Talang Satang National Park, Kuching, Sarawak

Talang Satang National Park, Kuching Overview

Talang Satang National Park is the first Marine National Park of Malaysia. The area covered under the park is home to an array of marine life including the endangered Green and Hawksbill Turtle. Talang Satang is the first site in the world to emphasise turtle research and management. The park also has rich coral reefs and underwater life.

Majorly being a conservation area, tourism is not so developed. The main attracting feature is the Sarawak Turtle Volunteer Programme which is informative enthralling. Other prime activities include diving and snorkelling in the clean waters which are the ideal way to spot the rare turtles and graceful corals.

Must Know Before You Visit Talang Satang National Park

Tips :

Only day trips are allowed at the Park.
Tourists are allowed to visit Satang Island only with restricted visits.
Only volunteers are allowed at Talang Talang Kecil and Talang Talang Besar.

Permit : Permit is to be arranged in-advance by the tourists seeking to do professional photography or filmmaking.

Talang Satang National Park Highlights

1. Turtle Hatchery

Turtle Hatchery located on the Pulau Satang Besar is a major land attraction visited by the tourists. The tourist group is accompanied by a warden. The hatchery is more like a natural hatchery where o (Read More)ne can witness the eggs and hatchlings, if lucky! The best time to visit June to August as several turtles visit the shore to lay eggs.

2. Scuba Diving

Scuba Diving is allowed in the designated zone only. The booking for the same has to be done in advance. Equipment for diving can be rented from the Sarawak Forestry Operations Office. It is compulsor (Read More)y to have a dive guide while engaging in this activity. The visibility in the waters is 3 meters to 10 meters. The area has several colorful coral reefs and a diverse marine life which makes it worth diving.

3. Snorkelling

Snorkeling is also restricted to the designated areas. While diving and snorkeling, one witnesses the magnificent small and hard coral, feather stars and Gorgonian Sea Fans along with small fishes and (Read More) Green Turtles.

4. Sarawak Sea Turtle Programme

Sarawak Forestry has a unique volunteering programme, Sarawak Sea Turtle Programme which allows volunteers to stay and help with the work for 4 days. During the programme, volunteers are expected (Read More) to help with the basic chores like cooking, cleaning and the accommodation is very basic. In terms of experience, volunteers get to learn new information about the turtles. The duties allotted to the volunteers include: beach patrolling to locate turtle arrivals, measuring the turtles, shifting the eggs to hatchery and then releasing the hatchlings, monitoring nesting activities of turtles and management of data.

Read More on Talang Satang National Park

Wildlife at Talang Satang National Park

Wildlife: The park is a habitat to an array of marine life ranging from turtles to fishes. Endangered green turtles and hawksbill turtles comprise a major population of the fauna. Other commonly spotted underwater creatures include Sea snakes, Coral snakes, Stone fish and Cone shells. On rare occasions, one can spot Large pelagic fish.

Flora: The Park mainly comprises underwater marine life with colorful coral reefs. Two major underwater vegetation include Gregorian sea fans and feather stars.

How to Reach Talang Satang National Park

Talang Satang can be reached by a 30 minute Boat Ride from Sarawak Boat Club Jetty, Damai Beach, or Telaga Air Jetty. However, these boat services do not operate regularly. The tourists are only allowed to travel as organized groups with pre-booking.

Accommodation & Eating Options

Visitors are only allowed to visit for the day.

There are no options for accommodations as the park’s motive is not tourism. However, there is a hostel with very basic rooms and amenities. This hostel is meant for the volunteers of the Sarawak Turtle Volunteering Programme. There are no restaurants or cafes, so it is recommended to carry snacks and food for the day visit. The volunteers of the programme have to assist in cooking for all the volunteers.