The Ai river in southwest Sarawak (near Lubok Antu) was dammed in 1985, thereby creating a huge 90 km² lake, the Batang Ai reservoir. The lake is 250km from Kuching, a 4-5 hours drive by car. The only hotel in the area is the Batang Ai Hilton, which is located on a promontory of the lake and is only accessible by boat. Other Accommodation in the area is offered by longhouses, for which it is necessary to book a tour. The area is populated by Iban people, many of whom were relocated when the lake area was flooded following the completion of the dam in 1985. The vegetation around the lake consists mostly of secondary rainforest. To see more unspoilt nature it is necessary to go further upriver (for instance with a tour operator). The Batang Ai national park is located about 15km upriver from the dam. It covers an area of 24km and extends into Indonesia, consisting of the Lanjak-Entimau wildlife sanctuary in Malaysia and the Bentuang-Karimun national park in Indonesia.
Lake photo gallery  - 20 pictures of Lake
Rainforest photo gallery  - 14 pictures of Rainforest
Miscellaneous photos photo gallery  - 15 pictures of Miscellaneous photos
20 photos of the artificial Batang Ai lake in southwestern Sarawak
14 photos of rainforest surrounding the Batang Ai lake
15 miscellaneous photos of the Batang Ai area
Nanga Mengkak Engkari longhouse photo gallery  - 10 pictures of Nanga Mengkak Engkari longhouse
The dam photo gallery  - 8 pictures of The dam
Tropical plants photo gallery  - 14 pictures of Tropical plants
10 photos of the Nanga Mengkak Engkari longhouse, an Iban longhouse along the Engkari river
8 photos of the Batang Ai dam, a concrete-face rock-fill dam near Lubok Antu
14 photos of plants growing in the tropics
Market photo gallery  - 9 pictures of Market
9 photos of a local market in Sarawak
Gallery with all images
Here you can enter a comment or suggestion. Leave your email address if you would like to receive a reply.
Related travelogues
  • Malaysia 2014: three weeks spent in West Malaysia (Royal Belum, Ulu Muda, Gunung Stong, Tumpat, KL) and Batang Ai in Sarawak
Page viewed 5112 times since 20.11.14
©Copyright Alfred Molon