20 August - Bako National Park
One of Sarawak's most renowned national parks, Bako is located barely an hour's drive from the capitol city of Kuching. This rugged peninsula sports a spectacular coastline of beautiful sandstone cliffs and sheltered mangrove swamps, as well as a plateau of some of the most unusual vegetation found in Borneo. Among the varied habitats within the park are seven species of Nepenthes as well as Utricularia, Drosera, and a host of other unusual plants including myrmecophytes and orchids. Wildlife is also abundant in the park and it is one of the best places to see Borneo's endemic Proboscis Monkey.
21 August - Bau and Serian
A number of different localities will be visited on this day, the first stop being the karst limestone mountains near Bau, about an hour's drive from Kuching. Here the group will encounter the remarkable endemic N. northiana, as well as other Nepenthes species and hybrids.
In the afternoon a visit will be made to the Padawan Wild Orchid and Pitcher Plant Garden, the first public Nepenthes garden in Sarawak, and then drive to the Serian district for a glimpse of the spectacular endemic N. bicalcarata.
The field trips are free to registered participants, however attendance is also open to people who are not attending the full conference, at the rate of RM 150.00 per day.
Optional Post Conference Tour: (not included in the conference package)
23 August - 1 September - Mulu and Pulong Tau National Parks
For those visitors wishing to see more of Sarawak's beautiful rainforests, an optional post conference tour will be offered to Mulu National Park, a World Heritage Site in northern Sarawak. The group will visit remote and pristine sites for viewing of rare and endemic plants including N. campanulata, N. faizaliana, N. hurrelliana, N. vogelii, and many others.
Participants for this trip must be physically fit as the itinerary will involve rugged mountain trekking to reach the spectacular high-elevation flora and moss forests.
For more information and to register for this trip, please click here.
