Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia Flower spotting at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak is one thing you must see if you are an Eco lover and enjoy rainforest trekking here in Borneo.

This is also one of my achievements in jungle trekking to date as I have always wanted to see one in full bloom, and in the photo above, I did not eat it as it looks like.

Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park

The Gunung Gading National Park covers a total area of 4,196 hectares is located in the district of Lundu in Sarawak. The mountain is also about 906 metres in height.

This nature-loving national park is also famous for being one of the worlds largest flowers, and the park opened its doors to the public in 1994.

gunung-gading-map-jungle-trek-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Gunung Gading Map and details

Trekking up Gunung Gading is no easy task, so you need to be prepared for this trek. My exploration here took me a good 2 hours of trekking uphill to find the famed and unique Rafflesia flower.

Anyway, I was on a mission to seek this fantastic flower as I had never seen one in real life, so this journey was my maiden journey.

gunung-gading-jungle-trek-hill-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Trekking uphill

Our local guide was met on reaching the park headquarters, who was booked 2 days before we arrived. So we started out our journey at about 9am, and it looked pretty simple at the beginning.

Selvam, our pro-Sarawak guide, came along with us on this trek to seek out the beautiful Rafflesia flower.

He had called the park the day before we arrived to check if any flowers were in bloom. Lady luck was on our side!

gunung-gading-jungle-trek-porters-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Selvam, park guide and me

As we trekked into the lush rainforest, we encountered many exciting critters, flora and even some fauna along the way.

From giant ants as big as your little finger to strange frogs and lizards, I saw them all on my adventure here. For nature lovers, this is one excellent place to go trekking, and if you look at my attire, I was totally not prepared for this at all!

gunung-gading-jungle-trekking-frog-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

A local resident frog

gunung-gading-jungle-trek-national-park-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Trekking up Gunung Gading

One hour into the trek and the path keeps going uphill. I forgot to mention, you must have a local guide when going trekking in Gunung Gading as getting lost in the dense rainforest is relatively easy here.

Not many people seem to trek here, as I probably saw about two other small groups trekking here when I was there.

gunung-gading-sarawak-lizard-jungle-trek Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

A chameleon lizard

Passing an uprooted tree

The trekking paths are marked with coloured flags on the trees, so you know which way you are trekking as there are several treks here like Viewpoint Trail and Waterfalls Trail.

We took the waterfall trails as the Rafflesia flower was last spotted nearby the waterfalls by the last guide that went up there the day before.

gunung-gading-jungle-trek-flora-fauna-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

A millipede with fire orange legs

When trekking there, you have to be extra careful as many critters move around on the ground, and you would not want to step on them.

As for leeches, we did not come across any on our trek, but there have been reports, so best be prepared, especially during the rainy season.

rafflesia-rafflsia-flower-sarawak Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia flower spotted at a distance.

Seeing the unique Rafflesia Flower in Sarawak

And finally, after two hours of uphill trekking, the local park guide spots the beautiful Rafflesia flower off the trek.

He signals us, and we head off the trek to see this bright red-orange thing in the distance. I had to take a picture of this.

rafflesia-raffelsia-flower-sarawak-malaysia Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia Flower in Sarawak

The Rafflesia Flower (Bunga Pakme in Malay) species found here at Gunung Gading is called the Rafflesia Tuan-Mudae (Beloved Prince).

There are about 27 species of this flower in South East Asia, and some of them can grow up to 1 meter in diameter and weigh in about 10 kilogrammes. So that’s actually quite heavy!

I think we spent a good 2 hours there as while we were busy photographing the Rafflesia, our park guide found another flower in bloom about 200 metres from where we were. So it was a bonus for us!

Even the park guide mentioned that it is pretty rare to find 2 full-bloomed flowers in one area. So finding one alone is quite hard at times.

rafflesia-raffelsia-flower-malaysia-sarawak-sabah Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia flower, side profile

You may have also heard that this flower smells like a rotting corpse. When I was 1cm away from the flower, I did not smell anything.

Yups, my nose even touched the petal of the flower. From what I was told, the Rafflesia will smell bad only after its full bloom of 5-7 days. So, I did not smell anything dead as claimed.

rafflesia-flower-sarawak-borneo Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia flower with natural sunlight

The Rafflesia is also a great flower beauties flower bud takes a whole 9 months to develop into a beautiful flower. And the sad thing is that the flower only lasts for 7 days.

The Rafflesia bud is also very much sought after by locals as traditional medicinal values are in them. So, the park rangers keep a watch for local poachers for the flower buds.

From my research, the traditional medicinal values of the Rafflesia Flower Bud are where the bud is boiled in water and the concoction given to recuperating new mothers to help them regain their strength.

It is also known that it can shrink the womb and restore the female figure after childbirth. This is much practised by the local ‘Orang Asli’ in Sarawak but is less nowadays.

rafflesia-flower-red-sarawak-malaysia Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia flower Picture (5 days old)

Rafflesia Buds are usually found near rocks or near rivers and streams, so it is always wise to check with the park headquarters or guides to see if there are any in bloom as you may not want to just go there and trek for hours to find nothing.

I was told by the local park guide that a tourist just came there on hearing about the Rafflesia and trekked to return, not seeing anything.

rafflesia-flower-malaysia-jrhogan Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Me and the Rafflesia Flower

Seeing the Rafflesia flower up close in real life is one of the things I had dreamt about for years. Not many people have seen a live flower up close.

In general, I have about 10 good friends, and none of them has ever seen one in real life, so this should be on their bucket lists.

rafflesia-flower-malaysia Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia Flower with sunlight

rafflesia-flower-bud Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Rafflesia Flower bud on the ground

Before we left, the park guide called us to look at a flower bud he had found. It was amazing as it looked plain and was the size of a cricket ball.

You are also not supposed to touch the flower as these flowers or buds are sensitive to bacterial infection and may die.

gunung-gading-sarawak-waterfall Rafflesia Flower at Gunung Gading National Park in Sarawak

Taking a moment at the waterfalls

Finally, after enjoying the special moments, we made our way to the waterfalls almost at the top of the mountain. Beautiful and peaceful, the waterfalls were just perfect to end our exploration here.

The entire trek took us about 6 hours up and down. By the time we got down, my legs felt like they had been beaten by 10 men with sticks. I guess I need to exercise more if I plan to do any more major trekking.

Directions to Gunung Gading:

The Gunung Gading National Park is just 5 minutes drive from Lundu town or about 2 hour’s drive from Kuching. Visitors can choose either day trips or overnight stays when visiting the Park.

By Bus: Travelers should take STC (Sarawak Transport Company) Lundu Express Bus or Bus No. 2B from Kuching City to Lundu town centre.

From there, take a Pandan bus and ask to be dropped off at the park. As accommodation facilities in the Park are limited, hostels in Lundu, Pandan and Siar offer alternatives.

By Car: There are several ride-hailing services available in Kuching, or you can also rent a car to get here. Just use Waze or GPS.

Park Accommodation:

There are some available at the national park. From Forest Lodges, Huts, Hostels and even Camping Grounds.

Park Contact information:

Park Head Quarters Telephone: 082 735714
National Parks Office in Kuching Telephone: 082 248 088

What else to do around Kuching and Sarawak?

Among the many things to do in Sarawak Borneo is explore the place thoroughly. This is for those who have never seen a real Sarawak Iban Chief and Shaman Picture.

As the state is filled with Eco-Tourism activities, caving is an exciting thing to do in Sarawak. Here is a list of 8 caves to visit in Sarawak and Sabah for those interested in this activity.

Conclusion

Apart from moving around this vast state, there are also attractions around the city. One of the exciting places you should visit is the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching.

While most national parks and conservations are located out from Kuching town, you can easily make your way to Gunung Gading to see the Rafflesia Flower of Sarawak Borneo.

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0 comments

Constance Ant 31/07/2009 12:47 am

i was there two years back…
hut what we saw was a hugee black rafflesia flower =.=

it bloomed on monday and we were there only on thursday, that's why T-T

EVo 31/07/2009 2:41 am

It ain't easy to spot a rafflesia dude..i'll give ya that! damn cun, next time i must try also. there's rafflesia in kinabalu park right?

Stanley 31/07/2009 7:01 am

I went to see the rafflesia at Tasik Belum in Perak (i think….). By the time I got there they were all dead! Scrunched up and black in colour. =( The guide said they bloom for a short time. So kudos to you for being there at the right time!

Ben 31/07/2009 2:54 pm

Jr Horgan, You're awarded see http://viosben.blogspot.com/2009/07/passionate-lovely-best-blog-awards.html

Malaysia Asia 31/07/2009 6:35 pm

Hi Benedict, wow, thanks man! so, what is this award for?

David

Malaysia Asia 31/07/2009 6:37 pm

Annant, hahah the dead rafflesia 🙂 Next trip i guess?

Evo, Yes in Kinabalu got, near Poring Hot Springs but they charge yo like rm10-15 bux to see it and it is a different species. I went there too 🙂

Stanley, you too! Dead Rafflesia.. ouch.

CathJ 25/08/2009 3:27 pm

Owww… I envy you with this Jr… I planned wanted to see this at my own home town but still don't have the chance.. T_T

Christy @ Technosyncratic 21/04/2011 4:39 pm

Wow, that's a huge flower! And I love your photo of the frog… seems like a great place to visit. 🙂

Norbert @ GloboTreks 21/04/2011 5:25 pm

Yikes! That's a huge flower… I had never seen a flower like that one.

strux 21/04/2011 5:36 pm

So neat! I'm taking a travel geography class and we just studied Malaysia and Singapore. Our professor talked about the Rafflesia so it's cool to see one! It must have been a great experience.

lila 22/04/2011 12:57 am

where can i find a local guide ? can u give their contact details ^^

Scott – Ordinary Traveler 22/04/2011 1:17 am

Pretty weird and cool looking flower. It's like a cross between a fungi and a flower.

Migrationology 22/04/2011 1:59 am

Incredible, that flower is monster! I didn't have a chance to see it in Borneo, but I'd love to go back to check it out.

Lisa Overman 22/04/2011 2:24 am

Great piece! I've always thought Borneo would be a cool destination. You got some great photos.

Ted Nelson 22/04/2011 7:31 pm

Awesome post. I have seen this flower on nature shows before. Kind of ugly yet beautiful at the same time. Great post!

Malaysia Asia 26/04/2011 5:57 pm

Christy – If you ever come to this part of the world, let me know and I will share some of the exciting places to visit.

Norbert – This was considered 'Small'. Seems there are some that grow over a meter long!

Strux – Are you planning on coming over here? Do let me know and I can show you around.

Lila – You can simply go to the park and hire their own trekkers/guides there. It's cheaper too.

Scott – I suppose so but to be honest, I was too fascinated to wonder if it is indeed a cross. Will look it up.

Migrationology – Mark, next time you're coming here, let me know and I will try to plan to go together with you.

Lisa – Thank you so much. I hope you make it here to visit one day.

Ted – Uglyful? Anyway, still waiting for you to tell me – 'David, I'm heading over to your country!'