Lambir Hills National Park – The World’s Most Complex & Diverse Forest Ecosystem

October 27 is probably the most exhausting day of my life. I went to the famed Lambir Hills National Park, the most visited National Park in Sarawak about 36 km from Miri, with my nephew Esmond Ngieng with the intention to spend about 2 hours there only.

Upon arrival at the park after a 45-minute drive, we went to the park office to register ourselves and to pay the RM10 entrance fee. I had a good chat with the warden at the office before we set out to explore the park.

It was a weekday and we seemed to be the only two persons in the park. The peace and solitude overwhelmed me though I must admit that going into the park alone is not something I would want to do.

We were in no hurry as we made our way along the Latak Waterfall Trail, the shortest and the best known of Lambir’s trails. I told my nephew, an avid photographer like me, to inform me if he were to come across any strange insects, reptiles, animals or plants. My eyesight is not that great and having Esmond to tag along was like having an extra pair of good eyes.

As we walked, we could hear the sounds of birds but due to the dense foliage, we were unable to see them. The forest looked so serene and rugged. The Latak Trail is a gently sloping path shaded by trees, and follows the course of a clear stream. There are two very pretty small waterfalls along the way.

The Latak Waterfall is just a 15-minute walk from the park office but because we moved slowly looking for interesting flora and fauna to photograph, we only reached the Latak Waterfall in about forty minutes.

The Latak Waterfall falls 25 metre down a steep drop into a large forest pool surrounded on three sides by steep rock walls. But we were rather disappointed because the volume of water cascading down the waterfall was rather low, making the waterfall look a bit pathetic. I guess it may have been due to the absence of  rain in the area in the past two days.

We spent about an hour at the waterfall, taking photos and also resting. It was here that we saw the first sun skink and a centipede, thanks to Esmond. We were to see many more sun skinks later. At the waterfall area, I was at last able to capture a butterfly in flight on my camera. I have been trying without much success to capture butterflies in flight for a couple of months.

The toilet-cum-bathrooms at the waterfall are in rather dilapidated condition. This is such a shame considering the popularity of the park.  There is a guard house near the pool but it was unmanned when we were there.

From Latak Waterfall, we made our way to the Nibong Waterfall about 1.2 km away. I thought 1.2km should not be a problem even for a guy like me who never exercises. My goodness! The steep concrete stairways at the earlier part of the route almost made me want to give up. But I persisted though I had to stop so many times on the way up the stairways to catch my breath.

The route consisted of many slopes and we had to walk carefully as there were lots of rough terrain on the route. There are lots of gargantuan trees on the way. We finally arrived at the 22-metre Tree Tower but we were unable to climb it as it has been abandoned and there is no staircase to get up to the tower.

I was totally exhausted when we arrived at the tower. Immediately after the tower, I saw that there was another steep slope which I need to trek up to continue on the trail to Nibong Waterfall. There was no way I had the stamina to climb that slope given my exhausted condition.

I know the second waterfall may be only just a little more distance ahead but I just had to give up. We turned back and walked very slowly. It was a nightmare for me as I still had to climb several slopes on my way back. We rested at many places, taking lots of photos of sun skinks, forest scenery, bridges, gargantuan trees, fungus, butterflies, dragon flies, big black ants and a spider. It was again Esmond who spotted the ants and the spider.

By the time we arrived back at the park office, we had spent 4 hours at the park. We saw a group of Polish tourists who had just arrived from Brunei. We made our way to the park canteen to buy some drinks before leaving the park.

For those who have never been to Lambir Hills National Park, it is probably the world’s most complex and diverse forest ecosystem. Despite irs relatively small size of just 6,952 hectares, it has the greatest level of plant biodiversity on the planet. Its sandstone hills have created some very rugged forest terrain,in some places rising to over 450 metres, and are covered with lowland dipterocarp and heath forests.

There are around 1,173 tree species in the park alone, with 286 genera and 81 tree families making Lambir one of the more diversified forests in Malaysia. It is home to 237 different species of birds, sun skinks, flying squirrels, bats, wild boars, pangolins, gibbons, monkeys, deers, and untold insects and other invertebrates, creating a rich biological kaleidoscope.

Lambir’s unusual geology has created dozens of sparkling waterfalls and bathing pools scattered about the rainforest. With its compact size and convenient location, it is one of the most accessible and enjoyable national parks in all of Malaysia.

Due to its unique topography and ecosystem, Lambir has become a major centre for rainforest research, with dozens of scientists from Japanese and American universities permanently stationed in the park.

Lambir offers fascinating trekking trails leading to sparkling waterfalls and bathing pools scattered about the rainforest, from a gentle 15-minute stroll to an arduous all-day jungle trek. Most of Lambir’s trails are interlinked, so it is very possible to do quite a few in a day for those who are fit.

Other waterfalls in the park are ones on the Pantu trail such as the Pantu and Nibong waterfalls. It takes up to two hours journey to reach the falls. Then there are the Pancur, Tengkorong and Dinding waterfalls along the Bakam Trail.The other primary trails are Main and Lepoh-Ridan. There are other trails in the park, of which further information can be obtained from the park office.

The Summit Trail is hard work for the not-so-fit, but the abundant wild orchids and the superb view from the summit (456m) make it worthwhile, and trekkers can cool off in the pool below the Dinding waterfall on the way down. Lambir also offers a variety of tougher trails for serious trekkers; for further information, please consult the park wardens.