Things to Do in Sarawak

Built in 1870 by Charles Brooke, Second White Rajah of Sarawak, the Astana is now the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak. It is a regal complex comprising three separate bungalows and a narrow system of passageways that unifies all parts of the Astana into a single palatial dwelling.

While small compared to Sarawak’s other national parks, Niah National Park is one of the most unusual and archaeologically important in the world. It’s also a place of great natural beauty and biodiversity, thanks to the rainforest and vast cave system where swiftlets, bats and a host of other wildlife thrive.

Niah earned a spot on the map when an archaeological dig in 1957 led to the discovery of the oldest modern human remains in Southeast Asia inside the park’s Great Cave. A 40,000-year-old human skull, discovered a year later, gave evidence that humans have lived on Borneo for tens of thousands of years. Another cave within the park, the aptly named Painted Cave, contains ancient cave paintings as well as a few canoe-like coffins, called death ships, indicating that the cave was once used as a burial site.

The history of the Kuching Square Tower dates back to 1879, when it was built along the Sarawak River as a means of protecting the city against marauders. Situated toward one end of the Kuching Esplanade, the Square Tower has worn many hats throughout its history — it has served as a state prison, a dance hall and nowadays, a multimedia tourist information center, though it’s not always open to the public.

The Square Tower’s rooftop boasts panoramic views of Mounts Santubong and Serapi. Even when it’s closed to visitors, the Square Tower makes for a striking photo op, especially with the Sarawak parliament building in the background.

Situated 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Kuching, Annah Rais is a Bidayuh longhouse settlement in the foothills of the Borneo Highlands. While the 500 or so residents of Annah Rais make a living from tourism and the settlement has long been on the tourist map, they’ve done well to preserve the traditional longhouse architecture, and visitors get a sense of what life in such communal settlements is like.

Annah Rais comprises three separate longhouses, Kupo Terekan, Kupo Saba and Kupo Sijo, which travelers can visit solo or with a guide. Each longhouse has a covered bamboo verandah, called an awah, used for communal activities. Doorways spaced along the longhouse lead to each family’s private quarters.

While some visit Annah Rais just for the day, some of the residents open their homes to visitors as part of a cultural homestay program. Visitors are paired with a local family who provide a traditional dinner and breakfast in addition to the enriching cultural exchange.

Among Kuching’s more unusual attractions are the series of kitschy cat statues scattered throughout the city. The Malay word for cat sounds similar to Kuching, and the city government took full advantage by nicknaming Kuching “Cat City.”

Perhaps the most famous of the statues is the Great Cat of Kuching. Erected in the 1990s as the first of the cat statues, this 5-foot (1.5-meter) white feline dominates city center and even gets dressed up during major festivals (think a Santa hat come Christmas).

One of the most photographed statues sits near the Kuching Esplanade and features a family of cats (parents and five kittens) lazing about in front of the Holiday Inn. At the center of the roundabout at the junction of Jln Padungan and Jln Chan Chin Ann stands the Cat Column, a Rafflesia flower-topped pillar flanked by four white cats.

Dedicated to conserving sea turtles, particularly green and hawksbill turtles, Talang Satang National Park occupies four white-sand islands and the surrounding marine territory. Pulau Satang Besar is the only island that’s open to regular day-trippers; the other three are for researchers, conservation organizations, and volunteers only.

While the island of Borneo is most famously associated with the orangutan, at Gunung Gading National Park, it’s a plant that’s the star of the show. The rare rafflesia flower, the largest flower in the world (and also among the smelliest) blooms here regularly throughout the year. It takes nine months for a bloom to mature, and the flower — sometimes measuring upwards of 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter — dies after only four or five days.

Luckily, since the rafflesia has no set blooming season, visitors have the chance to spot them throughout the year, and Gunung Gading National Park ranks as the best place to do so. The park even maintains a plant walk through the area where the flowers are commonly found. Besides flower spotting, the national park features several jungle trails leading to streams, waterfalls and even the peak of Gunung Gading Mountain.

With the Sarawak region of Borneo sheltering several of the world's most endangered species, Batang Ai National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the region, providing more than 3,800 square miles (10,000 square km) of habitat to both orangutans and other rare and endangered species.

Five jungle trails ranging in length from one to five miles (1.8 to 8.2 km) take visitors through pristine primary forest interspersed with a few areas of old secondary forest. With one of the highest concentrations of orangutans in Central Borneo, sightings are relatively common. Visitors might also see (or hear) gibbons, hornbills, and langurs.

Perched on the edge of Kubah National Park, Matang Wildlife Centre rehabilitates native Bornean species such as orangutans and sun bears. In addition to viewing the rock pools and three waterfalls of Kubah, come to Matang to walk nature trails and viewing platforms to observe rescued animals in habitats that emulate their natural homes.

For the best views of Miri, head to Canada Hill (or Bukit Telaga Minyak), a limestone ridge where you’ll find Malaysia’s first ever oil well, a petroleum museum, plus sweeping views of the city and beyond.

Sitting atop Canada Hill, and affectionately referred to as The Grand Old Lady, the site of the country’s earliest oil well is now a national monument and historic landmark. This 30-meter-tall monument was built by Shell and marks the origins of the petroleum industry in Malaysia and the subsequent modernization of Miri. The Petroleum Museum is located just next to the monument and traces the development of the industry since oil was first struck here back in 1910.

If you like walking, it’s a pleasant two-kilometer trek up to the top of Canada Hill. Alternatively, join a half-day sightseeing tour of Miri – taking in the city’s other sights as you go – and transport will be provided.

Completed in 1879, the whitewashed and turreted Fort Margherita was commissioned by Charles Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak, to protect Kuching from attacks by river pirates, a common 19th-century scourge. Today, Fort Margherita is an important part of Kuching history and houses the Brooke Gallery, which illustrates the impact of the White Rajas in Sarawak.

A bustling market offering fruit, vegetables, herbs, and jungle produce from ferns to wild honey, plus animals, orchids, and much, much more, Satok Market (Medan Niaga Satok is Kuching’s most important market. Vendors come from longhouses far upriver to sell here on weekends, often for just one or two Malaysian ringgit.

Home to more than 2,000 exhibits, the Kuching Cat Museum details the historical role cats have played in music, theater, advertising, mythology, and ancient societies around the globe. You won’t find a museum quite like the Kuching Cat Museum anywhere else in the world—an appropriate reality seeing as kucing is actually the Malay word for cat.

At the confluence of the Igan and Rajang rivers sits the inland city of Sibu, which serves as the gateway for travelers wishing to explore the longhouses of the Upper Rajang River in the state of Sarawak. One of the city;s most popular attractions is Sibu Central Market—one of the biggest indoor markets in Malaysia—home to thousands of stalls.