Attractions in Sarawak

- Sarawak Museum

    The Sarawak Museum, straddling both sides of Jln Tun Abang Haji Openg, has one of the best collections in Southeast Asia. The old wing, opened in 1891, is designed in the style of a Normandy town-house. It houses an exceptional ethnographic collection, some good natural history displays and a section on the oil industry in Sarawak. The exhibition of traditional wood-carvings on the first floor is magnificent. The new wing across the footbridge is used for events and exhibitions In the Museum grounds, there is an Aquarium, the Botanical Gardens and the Heroes’ Memorial.

The Sarawak Museum Old Building was built in 1891 and was extended to its present form in 1911. The building was specially built to permanently house and display local native arts and crafts and collections of local animals as mainly encouraged by the famous naturalist, Alfred Wallace, who was then collecting specimens in the country.

 Since its inception, the building has undergone several renovations and alterations. It is rectangular, 44′ x 160′ with walls and pillars of bricks and roof of Belian and concrete. It has European architecture of imposing edifice in Queen Anne style (Victorian period). The galleries are lighted by dormer windows on the roof which thus allow a great area of wall space. During the Japanese Occupation, the museum was put under the direction of a sympathetic Japanese Officer. As a result, the museum suffered very little damage and remarkably little looting.

Today, with the carefully planned renovation and proper maintenance, this old building is used as the centre to exhibit collections on the natural history of Sarawak. The ground floor of the museum holds the natural history collection and specimens of Sarawak fauna – reptiles, mammals, birds, etc, all expertly prepared and mounted for display. The first floor displays exhibits of ethnographic artefacts such as models of longhouses of the various ethnic groups in Sarawak, musical instruments, various kinds of fish and animal traps, handicrafts, models of boats and others.

- Jong's Crocodile Farm

     Situated at 18 Miles (29km) Kuching/ Serian Highway, a 20-minute leisure drive from Kuching Town, the capital of Sarawak, Land of Hornbills, boasts one of the largest and the only crocodile breeding farm in the country.

Set amidst the charming backdrop of tall tropical trees, lush vegetation and local fruit trees lies this unique farm with over a thousand crocodiles bred in captivity. The farm provides a perfect sanctuary for the reptiles, saving the species from extinction. There are huge and deep concrete ponds and natural breeding grounds for the crocodiles to mate and multiply.

Visitors are able to gaze at the snapping jaws, cold menacing eyes, sharp pointed teeth and powerful lashing tails of the crocs within short distance yet safe because of the metal fence.

Apart from crocodiles, there are also numerous rare species of birds and animals found only in Borneo Island.  There are also monkeys, leopard-cats, sun bears, bearcats, pheasants, civets, barking deers, sambar deers, turtles, fruit bats, monitor lizards, pythons and even hornbills.

- Fort Margherita

    

       Fort Margherita, completed in 1879, was built by the then Rajah of Sarawak Charles Brooke to defend the city of Kuching from pirates. The fort is situated on a hilltop just by the Kuching River and was named after the Rajah’s wife, Ranee Margaret.

The highlight of Fort Margherita is its fort design, inspired by medieval English castle architecture. Behind the walls of the fort is an open courtyard, which once served as an execution ground for prisoners. Further inside is a 3-storey watchtower, where visitors can get a good panoramic view of the city of Kuching and the riverfront by climbing atop. The fort was never sawed battle due to the fact that it's then the impressively built structure was adequate as a deterrent to approaching pirates of that time. Take a stroll around the fort to appreciate the 19th century English castle ambience, the work of grand architecture and heritage trail it leaves behind since 1879.

- Tua Pek Kong Temple

      The history of the Chinese community in Sarawak has and always been an interesting topic to ponder, especially when they managed to preserve one of their oldest temples in the midst of the Kuching city. The Siew San Teng Temple (also known locally as Tua Pek Kong Temple) is the earliest known and oldest Chinese temple built near the waterfront of Kuching, Sarawak.

Located just opposite the Chinese History Museum and overlooking a busy junction, it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Sarawak. From its humble beginnings as a small and simple hut sometime during the 1800s, its first known renovation was done in 1856 and was upgraded with ceramic roofing and partially brick walls in 1863. Charles Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak, issued the earliest known official land title for the temple in 1871. The introduction of cement in 1880 has played a major role in massive renovation projects, which led to what it is now. It is so well-preserved that it stood up as an attraction in the midst of the busy traffic.

It is said that the temple has the best Feng Shui location since it was one of the buildings that survived the Great Fire of Kuching and remained intact during the 1941 Japanese occupation, where the Japanese Imperial Army bombed the area and nearby buildings were badly damaged and some were completely demolished. It is also said that the placement of the temple itself, of which it faces the water and the mountains, ensures a good channel of Feng Shui for its devotees to come and do their prayers for their deity.

- Main Bazaar

     Adjacent the Waterfront, the Main Bazaar is the oldest street in the city and the heart of old Kuching.  It has some superb examples of Chinese shophouse architecture, many of which have been occupied by the same family for generations. These families still pursue traditional occupations such as tin-smithing, carpentry and petty trading.  Kuching’s highest concentration of antique and handicraft shops are to be found here, and shoppers can rest between bargaining sessions in a number of old-fashioned coffee shops with panelled walls and marble-topped tables.

Well-established outlets on Main Bazaar include Native Arts, Nelson’s Gallery, Rainforest, Sarawak House, Atelier Gallery and Arts of Asia, all offering quality antiques and handicrafts at reasonable prices.  Prices of handicrafts are not always fixed so you may have to bargain.  If you have the time it’s best to shop around and get a rough idea before buying.  Certain antiques require an export permit from Sarawak Museum.  Most art and craft shops close on Sundays.

-  Mount Santubong

        Legendary, mythical, majestic and picturesque. These were some of the complimentary adjectives used to describe Mount Santubong, standing tall north of Kuching, Sarawak. The 810m-high peak, about 40 minutes’ drive from the city, is a favourite spot among local and foreign mountain climbers. For hardcore mountain hikers and nature enthusiasts, a sense of achievement will set in once they complete the challenging trails and are rewarded with sweeping views from the mountain top.

The climb is an interesting one. Hikers will witness an expansive view of flora and fauna. At one of the 15 checkpoints, hikers will stumble upon a refreshing crush of a cascading waterfall as they make their way to the peak of Mount Santubong. Apart from the wealth in biodiversity, there were also people going up Mount Santubong to get connected with legends associated with the mountain, which is in the Santubong National Park.

Legend has it that one King of Heaven had sent his two princesses, Santubong and Sejinjang, to restore peace when war broke out between Kampung Pasir Puteh and Kampung Pasir Kuning.

The princesses fulfilled their divine task and brought peace to the villages until both of them fell in love with a prince. Their quest for the prince’s attention turned into sibling rivalry and their behaviour angered the King of Heaven. Santubong was cursed and turned into Mount Santubong, while Sejinjang into Mount Sejinjang. Locals say Mount Santubong resembles a woman lying on her back, and a crack at the peak was a scar on Princess Santubong’s cheek, which she obtained during the fight with Princess Sejinjang. There were also other tales, rather unflattering, about the pristine beauty of Mount Santubong.

- Bidayuh Longhouse

     Learn about the traditional bamboo longhouses of Sarawak on this cultural three-hour tour from Kuching. Anah Rais is considered one of the largest Bidayuh longhouses and therefore one of the most popular. Previously known as the Land Dayak during the British colonial rule, this well-preserved bamboo longhouse is home to many families.

The focal point of the village is a large and well-preserved traditional bamboo longhouse which is home to dozens of families. This guided tour introduces visitors to the unique architectural and cultural features of the longhouse and the traditional farming lifestyle of the Bidayuh people.

- The Semenggoh Wildllife Centre 

     The Semenggoh Wildlife Centre was established in 1972 in the Semenggoh National Reserve and is currently home to 31 wild and semi-wild orangutans. While orangutans aren’t native to the forest in Semenggoh, it’s no zoo either. The animals are completely free to roam throughout the 1,613 acres forest and forage their own food. But as the area isn’t large enough to naturally provide enough food for all the animals (and the animals are only somewhat adept at foraging in the first place) the centre offers supplementary feedings twice a day so visitors can come to observe the great apes devouring a feast of bananas, papaya, jackfruit, sweet potatoes, coconuts, pineapples, oranges, and hard-boiled eggs. This means that for most of the year, this is one of the best places in Borneo to see orangutans.

Over the years a number of orangutans have been successfully rehabilitated and released into the 653-hectare forest reserve. A number of these ‘graduates’ have had young and these orangutans have spent their entire lives roaming wild within this protected area. Released orangutan spend most of their time in the forest but some do return to the centre where they are fed twice daily. Today there are over twenty orangutans living at Semenggoh and the forest reserve’s carrying capacity has been reached. Sarawak’s orangutan rehabilitation activities have now been transferred to Matang Wildlife Centre but Semenggoh remains the best place in Sarawak to get up-close with the orangutan.

Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is open almost every day of the year, rain or shine. There are twice-daily feedings at 9 am (open 8am-10am) and 3 pm (open 1pm-4pm). You’ll want to time your visit around the feedings as the park is closed mid-day. You have to leave the park outside these hours. The Semenggoh entrance fee is RM10 and is purchasable at a kiosk at the entrance. From there, it’s a 20-minute walk or 5-minute drive to the parking lot and visitor area. You won’t need a lot of extra time; you only walk to the feeding platform after a briefing. Besides the info centre, there’s not a ton else to do inside the part