Sama Jaya Forest Park is a patch of jungle right in the city and it gives urban dwellers a taste of the wilderness, while at the same time serving as an important research centre. This kerangas forest is popular with strollers and wildlife enthusiasts, while more active visitors appreciate the fitness trail and jogging tracks through the trees.
Nature conservation and education are the main objectives of the reserve and at the park headquarters, a number of educational and recreational facilities are available to the visitors. Not to be missed is the ethnobotanical garden with its more than 80 species of plants and herbs from throughout Sarawak. A viewing tower gives visitors a panoramic vista ofthe area.
Sama Jaya is just a 10-minute drive from Kuching’s city centre, but gives visitors a taste of the delights of all the national parks.
Local Name: Durian Hantu Botanical Name: Coelostegia borneensis Family: Malvaceae
The tree is large with height up to 45m tall, with the trunk that is columnar up to 90cm in diameter, with buttress plank. The bark surface is finely rugose, fissured and scaly, greyish-brown to dark brown. The leaves are elliptical-oblong to slightly obovate with flowers on old branches. It is mainly found in the Lowland mixed dipterocarp forest of Peninsular Malaysia, Sutra and Borneo.
