Crocker Range National Park

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The Crocker Range National Park covers the north-south Crocker Range, of 1200-1800m mountains in Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo, which separate the western coastal plain with the rest of the state. Lying 300m above sea level it is spread over 1399km making it the largest protected park in all of Sabah. The Crocker Range National Park preserves a massive swathe of forested escarpment that overlooks the coast.

The Crocker Range has been under protection as a forest reserve since 1968 but was gazetted as a National Park in 1984 to protect its rich biodiversity and rare species of plants and wildlife, also in part to protect the natural freshwater reserve area. Crocker Range National Park receives a rainfall of 3,000-4,000 mm per year, making it one of the highest precipitation areas in Sabah. The water catchments in the park provide an indispensable water source for drinking, agriculture and industrial purposes, and to sustain the daily needs of more than one third of the population of Sabah.

Cutting the park in two is the Padas Gorge in which the Padas River swiftly runs, making this place the best white water rafting spot on the Island of Borneo. There are 11 other rivers and several streams and waterfalls that interlace through the park. In the Crocker Range National Park it is possible to identify the five distinct types of vegetation in Sabah, which includes the montane forest, lower montane forest, upper montane dipterocarp forest and lower land forest. The word 'di-ptero-carp' meaning 'two-winged-fruit' comes from the Greek for the leaf-like appendages of the mature dipterocarp fruits which cause them to spin like helicopter blades and slow their fall to the ground. Although this type of tree is most prevalent within the park, it is also rich in chestnuts, oaks, conifers. The huge Belian (Borneo Ironwood) trees and the Seraya trees which can reach upwards of 70m are from the dipterocarp family and abundant.

The Rafflesia Pricie, one of the three species of Rafflesia that can be found in Sabah, is the world’s largest flower and can be found in the Crocker Range National Park. It is a parasitic plant that gets its food from the Tetrasigma vines on which it grows. The flower can grow up to 38cm across with the largest of the Rafflesia being 100cm across and weighing 10kilos. It has no leaves, roots or a stem of its own and buds take several months to grow before the five petaled flower opens, and after only a few days of being open, the flower dies. The flower has the look and smells of rotting meat hence its local names which translate to "corpse flower" or "meat flower". The vile smell that the flower gives off attracts insects such as carrion flies, which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Orchids, Rhododendrons and Pitcher Plants are also widely dispersed throughout the Park.

At least five species of primates can be found in the Crocker Range National Park such as the Orang Utan, Gibbons, the tiny Tarsier with its enormous button-like eyes, and the long-tailed and pig-tailed Macaque. The Clouded Leopard, Wild Bearded Pigs, Sun Bears, Civet and Marble Cats, Porcupines, Squirrels and Tree shrews can be found in this area as well as a rich variety of birds including hornbills, pheasants, and partridges.

Roads crossing the range have also made the interior more accessible from the coastal areas, making it possible for visitors to enjoy the tranquillity in the rugged mountains. And a scenic railway runs along the park from Kota Kinabalu (144km from the park) to Beaufort.

The Sabah Park’s facility recently opened in 2004 is an ideal place for meetings, camping, bird watching, animal sightings, trekking and outdoor educational activities. The Crocker Range National Park is a paradise for hardcore campers and trekkers with the abundance of local people’s trails that run through the park, namely the ‘Salt Route’ considered one of the most beautiful and adventurous jungle treks in Sabah. The trek takes four days and you can experience home stay with the local people during your journey.

There are no resorts or hotels in Crocker Range National Park itself but there are several options for you to stay just outside the boundaries of the Park in the nearby town of Keningau Sabah’s in the southern Pegalan Valley.

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National Parks