Trekking In The Kelabit Highlands
Less than an hour's flight on a light aircraft from the city of Miri in North-western Sarawak (Borneo), close to the border with Indonesia is Bario, the sleepy capital of the Kelabit Highlands. But for the therapeutic, jungle clad, rolling hills that surround the town one could be forgiven for thinking they had been dropped in outback Australia. At the tiny airport, the passengers getting off the flight are greeted like old friends by the 2 airport staff (as indeed most of them are). On stepping outside, a row of 4x4 pick-up trucks are erratically assembled, the owners standing around drinking coffee, smoking and laughing, each one of them wearing a leather cowboy hat. Nobody looks in a hurry and the laid back atmosphere seems to be contagious and I find myself being welcomingly plonked on a plastic stool by my grinning local guide and handed a strong coffee...this is my sort of place.
Other than a couple of sleepy cafe-cum-restaurant-cum-bar-cum-convenience store's and a cluster of stilted houses, there is in truth, very little to the town of Bario, but certainly an enjoyable afternoon can be spent sitting around and chatting with the friendly locals, rumoured to be the most intelligent in all of Malaysia. There are a few remaining longhouse communities in town, with the residents are more than happy to welcome you into their home and discuss their fascinating Kelabit culture.
I spent the night at a simple but comfortable lodge in Bario and then the next day set off to sample some of the Kelabit Highlands renowned treks. The trek we did was a leisurely one to the village of Pa Lungan about 5 hours away. The temperature in the Kelabit Highlands is cooler than that of Western Sarawak and ideal for trekking, which is lucky, because there is plenty to explore. Our trek took us through primary jungle and many beautiful and fascinating sights en-route, including numerous clusters of wild orchids and colourful rhododendrons and some huge megalithic stone formations with ancient carvings, the history of which are little known. After staying overnight with a local family in their friendly home-stay, where we feasted on a dinner of wild boar and the famous 'Bario' rice, the following morning we walked to a nearby river and took an hour's longboat journey back to Bario, disembarking at the village of Pa Umor, where further hospitable longhouse communities await.
The Kelabit highlands is ideal for those who enjoy trekking and would like to include somewhere less visited and ‘off-the-beat track' (or even ‘rough around the edges'), in their itinerary. For the more energetic, you could attempt the 4 day trek to Ba Kelalan or scale the nearby mountains of Gunung Apad Runan or Gunung Murud, the highest point in Sarawak. Both of these trips involve nights camping in the jungle.