Tanjung Datu National Park

Tanjung Datu sits at the extreme western tip of Sarawak on the Indonesian border, covering about fourteen square kilometres - the smallest national park in the state and the hardest to reach: there is no road, and access is by small boat from Sematan across an hour of open sea, which is impossible during the north-east monsoon and unreliable outside it. What is there is intact: steep forested hills coming down to clear water, coral close inshore, and beaches where green and hawksbill turtles nest, with almost nobody on them because visitor numbers are limited by the boats and the accommodation, which is a handful of basic chalets booked in advance. Bearded pigs, macaques, hornbills and the occasional Bornean gibbon are in the forest. It is the sort of place that requires effort in proportion to what it gives.

What you actually see

• Sarawak's smallest park - fourteen square kilometres at the western tip.
• Boat access only - an hour of open sea from Sematan, weather permitting.
• Turtle nesting beaches - green and hawksbill, with very few people on them.
• Forest to the waterline - steep hills meeting clear water and inshore coral.

When to go

March to September; the monsoon closes it. Two days.

Honest expectations

Boats do not run in rough weather and trips are cancelled at short notice - build in slack. Accommodation is a handful of basic chalets and must be booked well ahead. There are no shops; bring what you need.

Nearby

Sematan is the departure point; Talang-Satang turtle islands are east.