The Lure of Loagan’s Legend

Loagan Bunut National Park, Malaysia

No two parks are the same. Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia, has 16 of them. The Loagan Bunut National Park, about three hours drive away from Miri, is one of them.

Gazetted in 1990 by the Sarawak State Government, the Park’s star attraction is its lake – the pride of the Berawan community who call it “Loagan” (meaning lake). As the largest natural lake in the “Land of the Hornbills”, it occupies 650 hectares of the 10,738 ha park.

The fascinating feature of this lake is its “vanishing act”, which reduces the lake to a huge expanse of cracked mud, especially during extended drought, usually for about two to three weeks in February, May or June.

Mother Nature plays the role of a “magician” in the lake’s hydrological phenomenon. The water level in the lake fluctuates in response to those of the Tinjar and the Baram Rivers. As the water level in those rivers drops significantly, the flow in the Bunut River is reversed and the lake begins to drain.

It is this phenomenon, and the park’s rich biodiversity and scenic, yet unique, landscape, that has been drawing visitors in search of something different.

This remote park, which is managed by the State Forestry Department, protects a complex mosaic of wetland habitats, housing diverse life forms.

It is a conservationist’s “natural laboratory”, providing scope for research into the park’s biodiversity – ranging from endemic tree species, an ox-bow lake, freshwater peat swamp forest, dryland forest, rivers and riverine forests.

The Park is home to some large and small mammals such as sambar deer, wild pig, porcupine, pangolin, long tiled macaque and palm civet.

No less than 51 bird species including the endemic Bornean bristlehead, Asian paradise flycatcher, storm’s stock and oriental darter can also be found in the area, together with migratory birds egret, watercock, kingfisher and Eurasian tree-sparrow. No wonder the Park is being described as a bird-watchers’ paradise.

Eleven species of mammals and 14 species of birds are protected by Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance and accorded a status of high conservation value by the international community. A total of 54 species of fish from 20 families have been recorded in the park, which provides the livelihood of the Berawan, the Ibans and the Penans, indigenous communities residing around the boundary of the Loagan Bunut National Park.

The best time to be in the park is when the lake does the “Houndini act” and prepares to vanish before your very eyes, that is, if you stay long enough! And this is the time to witness, and perhaps, participate, in the Berawan fishermen’s age-old skill of the “Selambau” method of fishing. This unique technique was developed by the tribe centuries ago to take advantage of the migrating fish during periods of fluctuating water levels. It is a rare and exciting activity, not to be missed!

Equally exciting is the “mud walk”, truly a fun, yet memorable experience for the uninitiated! Just kick off your shoes and walk barefoot across the dry cracked mud of the dried up lake to get a feel of the simple pleasures in life – long forgotten by many!

Not to be missed, of course, is the salong or the log crypt, an ancient tomb containing the remains of a couple exiled by the Brunei Sultanate.

The salong, which stands 2.5 metres above the shallow lake water in the Bunan river, rests on massive, beautifully carved ironwood or belian poles. Local folklore claim that the aristocratic couple had travelled from Brunei to live among the Berawans at Loagan Bunut. They were apparently from a noble family, and had been exiled for an undisclosed reason. The childless couple pledged to make Loagan Bunut their new home, and never to return to Brunei. Their generosity won over the locals. When they died, they were buried with much ceremony, and on this specially-selected site.

A three-minute boat ride from the park headquarters will take you to the site. Scattered on the ground are fragments of bowls and plates, apparently used in ritual worship by the Berawans.

The tomb site is truly a reflection of the unique relic of the past Berawan culture. Being the oldest settled ethnic community in the Loagan Bunut area, the Berawan community in the park is very dependent on the lake and its tributary rivers as a source of food and income. Fish is the chief source of food for them, as well as for trade in Lapok town. They also harvest wood from the park to construct longhouses, boats and fishing stations at Teru River.

And if you are into jungle walks, there is the Tapang Trail, not far from the park headquarters. An hour’s guided walk along the trail will provide you a glimpse of dryland forest habitats – flying mantis, lantern bug, the beautiful black-dotted butterfly with white wings and snails with red underbelly. And if you are lucky, you may catch the striking flower of the wild banana in its full bloom.

Park warden Chrismond Sem Pasan, who has been with the park complex since its opening two years ago, says eco-tourism is one of the great potentials in the LBNP.

“The Berawan community, who occupy a large part of the park, is being persuaded to play a greater role in the development of this sector.”

He adds: “The park is designed for low impact tourism. There are no plush facilities. For accommodation, we have a four-room hostel with double decker beds. We have generators providing the power supply to run the fans, lights and air-conditioning.”

An elderly Berawan couple, who operate the kitchen/canteen prepare simple meals and drinks.

Mutiara Bunut Resort




But if you want to get a “feel of Berawan lifestyle”, you can be put up at Mutiara Bunut Resort which is more of a chalet, nestling atop a hillock and overlooking the lake. Managed by a friendly Berawan chieftain, Pak Meran Surang, the place is clean and provides a remarkable view of sunset over the lake.

He provides the cooking facilities and his package includes boat rides to bird watching spots, pick up from Miri and, of course, trying your hand at the selambau method of fishing. And if you are into angling, you can try your luck for toman, tapah, belida, keli or the petutu.

To get to the Loagan Bunut National Park, you need to travel about 130 km, about two to three hours ride by four-wheel drive, southeast from Miri. It is connected to the Lapok-Long Lama road by a 7.1km tar-sealed road and can also be reached from Marudi via the Baram river and its tributaries, the Tinjar and Teru rivers.

Visitors can also get to the park from Miri via the Beluru-Long Lama trunk road which passes through the southern part of the park. The drive takes about two and a half hours from Miri, and by river, half a day to a day, depending on the water conditions.

Public transport, from the Pujut bus terminal in Miri, only reaches up to Lapok and from there visitors will have to rent a private transport.

At present, the park authorities and eight Berawan communities bordering the national park are involved in a project aimed at training the local communities on how to handle tourists, including boat safety, handicraft training course, and study trips to other national parks.

Lapok is the nearest town. It has experienced rapid growth since the timber boom in the 1960s and 1970s with construction of many new shops, selling food, souvenirs and groceries and sundry goods. It has a mixed population, but with a high number of Chinese who run most of the businesses.

Good understanding of the Park’s ecosystem and its benefits to the community is vital to achieving long-term sustainability of LBNP. An extensive interdisciplinary assessment of the park under the initiative of UNDP/GEF and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) being carried out to fill various gaps in the understanding of ecological aspects and the long-term community involvement for perpetual conservation and management of the Park.

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The writer is an ex-editor turned media consultant to UNDP-GEF Funded Project on Peat Swamp Forest Conservation in Malaysia. His job involves raising public awareness on the importance of this fragile and unique ecosystem.