foot or a boat charter.

What you actually see

• A thirty-kilometre coast trail - linking beaches, headlands and river mouths.
• Turtle nesting beaches - green turtles coming ashore on some of them.
• Kerangas and dipterocarp forest - the two forest types behind the sand.
• Crocodile warning signs - marking the river mouths where swimming is barred.

When to go

March to October. A day, or overnight.

Honest expectations

Saltwater crocodiles are present in the river mouths - swim only where permitted and take the signs seriously. The far beaches are a long hot walk or a boat charter. Sandflies are severe.

Nearby

Bintulu is south-west; Niah National Park is north-east.