THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF SARAWAK

Sarawak Cultural Village

Featuring Sarawak’s infamous cultural showcase, the award winning Sarawak Cultural Village is located at the bottom of Mount Santubong, approximately 35 kilometers from Kuching. The showcase portrays cultures from the major racial groups in Sarawak that has been passed on over the years by acting them out in a dance or through music, similar to a living museum. The performances featuring their lifestyle are being performed in the 14 acres of plantation land.

Main Bazaar (Kuching Waterfront Bazaar)

Taking up the whole row of two storey shop houses, the place has been categorize as the ‘antique arcade’ when they start the business way back in 1864. Located in one of Kuching’s oldest street, the bazaar has been operating for over a century now, hence the nickname given as this antique arcade is not only old-fashioned but selling most of the antiques and handcrafts.

Cat Museum

60 meters above the sea level, the museum is placed at the peak of Bukit Siol, hence the view of the Kuching city. The museum, the world’s first museum, is committed to all things related to cats and their related species can be found in Petra Jaya, positioned in Kuching City North City Hall. Exhibitions, photos, feline art and cat souvenirs can be found there. If you love cats, wait no more!

Satok Market

A place filled with the locals busy choosing their wants and needs every week, the market is definitely a busy place to be at. Main products that are on sale are grubs, sieet, midin (unique wild plant) and those that can be found in a jungle. They are sold either in a makeshift stall along the roadside or just a simple empty rice sack on the ground.

Carpenter Street

Different from the India Street Pedestrian Mall, this place is occupied with the magnificent red archway influenced by the Chinese, marking the entrance of a must visit tourist place. Known as the Chinatown of Kuching, though the shop houses look old, after little amendment, the place is now very fresh looking with walls and windows painted brightly. Being the favorite tourist place, the street is very clean with no vehicles moving in this crowded place.

BATANG AI NATIONAL PARK

The Park is located at Sarawak about 250km from Kuching City with a covering area of 24,040 hectares of rainforest and the artificial lake.  The lake is also the Sarawak’s only artificial lake, which stretches up to Skrang, Lemanak, Engkari and Ai Valleys.  The artificial lake now acts as a water dam that feed to the Batang Ai Hydro Electric Complex to generate the electricity for Sarawak’s use.  Batang Ai National Park was gazetted as a protected area in early 1991.

Visitors can take a boat ride upriver from the dam, about an hour’s of boat ride to see beautiful lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, with drooping trees overhanging the rivers.  The rivers are fast flowing, clear and very refreshing.  The water level gets quite low during the dry seasons where visitors normally have to help push their boats upstream.  Here, the main mode of communication is river transport.

GUNUNG MULU NATIONAL PARK

The Gunung Mulu National Park is situated close to the southern border of Brunei with Malaysia, about 100km east-southeast of the town of Miri and 100km due south of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.  It lies between the headwaters of the Tutuh River, a tributary of the Baram River and  covers 544km2, ranging in elevation from 50 meters to 2,376 meters.  The park is important for its high biodiversity and unique karst (limestone) features.  Besides that, it contains seventeen vegetation zones, exhibiting some 3,500 species of vascular plants.  It was first constituted on 3 October 1974 but only opened to public in 1985. 

GUA NIAH NATIONAL PARK

Although it is one of Sarawak’s smallest national parks, it is certainly one of the most important and unusual attractions to visitors. What is most interesting about Niah is that one of the main claims to fame is the birthplace of civilization in the region.  The oldest modern human remains in Southeast Asia along with many other relics of prehistoric man were discovered about 40,000 years ago, making the park one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.

The park has a size of 3,140 hectares of forest and limestone karst areas.  It was first gazetted as a National Historic Monument in 1958 and on 23 November 1974 was gazetted as National Park and open to public on 1 January 1975.

In 1958, a discovery was made which confirmed Niah as a site of major archaeological significance.  Led by Tom Harrison, he and his team unearthed a skull at the West Mouth of the Great Cave, which was estimated to be 40,000 years old.  It was the skull of a modern human (Homo sapiens).  Apart from that, plenty of human settlements in the area like tools, cooking utensils and ornaments, made of bone, stone or clay were found.  These items found suggested that a long period of settlement reaching back into the palaeolithic era (the earliest part of the Stone Age).

Semenggoh Orangutan  Center

Semenggoh Orang Utan Sanctuary, travelling overland (30 min) followed by a brief hike through dipterocarp forest. Unlike in a Zoo, the Semenggoh Orang Utan Sanctuary is set free in a 740 hectare forest reserve.

Here, young Orang Utans, who were either orphaned or rescued from captivity, are trained to survive in the wild. The Sanctuary is not set up as a tourist attraction but visitors are most welcome. Upon arrival at the Sanctuary, you will be able to catch a glimpse of the Orang Utans during their feeding time. Spot their delicate nest, watch their skilful movements at the tree tops and also their interesting behaviour during feeding time.

The guide will also narrate to you the behaviour, emotion and characteristics of this special primate called Orang Utan, meaning ‘Man of the Forest’.

 Annah Rais Bidayuh Longhouse, Kuching

Bidayuh, the second largest ethnic group in Sarawak, is formerly known as the ‘Land Dayak’ and was once also known as the ‘Engineer of Bamboo’. When making a visit to the Bidayuh longhouse, you will be able to see the splendid architecture of their longhouse which was build mostly by bamboo. Annah Rais is one of the most famous Bidayuh longhouse in Sarawak which located about 100 km east from Kuching city and quite closes to the Indonesian border. The excursion will take about one and a half hour on the road.

During your visit, you will also be able to view the villagers with their own daily routine like rice pounding and winnowing, basket and mat weaving, bamboo carving, etc. You will be brought into the most unique and important structure, the ‘Baruk’ or the head house which situated in the middle of the longhouse. This once was used as a fort to protect the whole village from being attack by enemy. Inside the ‘Baruk’, you will be able to view the real human skulls hanging around the fire place in the middle and the also their sacred war drum.

Rafflesia Flower Tour at Gunung Gading National Park, Kuching

This is a national park where you can sometimes view the largest flower in the world - the Rafflesia. It grows up to 3 feet wide. When in bloom, the flower emits a foul smell, which attracts flies and other insects. It also offers scenic walks and challenging jungle treks. Chalets and hostels are available at the Park.

Bako National Park  - The Oldest Nationa Park , Kuching

Bako was established as a national park in 1957. Since then it has offered it’s visitors the perfect introduction to Sarawack’s native vegitation and wildlife. It is situated on the northern tip of the Muara Tebas Peninsula and covers 27sq kms.

Although seemingly small compared to other national parks, Bako is rich in a vast variety of vegetation and wildlife as it extends out to coastal beaches and coves.

Upon arrival a guide take you along well-planned trails where you will see an abundance of flora and fauna amongst the shady forest canopy.

You will see winding creepers and vines, long tailed macaques and silver leaf monkeys. Wild boars, squirrels and monitor lizards are common sights in the park and you may even get a chance to peak on the shy proboscis monkeys during low tide with the help of your guide.

Fairy Cave Tour, Kuching

Fairy Cave and Wind Cave are about 50 min drives from Kuching City. The Fairy Cave is about 3-storey high. After a quick climb through the cave with torchlight, the cave opens up into a main chamber. Sunlight streams into the chamber, enabling you to view the limestone formation of several types. View the beautiful and some eerie shape of nature creations, the stalactites and stalagmites.

There is a formation that has been likened to the Goddess of Mercy which at about 3 metres in height resembles a woman dressed in classical Chinese robes, complete with hat, look down benignly upon worshippers. Another formation looks like an old man crouching down.

Then proceed to the Wind Cave which only about 10 min drive away. Walking along the platform, you will find that this dark-tunnel like cave is filled with bats and swiftest. Look around the wall of the cave with torchlight and you might be lucky to spot the bird nest with some eggs in it.

Irrawaddy Dolphins and Mangrove Nature Tour, Kuching

This cruise combines the Mangrove Cruise with a visit to the santubong River mouth in search of the Irrawaddy dolphins. Dolphin watching may take place before or after the mangrove cruise, 

depending on tidal conditions.

 Kuching Bird Watching Tour - Over 700  bird species in Malaysia

Malaysia has more than 700 species of bird. With one day Birth watching in the forest, you will have chance to see some of our great bird life ! One Day Tour From Kuching, Malaysia.