Sarawak Visit 2025

This October we (Simon and Annie Pugh-Jones) are returning to Borneo to work with our conservation partners in Kuching. We will document our visit on this page and share our experiences in this wonderful country.

The Project So Far

In Sarawak we are working with SARORSO the Sarawak Orchid Society and MRSM School Kuching. In 2017 we first met with Tengku Auvarosa Tengku Abraham at the European Orchid Conference and Show in Paris. Simon was then running the Writhlington School Orchid Project and exhibiting at the show with a student team.

Tengku was looking for the best method to initiate orchid conservation in Sarawak and after talking with Simon and his students was sure that school orchid projects would be a key part of the project. Writhlington won 'Grand Champion Orchid' at the show for a wonderful specimen of Oncidium cristatum but meeting Tengku turned out to be a much more significant outcome.

Continued cooperation over the next two years culminated in a Simon and Annie leading a Writhlington School expedition to Sarawak in July 2019 setting up and commissioning a propagation laboratory at MRSM School, Kuching

The first visit to MRSM School in July 2019

MRSM student learning to sow orchid seed in-vitro

The JUMA’ANI In Vitro Orchid Micropropagation (JIVOM) Laboratory and the Mini Orchid Botanical Garden (MOBG) was officially opened by Patron, Datuk Amar Hajah Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Haji Bujang.

The Project So Far

A larger Writhlington School visit in October 2019, funded by the British Council, enabled Writhlington students to share their orchid knowledge and enthusiasm with MRSM School students in the propagation laboratory and in the extraordinary forests and national parks of Sarawak.

Between 2019 and 2025 the project in Sarawak has continued to grow and flourish despite the challenges of COVID 19 and changes in school management. Highlights include MRSM students winning a presigious award at the World Orchid Conference in Taiwan, and MRSM students together with SARORSO volunteers visiting the UK where we were able to introduce them to our wonderful friends at Kew, Oxford University Botanic Gardens and Bristol University Botanic Gardens.

We are excited to return to Kuching this month and to meet again with our SARORSO friends and meet the four generations of MRSM students that have benefitted from and added to the wonderful projaect in Sarawak.

MRSM and Writhlington students learning from Professor Chirs Thoroughgood at Oxford University Botanic Gardens.

Day 1 - MRSM School

It has been wonderful to be back at MRSM School Kuching after six years working with the amazing student team supported by SARORSO voliunteers.

The day started with the eloquent and knowledgeable students giving us a tour of the school orchid botanic garden which has made remarkable progress since our last visit.

Orchids are now found in five areas across the school grounds and include epiphytes such as Dendrobiums and terrestrials including Arundina gaminiflolia.

The plants provide seed for the JIVOM Project Laboratory as well as a research plants to develop horticultural and botanical skills.

A tour of the laboratory followed with students describing their work and showing 140 jars with around 400 000 orchid seedlings germinated and growing.

It was lovely to meet the Headteacher (New since our last visit) and the excellent new Teacher Lead. The commitment to a student led project is really impressive and a model to follow elsewhere.

The progress made despite the challenges including COVID and staff changes shows a determination and resilience that bodes well for future developments.

Day 2 & 3 - MRSM School

We have spent two more days with the JIVOM Project students at MRSM school.

The days have included some lab sessions working on new media and refining replating methods along with conservation science activities and project planning sessions.

The orchid propagation skills of the students are really excellent and their enthusiasm for learning about orchids and conservation is an inspiration.

Perhaps the most significant part of the three days was a session planning future developments and targets for the project. The student are ambitious, determined and full of creative ideas to develop the breadth and impact of the project both across Sarawak and internationally.

Day 4 - Exploring orchid habitat near Kuching

After three days in school we have spent today making the most challenging climb into orchid habitat in all our 25 years of exploring tropical forests.

Kuching is surrounded by forest clad limestone mountains and our partners arranged all the permissions needed to climb one to look for the orchid-rich habitat found here.

The climb was quite extreme up near vertical mud and up through the sharpest limestone boulders and cliffs we have ever seen.

After four hours trekking and climbing we made it to the ridge only to find that the accessible Paphiopedilum plants (that had been there a few weeks ago) had all been taken from the wild. We were told by our local guide that plants do remain but in places too inaccessible for our climbing skills.

This shows more than ever the need for effective orchid conservation in Sarawak and redoubles our resolve to continue our work to support SORORSO in their efforts against the many challenges they face.

We did see many orchids in this wonderful forest including some new to us including: the Jewel Orchid, Dossinia marmorata, (photo 1) growing on a mossy limestone ledge just down from the ridge and many others including Micropera fuscolutea (photo 2) high on a horizontal tree branch.

After three further hours we finished our decent, muddy, sweaty and exhausted. - quite a day. (Annie near the end Photo 3)

Day 6 - Santubong

Day 5 was a day exploring Kuching and its museums, shops and waterfront. Very refreshing and setting us up to return to the forest.

Day 6 we set aside to revisit Santubong. Santubong is a dramatic forest clad mountain that rises at the mouth of the Kuching River about 40 minutes out of Kuching.

The forests of the national park sweep down to the sea and there are resorts for tourists as well as the Sarawak Cultural Village. We opted to have a quiet explore of one of the easily accessible treks starting in the Rainforest Resort.

The Blue Pool trail climbs through the lower slopes of the mountain and returns through forest close to the coastline. The forest was enchanting with trees growing amongst giant sandstone boulders. We met some of the forests most charismatic inhabitants including Proboscis monkey and Bornean Forest Dragons.

We also found orchids although the area doesn't support extensive epiphytes. These included a beautiful shade loving Bulbophyllum, still to be identified, dendrobiums, a terrestrial possibly Calanthe and Cymbidium findleysonianum.

Just before the end of the trail we found ourselves with a little beach all to ourselves with a backdrop of forest sweeping up the mountain. Below the high tide line the only footsteps in the sand were 'cat' foot prints probably from one of Sarawak's five wild cat species searching for food.

Day 8 - Singapore Botanic Gardens

We had the honour of visiting the projects new Patron (The Premier's Daughter) on Day 7 and discuss the exciting future for the project in Sarawak (More on the future and photographs to follow when we can go public)

Today we have flown to Singapore to meet Dr Gillian Khew at the Singapore Botanic Garden to draw lesson's from Singapore's experience that can inform the Sarawak Project.

Our first stop was the in-vitro laboratory where we were able to discuss Dr Khew's methods and discuss ways to optimise success for in-vitro work at MRSM School. The set up at the botanic garden is really impressive and we have some exciting tweaks to try both at MRSM and at our propagation laboratory on Portland.

Dr Khew then showed us around her molecular biology labs and described both the impressive results her team are achieving and the inspirational effort they go to to engage, especially with students.

A tour of the Botanic Garden and National Orchid Garden followed offering the opportunity to discuss many aspects of horticulture, public engagement and botanic garden logistics.

We believe that todays visit has been invaluable as we work to ensure the success and future for the Sarawak project and we would like to express our deep gratitude to Dr Khew

Day 9 - Exploring Singapore and a Wagler's Pit Viper

Today we have continued exploring Singapore to help plan for the proposed Orchid Botanic Garden in Sarawak. Singapore is famous for its Botanic Garden and Garden by the Bay and it was fascinating to visit and identify lessons we could learn.

Our first stop was Garden by The Bay with its iconic 'Trees' of epiphytes and domes. There were impressive crowds and where ever we went we were struck by the quality of horticulture on show - the plants were beautifully grown.

The trees expressed a fascination with the plants of the Americas (mostly bromeliads) and this continued into the Cloud Forest Dome. From afar the thought of a giant air conditioned greenhouse seemed quite extreme but of course all indoor spaces in Singapore are run cool as so the Cloud Forest Dome is very in keeping. The beautifully grown plants up a steep tower were really impressive with orchids mainly representing the Americas (species and hybrids) with some particularly lovely miniatures that we grow at home in Portland in a glass display area on the lowest level.

The Flower dome largely features Mediterranean and Arid plant zones, again with wonderfully grown plants although we kept well away from exuberant annual bedding tenuously linked to Switzerland!

There was some labelling and some information boards but the Garden by the Bay felt very much like a very successful plant based theme park and this was emphasised by a rather old hat noisy dinosaur animatronic thing.

The theme park vibe left us desperate to see real tropical forest and so we directed our taxi to take us to Bukit Timar Nature Reserve across the city. Bukit Timar is one of the largest areas of rainforest left in Singapore (where only 0.3% old growth forest remains).

We found Bukit Timar enchanting. It is a far cry from the enormous primary forests of Sarawak but it is lovely regrowth forest that is being heavily 'gardened' to improve and support its establishment. The area was mostly granite quarries until the 1970s and is now returning rapidly to a valuable forest ecostystem. The site has a small but informative visitors centre that tells the story of Singapore's loss of species (Tigers hunted to extinction in the early 19th Century when the gonernment offered $20 for each tiger killed) and the efforts by staff and volunteers to look after the forest at Bukit Timar.

The success of Bukit Timar was evident not only in the huge number of locals walking, jogging and running along the main track but the wonderful Wagler's Pit Viper sleeping in trees just feet from the track. A remnant of Singapore's wild environment that works as an effective ecosystem.

After lunch we returned to the Singapore Botanic Garden. We explored the excellent Hybrid Orchid Heritage trail telling the story of early orchid hybridisation at the gardens from the 1930s onwards. We also had time to enjoy the varied orchids collection (species and hybrids) that is presented behind the big displays of hybrid vandas and introduces visitors to the orchids of the Americas, Africa, Australasia and Asia - well grown plants throughout and a reminder of our collection at home.

The was also a section dedicated to local orchid species but better information and focus would help visitors engage with the mostly non flowering species after being dazzled by the hybrids.

We have really enjoyed our visit to Singapore and have learnt a lot but are looking forward to returning to the wild untamed forests of Borneo.

Wagler's Pit Viper - venomous but not aggressive (not this one anyway)

Photos above: Cloud Forest Dome with unnecessary dinosaurs, Pleurothallis grobyi and Scaphosepalum ovulare (no labels on display), Bukit Timar Forest Reserve, Early Arachnis x Vanda hybrid at the Botanic Garden.

Day 10 - Return to Kuching and meeting SARORSO

A morning flight took us back to Kuching and it was lovely to step back onto the Island of Borneo - a wonderful place that feels more and more like home.

We spent the afternoon in the company of SARORSO - the Sarawak Orchid Society - at their headquarters in Kuching. The Society, dedicated to conserving Sarawak's indigenous orchids, has grown considerably and we had the immense pleasure of talking to a packed hall of more than 100 members,. Topics included the significance of Sarawak's orchids, orchid culture, orchid identification, and steps that every member could make to support the projects.

The formal meeting ended with Simon being presented with a Birthday Cake and was followed by countless photos and a communal feast of Sarawak Lakse and other goodies.

The whole event was really moving. Seeing the passion and committment of the Orchid loving community to conserve their local orchids is an inspiration to all.

Tomorrow we are heading to Samarahan to visit SARORSO's Sabaki Farm community-based orchid project and can't wait to meet the community and see what they have achieved.

SARORSO Members greet us at their headquarters.

Presenting brithday cake

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