Kinabalu Park
This is a favorite destination for nature tourist visiting Borneo and for birder in search for montane specialties. There is easy accessibility and availability of accommodation here. Birding is both inside the park as well as along the road passing the park entrance. Over 17 species of endemics have been recorded here including the Friendly Bush warbler and the Island Thrush.
Crocker Range
The Crocker Range is a giant backbone of ridges that stretches down the west coast from mount Kinabalu’s granite peaks, across the gorge of the Padas River and down the swamp forest of the Sarawak border. There are sightings of Mountain serpent Eagle, Bulwer’s Pheasant, Strew-headed Bulbul as well as 20 other Bornean and 52 Sundiac bird species.
Kelabit Highlands
The Kelabit Highlands are the upper catchment of the Baram River. The broad Kelabit Plateau is over 1100metres above sea level, and surrounding slopes rise to peaks as high as 2424 meters (Gunung Murud). Rice is grown on all suitable land on the plateau. Accommodations are in guest houses and are rather basic.
Kerangas forest and secondary forest exist on the plateau where land is unsuited to growing padi. These give way to sub-montane forest on the slopes, and montane forest as the peaks are ascended. A large number of species, which are normally considered to be lowland inhabitants, are found at 1100 meters and above in the Highlands.
Among species found on and around the Plateau are: Red-breasted Partridge, Crested Fireback, Gargany, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Blue-banded Kingfisher, Brush Cuckoo, Oriental Bay Owl, Grey Nightjar, Watercock, Common Moorhen, Red-necked Phalarope, Oriental Plover, Besra, Purple Heron, Malaysian Rail-Babbler, Green and Short-tailed Magpies, Ashy and Hair-crested Drongos, Narcissus and Snowy-browed Flycatchers, Chestnut-cheeked Starling, Lanceolated Warbler, Black-throated and Eye-browed Wren-Babblers, Brown-backed and Plain Flowerpeckers, Spectacled and Whitehead’s Spiderhunters and Pin-tailed Parrotfinch
Mt. Mulu National Park
This park reaches to a maximum altitude of 2376 metres and covers an area of approx 52,866 hectares this is one of the most accessible parks in Sarawak with relative good accommodation available. The Park encompasses montane sandstone and limestone forest down to lowland primary forest. 252 species of birds have been recorded in the Park.
Montane Borneo endemics include: Red-breasted Partridge, Bulwer’s Pheasant, Golden-naped Barbet, Whitehead’s Trogon, Rajah’s Scops-Owl, Whitehead’s Broadbill, Bornean Whistler, Black-breasted Fruit-hunter, White-browed Shortwing, Mountain Blackeye and Black-sided Flowerpecker. In the lowland primary forest Sunda Ground-Cuckoo, Storm’s Stork, Giant and Blue-headed Pittas, Hose’s Broadbill, Bornean Bristlehead and Bornean Blue-Flycatcher occur.
