Ulu Temburong National Park occupies almost 40% of the Temburong district of Brunei Darussalam. It is regarded by many as the best preserved tropical rainforest on Borneo. The Park is accessible only by traditional longboat along river corridors, or jungle hiking tracks. Enroute proboscis monkeys may be seen in mangrove flanking the Limbang River.
Botanically the Park possesses outstanding diversity; at ground level the forest floor is a wealth of gingers, begonias, gesneriads, tiger orchids and aroids, and blooms of the Ixora genus are easily found. It is primarily lowland Dipterocarp forest dominated by the giants of the genera Dipterocarpus, Dryobalanops and Shorea. One of the Park's highlights is an impressive canopy tower and walkaways, suspended 50 m from the forest floor. It is the highest of its type in Borneo and the view from the top is breathtaking: you can see Brunei Bay to the north and Gunung Mulu Park in Sarawak to the south.
Canopy Walkway
A birds-eye view of the surrounding forests can be had from the not-to-be-missed Canopy Walkway. This steel structure rises some 50 metres from the forest floor to the level of the highest trees, and from here can be seen tiger orchids and other epiphytes clinging to the branches, as well as Bukit Belalong in the distance. The observant may even glimpse snakes in the treetops, such as the strikingly coloured Wagler's Pit Viper.
Fauna
Lizards are perhaps easier to find than snakes, and with luck one may get glimpses of species with such unlikely sounding names as the Five-lined Flying Lizard Draco quinquefasciatus and Peter's Bent-toed Gecko Gonydactylus consobrinus.
It is worth searching quietly for Ulu Temburong's shy amphibians, both by day and by night. These include the common Kuhl's Creek Frog Limnonectes kuhli, the Smooth Guardian Frog Rana palavanensis easily identified by the black chevron marking on it's back, the Painted Tree Frog Nyctixalus pictus which lays it's eggs in tree holes, and the striking Wallace's Flying Frog Rhacophorus nigropalmatus which has the ability to glide from tree to tree using its webbed fingers and toes.
The Black Spotted Rock Frog Staurois natator (right) is a handsome species which can be found in the water-filled gullies or small waterfalls.
By some estimates there may be as many as 400 species of butterfly in the Ulu Temburong National Park, however many of these are rare and occur in areas not accessible to the casual visitor. Arguably the most beautiful butterfly in the world is the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (named after the 'White Rajah' James Brooke who ruled Sarawak as his private kingdom in the colonial era.) With it's jet black wing colour and emerald green banding the males of this most glorious of species can be found searching for salt and other minerals near human habitation.
Another butterfly species of note is the Tree Nymph Idea stolli. This white and black spotted species glides on it's gossamer wings around sunlit areas, seeming to float in the air with no effort at all.
Other insects to look for include forest centipedes, sometimes found guarding their eggs, the Giant Forest Ant Campanotus gigas which, at one inch long, looks formidable but will not bite humans, and Lantern Bugs with their bizarre elongated heads. Take some time to observe the activities of termites; these social insects quickly break down dead plant or tree matter (or wooden boardwalks !) and return the nutrients to the soil for absorption by the next generation of plants and trees.
Higher vertebrates are hard to spot in these forests. The Bushy Crested Hornbill Anorrhinus galeritus may sometimes be seen near the accommodation but other dramatic species, such as the Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros are more likely to be heard flying overhead than actually be seen. Broadbills, such as the Black-and-yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus, may be found foraging for food, and along the rivers fast-flying Swiftlets will be seen hunting for insects.
The 'primate king' of Borneo, the Orang Utan, is not found in Ulu Temburong. The king in Ulu Temburong is the Bornean Gibbon Hylobates muelleri whose loud call may be heard ringing from the trees early each morning. This grey-brown, tail-less species is completely arboreal, living in the forest canopy and only occasionally descending to mid-canopy. Squirrels, however, will be seen at ground level, including the tiny Plain Pygmy Squirrel Exilisciurus exilis which can be found near human habitation.
Flora
For the botanist, the Ulu Temburong National Park contains an abundance of species for study. As is common in tropical lowland forests, the canopy is dominated by giants of the Shorea, Dryobalanops and Dipterocarpus genera. At ground level the forest floor is a wealth of gingers, begonias, gesneriads and aroids, and blooms of the Ixora genus are easily found. Rattan species are numerous - these often take advantage of the bright sunlight reaching the forest floor through breaks in the canopy.
Palms, ferns, mosses and lichens are to be found along the river's edge and in the quiet rocky gullies. Many of these species may be fully submerged when the rivers are swollen by flash floods, but somehow they manage to cling to the rocky substrate and survive.
Fruiting figs, an essential food source for many mammals and birds in the rainforest ecosystem, are common, but keep an eye out for geocarpic figs, whose fruits grow from ground shoots rather than from the trunks and branches.
One does not have to be a botanist to appreciate the diversity of Ulu Temburong's flora - all that is needed is a keen eye, and an appreciation of the wonderful forms and structures which have evolved over many millennia in these wonderful forests.
Activities:
Jungle Trekking
Canopy Walkway
Rafting
Birdwatching
Photography
How to get there:
By Boat: (Ulu Temburong is accessible from Bandar Seri Begawan by water taxi)
Recommended Tour Package : Ulu Temburong National Park
