Sama Jaya Nature Reserve
Kuching, Sarawak

the viewing tower

Sama Jaya Nature Reserve (also known as Sama Jaya Forest Park or Taman Rimba Sama Jaya) was the first urban forest park to be established in Kuching and was gazetted as a protected area in 2000.

path through the jungle

It is a popular place for local residents to exercise and enjoy fresh air in natural surroundings. It covers a fairly small area of around 38 hectares and is surrounded on all sides by residential streets and commercial developments but its virgin and secondary forest and patches of swamp manage to act as a wildlife refuge, particularly for small mammals, lizards, amphibians and insects. The swamp areas are inhabited by croaking frogs who make quite a noise but are not so easy to spot.

map showing the jogging trails and facilities within the park

The park is managed and well maintained by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. There are two jogging/walking trails winding their way around the park ranging in length from 1 - 1.6km and a couple of shorter nature trail loops. There is also a fitness trail with outdoor gym equipment. The trails are made of concrete so it is safe to move around without worrying about stepping on a snake or other lurking critters. And you can't get lost.

Coelostegia borneensis tree with buttress roots

Some of the larger trees are labelled. This majestic specimen with buttress roots is the coelostegia borneensis, native to Borneo. It is known in Malay as Durian Hantu, presumably due to its spiky seeds.

centipedeThere are plenty of interesting bugs crawling around.
red freshwater crab in the clear water at Sama JayaThe swamp areas are home to frogs and crabs.
view of attractive landscaping taken from the top of the viewing towerNice landscaping can be seen from the viewing tower.

Next to the carpark is a walled off area called the Sarawak-Hiroshima Friendship Garden which was built in 1997 with help from Japanese landscape designers. It includes a tea house (seemingly not currently open), some original Japanese stone lanterns and artfully placed rocks.

typical Japanese style gardenSarawak-Hiroshima Friendship Garden was officially opened in 1999 to symbolise the close relationship between the government of Sarawak and Hiroshima Prefecture.

Review Verdict

For local residents this is an excellent place to exercise and appreciate nature. For foreign tourists, the park is a safe place to become acclimatised and get a taste of the wilderness before venturing out to more adventurous locations such as Bako National Park.

Opening Hours & Admission Charges

Open from 7 am - 6 pm.

Admission is free.

How To Get to Sama Jaya Nature Reserve

The exact location is marked on this map:

Address

Sama Jaya Forest Park
14, Lorong Setia Raja 14a, Taman Rimba, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Parking

There is a large car park, free of charge.

Nearby

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