Introducing Sarawak
If you’ve spent years dreaming of Borneo – of longboat trips down murky rivers, of jungle trails green in tooth and claw, of smoky longhouses and drunken dances, of strange creatures and hidden caverns, of blowpipes and head-hunters – rest easy: you’ve just found what you’re looking for. Sarawak is ‘classic’ Borneo par excellence, and few other places will reward a little adventurous spirit so grandly.
The beauty of Sarawak is its blend of tribal tradition and unfettered nature: everything from the scattered valley farms of the Kelabit Highlands to the bird’s-nest trading communities of the Niah Caves and the nomadic jungle Penan have their place. Of course, plenty has changed here since the first intrepid explorers started charting the tree-strangled hills, and the grim realities of modern capitalism have put paid to many of Sarawak’s treasures, particularly in the receding rainforest, where relentless logging continues to take its toll.
However, the essential flavour of the region continues to saturate most aspects of life here, and it’s still possible to find untouched corners of wilderness where it feels like the last 100 years never happened. The longhouses may have satellite dishes, the cities may have tower blocks and the jungles may have airstrips, but at the end of the day Sarawak is unlike anywhere else on earth. Whatever your dreams, Sarawak is everything you imagined Borneo would be, and once you’re here all you can do is dive straight in and live out the fantasy.
Sights in Sarawak
Activities in Sarawak
Kuching
Borneo’s most stylish and sophisticated city brings together a kaleidoscope of cultures, crafts and cuisines.
Tours in Sarawak
Miri
The dynamic oil town of Miri is busy and modern – not much about it is Borneo – but there’s plenty of money sloshing around so the eating is good, the broad avenues are brightly lit and there’s plenty to do when it’s raining.
Sarawak destination guides
Gunung Mulu National Park
Also known as the Gunung Mulu World Heritage Area, this park is one of the most majestic and thrilling nature destinations anywhere in Southeast Asia.
Hotels in Sarawak
Budget Hotels & Hostels in Sarawak
Guesthouses and B&Bs in Sarawak
Apartments in Sarawak
Bintulu
Thanks to huge offshore natural gas fields, Bintulu is Sarawak’s most important centre for the production of LNG (liquefied natural gas) and fertiliser.
Need to know
Entertainment in Sarawak
Bario
The ‘capital’ of the Highlands, Bario consists of about a dozen ‘villages’ – each with its own church – spread over a beautiful valley, much (though less and less) of it given over to growing the renowned local rice.
Shopping in Sarawak