2. Go shopping at India Street (Kuching Old Bazaar)
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India Street
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Street art
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Being one of the most popular streets in Kuching today, India Street came about in the 1840s as the first Indian settlement here. The street is located between 2 parallel rows of shophouses and can be easily spotted by the street arts along the way. You can find all sorts of textiles and fabrics here, selling at a cheap price. It is a 7 minutes walk here from Kuching Waterfront. Be sure to drop by and pick up some souvenirs for you and your loved ones.
3. Visit the World’s First Cat Museum
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| Entrance to the Cat Museum (Image credit: DBKU Sarawak) |
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Cat sisters 🐈😹
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A mummified cat donated to the museum
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An actual cat cemetry
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| The huge dome behind is the Cat Museum |
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Yes, of course there is a Cat Museum in the Cat City! The Kuching Cat Museum is the first one of its kind to showcase over 4,000 exhibits, artworks and souvenirs collected and donated by cat owners over time. The Cat Museum is located in Petra Jaya, a 15 minutes car ride to get here.
4. Sit back and relax at Damai Beach
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| (Image credit: Damai Beach Resort) |
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| (Image credit: Damai Beach Resort) |
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| (Image credit: experiencetravelgroup) |
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| Take the hike up Mount Santubong (Image credit: Borneo Today) |
Damai Beach Resort is the main beach in Kuching and is located around 45 minutes from Kuching city. The resort has a stunning view of Mount Santubong and offers various activities to chose from. You can just sit back and relax or go on a hike up the various trails available here.
5. Go dolphin watching!
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Irrawady Dolphins (Image credit: Tripcarte.Asia)
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| Endangered species (Image credit: Veltra) |
The Irrawaddy dolphin watching tour takes place between the Santubong and Salak River. These dolphins are often spotted at shallow waters less than 30m deep and can be seen hanging around fisherman boats, looking for an easy meal. They are listed as an endangered species by the WWF and only found in Southeast Asia rivers. In 2020, just 90 of these beautiful dolphins are estimated to still exist. The main cause of their extinction is due to manmade gill fishing nets and also pollution of the rivers.
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| (Image credit: Borneo Post) |
To combat this problem, the Sarawak Forestry has taken proactive steps to create a protected area for the dolphins between Santubong and Damai. To see these magnificent creatures you will have to join the wildlife cruise which usually takes 3 hours and is offered by a few agencies such as cphtravel and borneoadventure.
6. Join the turtle conservation efforts at Satang Island
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| Satang Island overview (Image credit: CPH Travel) |
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| Pulau Satang Besar (Image credit: travelmalaysia.me) |
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| Join the turtle hatchery tour (Image credit: Talang-Satang National Park) |
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| Go snorkelling on the island (Image credit: Viator) |
Come and visit the turtle conservation efforts at Pulau Satang/ Satang Island. The island is part of the Talang-Satang National Park and accessible via a 30 minutes boat ride from Damai Beach. The Green Turtle makes up 90% of the turtle population on the island and accounts for approximately 95% of the total turtle landings in Sarawak. These marine turtles are also an endangered species and face extinction due to pollution, egg poaching, entanglement in fishing nets and attacks from predators. To combat the dwindling numbers of the turtle population, the Sarawak Forestry has set up hatcheries all over the national park. To get here visitors will have to join a tour organised by agencies such as borneoadventure or cphtravel.com as there is no regular boat service to the island.
7. Visit the “Living Museum” at Sarawak Cultural Village
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| Entrance of Sarawak Cultural Village (Image credit: cph travel) |
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| Performance by Sarawak Cultural Village (Image credit: SCV) |
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| Map of the cultural village (Image credit: SCV) |
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| (Image credit: ttrw) |
One of the best way to see all of Sarawak’s local cultures and lifestyles is to visit the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) which is located just 850m away from Damai Beach Resort. There are 9 replica buildings at the cultural village to represent the major ethnic groups in Sarawak; Bidayuh, Iban, Orang Ulu, Penan, Melanau, Malay and also Chinese. In each of the traditional houses, there will be a representative to answer any of your questions regarding their lifestyles and cultures.
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RWMF at SCV (Image credit: rwmf)
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Foothill of Borneo Highlands Resort
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| Lush greenery |
Located 60km away from Kuching city is the Borneo Highlands Resort. This resort sits approximately 1,000m/3,281ft above sea level and boasts one of the world’s oldest rainforest. If you are planning to drive up here yourself, we suggest you to use a 4WD as the roads here is steep and could be challenging for the first timers. Otherwise, you can contact the resort to arrange transport for you.
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| Beautiful gardens (Image credit: Borneo highlands resort) |
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Taking the buggy to the view point
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View point
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| (Image credit: Sarawak Hotels) |
When you arrive at the peak of Borneo Highland, you will be greeted with the lush beauty of the flowers and cool breeze. One of the highlights here is the view point of the border which separates Sarawak and Kalimantan.
11. Venture into the magical Fairy & Wind Cave
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| Climb up the 4 storey staircase to enter the Fairy cave |
To visit these intriguing caves, you will have to travel to Bau which is an hour journey from Kuching city. Entry into the Fairy Cave free and accessible via a 4 storey staircase. The Fairy Cave got its name after a stalagmite structure which is believed to resemble a Chinese deity.
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| Inside Fairy Cave |
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| (Image credit: Trip Advisor) |
Legend has it that there was once a poor boy who attended a Gawai celebration at one of the villagers house. The angry homeowner caught the poor boy and gave him sugarcane waste, telling the boy that there was pork inside. The boy happily returned to his mother and presented the gift he received from the homeowner. Upon seeing the sugarcane waste, his mother was humiliated and plotted for revenge. She then dressed a cat in a beautiful dress and threw it in the middle of the villagers Gawai celebration. The villagers then laughed at the cat’s costume. Their laughter brought on the storm and lightning over the village. When the storm was over, all the villagers had turned into stone. It is believed that today, the villagers are part of the stalagmites and stalactites that formed inside Fairy Cave.
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| Wind Cave here we go! |
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| Make sure to bring torchlights |
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| Bat droppings |
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| Inside Wind Cave (Image credit: Sarawak Forestry) |
Located just 10 minutes from Fairy Cave is the Wind Cave which got its name due to the cooling breeze flowing through the cave. The Wind Cave has a 1km plank walk which runs along the cave and leads to a river bank. Inside the cave you will be able to spot thousands of bats and swiftlets flying around, so it is probably a good idea to wear a cap to avoid their droppings. 😂
12. Explore Bako National Park
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| Entrance to Bako National Park (Image credit: Klook) |
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| (Image credit: Borneo Adventure) |
Bako National Park is well known for its diverse wildlife species, white sandy beaches and jungle trekking. At the national park, you can easily spot the proboscis monkey, silver-leaf monkeys and long-tailed macaques roaming around the park casually. To get here, you have to travel to Kampung Bako (30 minutes drive) and from there take a 20 minute boat ride to the park. As you make your way to the national park, you will pass by sea stacks along the way. If you wish to get a closer look, you will have to join a tour. Accommodation is also available at the park for those who want to spend a night here.
For those who want a more secluded getaway, consider joining the tour to the beautiful Lakei Island (20 minute boat ride from Bako Jetty) which is rumoured to have special healing powers. The views on this island are stunning and looks like you’ve walked straight into a postcard. The only drawback is that the island is still under developed and has the very basic amenities for visitors.
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| Kenyah traditional costume |
Have any experience or tips on travelling in Kuching? Or are you planning a trip soon? Let us know and share your thoughts and questions in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you!
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