More info on Sarawak, Borneo.

PLACES OF INTEREST AROUND SARAWAK

Batang Ai National Park: covers 240 sq km, and the park’s rainforest features wildlife such as orang-utans, gibbons and hornbills. Some travel agencies in Kuching can arrange accommodation in nearby longhouses and treks into the park, but most tourists stay at the Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort (featured above) from which quality longhouse tours, jungle treks and fishing trips can be arranged.

Sibu and Kuching are the Yin and Yang of urban Borneo. A river town, Sibu was once known as New Foochow. It was so named after Chinese migrants who came from the Foochow province in the early years of the 20th century. The Melanu, then Malays and Iban were the first inhabitants.

Kanowit: This small riverside settlement is the last stop on the Rejang that’s connected to the coast by road – it’s boat only from here to upstream. A White Rajah fort Fort Emma sits to the right of the wharf, and there’s also a colourful Clock tower decorated in Iban ‘tree-of-life’ style and a brightly painted Chinese Temple.

Kapit: is another Rejang river town dating to the days of the white raja – historic Fort Sylvia still stands on the riverbank.

Similajau National Park: occupies a narrow coastal strip 30km long but only a few kilometres wide. A 45 minute drive northeast of Bintulu, this park’s deserted sandy beaches are among the best in Sarawak. Similajau’s coastal rainforest is a haven for wildlife. A recent survey recorded 230 bird species, making it one of the diversely inhabited areas in Sarawak.

Niah Caves National Park: This small national park (32 sq km) near the coast between Miri and Bintulu protects one of Sarawak’s most famous attractions, the Niah Caves. Niah Caves National Park is about 115km south of Miri and its centrepiece is the Great Cave, which is one of the largest caves in the world.

Miri: Sarawak’s most northerly city, evolved from a small and humble fishing town to a major commercial centre, exporting petroleum, palm oil, coconut oil, timber, pepper and rubber. The city is also an important service centre for the river towns in northern Sarawak.

Marudi: is situated upriver from Miri. Its main attraction is yet another of the Brooke outposts. Fort Hose, was built in 1989 and named after Charles Hose, who became administrator of the district in 1891.

Gunung Mulu National Park: Gunung Mulu is the most heavily promoted of Sarawak’s national parks and one of the most popular destinations in the state. The park is an unspoilt wilderness offering caving trekking and wildlife-watching. Mulu’s most famous attractions are the Pinnacles – a stone forest of razor sharp limestone peaks towering 45km above the rainforest – and the so-called Headhunters’ Trial, which follows an old tribal war path.