The only other way into, or out of, Bario is by air.  A grass airstrip built there by British troops in 1963 became a lifeline for Bario even though it tended to get dangerously water-logged during the rainy seasons, causing flights to be cancelled for days on end.  It was replaced by an all-weather runway in 1998.

The Malaysian Airlines RAS (Rural Air Service) now operates nine flights a week from Miri and Marudi.  These, using Twin Otter aircraft with a seating capacity of 19 passengers, take about 55 minutes from Miri to Bario, ten minutes less from Marudi.  These flights make Bario a most logical gateway into Kelabit territory.  As a result, developments planned for the Kelabit area tend to be routed through, or centred in and around, Bario.

There are no proper roads in Bario, just an unsurfaced track capable of accepting light motorised transport, extending for about six kilometres from Arur Dalan, past the schools, the shops and the airport to as far as Pa' Umor and Pa' Ukat.

Much of it, full of pot-holes and quite muddy, becomes pretty nearly impassable after a heavy rain.  And taking a few passengers along with you, especially on the road to Pa' Umor, might often prove to be wise precaution!

There is no public transport system in Bario.  Small privately-owned pick-up trucks are used for conveying heavy goods, with mopeds, motorcycles and bicycles being the more common forms of local transport.

All the longhouses have a constant supply of tap water piped down from a dam in the hills beyond Arur Layun, but, sometimes, water pressure problems do occur.  The water is usually boiled before drinking.

There is no main electricity supply.  Most longhouses, both the schools and some private houses use portable electric generators fueled by diesel or petrol for lighting.  A few individuals, and some government departments, use solar panels.  The others depend on kerosene lamps or candles.

An ambitious but badly-executed mini hydro-electric project, started in 1996, costing in the region of MYR 13 million, was an abysmal failure.  Though every house in Bario had been wired up and fitted with electricity meters, the much-awaited electricity supply lasted a mere seven minutes.  (Some wags put it more precisely - seven minutes and eleven seconds!)  It has since been damaged by landslips and can no longer be repaired.

Some families have started using gas for cooking but most of them, including the schools, use firewood.

Bario still lacks proper communication links.  Contact with the outside world is still at minimalistic levels.  Though a few local radio channels can be tuned into, all Malaysian television stations are unavailable.  Curiously enough, a few people, their television sets fitted with a parabolic dish and antenna, get their information directly from television stations outside Malaysia!

Newspapers rarely reach Bario, except when brought in by passengers on the daily flights.

The people of Bario have difficulty in establishing tele-communication links with the outside world.  Until early 2000, there were no telephones in Bario. External communications, and contact with other longhouses in the highlands, depended on a radio telephone service available during daylight hours only.

There are now four pay telephones, three of them in public places. However, since they run off solar-powered batteries, they often become inoperable after a series of overcast days.

There are no banks at Bario, nor even a post office.  Apart from a Police Station established quite a long time ago, some governmental offices and facilities have been set up in fairly recent times, an Immigration outpost, Agricultural and Forestry Department offices, and a Clinic.

There are also two schools, one primary and one junior secondary. Currently, there are three small lodges that provide accommodation for visitors and tourists.

The Government Clinic is run by resident Medical Assistants, with a monthly helicopter visit by the Flying Doctor Service.  When confronted by emergency cases, or patients who are very seriously ill, the medical assistant either calls in the Flying Doctor or evacuates the patient to Miri on normal Rural Air Services flights.

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