Hang Out with Rare Proboscis Monkeys
Bako National Park
If you want to experience nature while still enjoying cosmopolitan creature comforts, head south to Malaysia’s largest state of Sarawak. The old Indochine city of Kuching is conveniently located only about an hour and a half away from Bako National Park, where you can spy the rare, long-nosed proboscis monkey on beaches and cliffs lapped by the South China Sea.
Accommodations inside the park are sketchy, so make a day trip of it by trekking along the 5.25-kilometer-long Lintang Trail. Watch out for the long-tailed macaques: the naughty monkeys are notorious for grabbing tourists’ food, umbrellas and cameras. Kuching is a welcome urban oasis after a day of trekking in the steamy jungles.
For panoramic views of the city and to be within walking distance of top attractions -- such as the shops and restaurants on the promenade that runs along the Sarawak River -- check out the new Pullman Kuching hotel. And while spending time immersing yourself in nature is a surefire way to recharge, other options for recharging after a hard day of hiking include having a cocktail by the hotel’s pool or a Thai massage in one of the spa’s 7 treatment rooms. Read more..