Our next trip was to the beautiful city of Miri. For those of you that may not know, Miri is located north east of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. It is the second largest city of Sarawak and home to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gunung Mulu National Park and also Gua Niah, featuring one of the world’s largest cave entrances.
Getting around Miri city is not difficult as the city is small and transportation is easy to find. However if you are interested to venture out of the city, it would be much easier to rent a car.  Want to know more  about Miri ? Check out our post on the 8 BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN MIRI

Day 1

Before starting our journey, we filled ourselves up with the famous “Sarawak laksa” and also had “cendol” at one of the many stalls in Miri. We then headed to the first location of the day which was Coco Cabana, Marina Bay. It is a 15 minutes drive from Miri city and a tourist hot spot with a beautiful attraction landmark with a giant seahorse light-house.
Sarawak Laksa (top) & Cendol (bottom) – Must try here, Sarawak
The iconic Seahorse Lighthouse in Miri – Sarawak
Enjoying coconut shake and ice-cream – Coco Cabana, Miri – Sarawak
Marina Bay Jetty – Miri, Sarawak
We made another trip here in the evening and the view is still quite spectacular. Food stalls are available here, so you can grab something to eat while enjoying the sunset view of the South China Sea. 
 
Night view of Coco Cabana, Marina Bay – Miri, Sarawak
We then headed to Beach Republic which is located at Luak Bay, approximately 15 minutes drive from Coco Cabana. The Beach Republic is a recreation club with many facilities for kids and adults. We wanted to try something different and opted to go for the ATV on the beach.
Riding on the ATV – Beach Republic, Miri, Sarawak
Enjoy the beautiful sunset view – Beach Republic, Miri, Sarawak
Enjoy the beautiful sunset view – Beach Republic, Miri, Sarawak
Canada Hill was next up on our list, and since our room was facing it, we managed to grab a few shots before heading there for dinner. It took us about 15 minutes drive to Canada Hill and by the time we arrived there, the café was packed to the brim. We ended the day at Canada Hill and headed back after that as we were both exhausted.
Beautiful rainbow – Miri, Sarawak
Romantic dinner at Canada Hill – Miri, Sarawak
Miri city night view from Canada Hill – Sarawak

Day 2

On our second day, we decided to drive to Gua Niah / Niah Caves which is around 2 hours from Miri city. The cave is a prehistoric site as it used to be a settlement for humans from more than 40,000 years ago. We started our journey early in the morning around 7.30am as we had a 2 hour drive there. Upon arriving at the Niah National Park, we purchased our entry fee tickets at the HQ. The national park is open from 8am-5pm daily.
 
Niah National Park Map

Entrance fees :-

RM 10 – Malaysian Adult
RM 3   – Malaysian Child (ages 6 – 17)
RM 20 – Non-Malaysian Adult
RM 7   – Non-Malaysian Child (ages 6 – 17)
For those who would like to take their time to explore the park longer, accommodation is also provided there. You can check their website for the latest pricing and deals here.
Niah National Park entrance – Miri, Sarawak
Before starting our long walk to the Niah Caves, you will be required to take a boat across the crocodile infested river which will cost RM 1 per crossing.
Crocodile infested water – Niah National Park, Miri, Sarawak😅🐊
Wefie before the boat ride across the river – Niah National Park, Sarawak
The boardwalk trail across river – Niah National Park, Sarawak
Prohibited activities – Niah National Park, Miri – Sarawak
Trails available at Niah National Park, Miri – Sarawak
Niah National Park – Miri, Sarawak
Half-way mark on the Niah National Park trail – Miri, Sarawak
The trail to the first cave, Traders’ Cave / Gua Dagang is around 3 km and took us about 45 minutes to get there. You can experience nature at a closer distance during the trail and occasional appearance of wildlife such as monkeys, butterflies and birds is common sight. 
 
Traders Cave/Gua Dagang – Niah National Park, Sarawak
Traders Cave/Gua Dagang – Niah National Park, Sarawak
Exploring Niah National Park, Miri – Sarawak
Traders Cave/Gua Dagang – Niah National Park, Sarawak
Traders Cave/Gua Dagang – Niah National Park, Sarawak
The trail leading into the main cave – Niah National Park, Sarawak
The caves here is also popular for its swiftlet bird’s nest industry. The bird’s nest collection is done twice a year, by climbing up hundreds of feet on a pole to the cave ceiling to retrieve the nest. Just a few minutes walk from the Trader’s Cave is the Great Cave also known as Niah Cave/Gua Niah. The Great Cave has a huge 60m high and 250m wide entrance and covers an area of 11 hectares. Be careful when walking here as the cave floor is slippery as it is covered with bat and swiftlet droppings. 
The Great Cave/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak
Let’s go ! Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak
Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak
Bring your torchlights ! Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak
Passage into the unknown – Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak
Home to bats and swiflets – Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak
Finally light at the end of the cave – Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak

From The Great Cave, it takes another hour walk to the last cave, which is The Painted Cave. So in total it would take approximately 3:30 to 4 hours walk from the beginning of the jungle trail. We did not venture all the way to the Painted Cave as we were exhausted and the weather was coming in. 

 
Beautiful rock formation – Niah Caves/Gua Niah – Miri, Sarawak

We compiled a list of things that we suggest you bring if you are headed here:-

  • Extra clothes, as you will most probably be drenched in sweat by the end of the walk
  • Water, as it is can get pretty hot here
  • Food, always a good idea to bring some snacks in case you get hungry
  • Torchlight, make sure you bring extra batteries or torch
  • Shoes, is recommended here as the walkway can get slippery in the cave
  • Cap, is a good idea to avoid bat droppings on your hair
  • Gloves, also recommended as the hand railings inside the cave is sometimes covered with bat and swiftlet droppings
We finished the trail around 4pm and drove back to Miri to freshen up for dinner. We headed to one of our favourite eateries here for dinner before calling it a day. 
Enjoying our dinner – Miri, Sarawak

Day 3

Our third day was more relaxing as we only had 1 place on our list to go, Tusan Beach. After visiting some relatives, we had our lunch and drove to Tusan Beach which is about an hour drive from Miri. 
 
“Lelapan Ikan” for lunch – Miri, Sarawak
Overview of Tusan Beach from the edge of the cliff – Miri, Sarawak
Entrance to the beach – Tusan Beach, Miri, Sarawak
Being further away from Miri, Tusan Beach does not get as much recognition compared to the other beaches. Being off the beaten path, Tusan Beach is definitely a secret paradise for those who love beautiful sunsets and white sandy beaches. 
 
Rock formation – Tusan Beach, Miri, Sarawak
Sunset view – Tusan Beach, Miri, Sarawak
Sunset view – Tusan Beach, Miri, Sarawak
Sunset view – Tusan Beach, Miri, Sarawak
Enjoying Tusan Beach Ice-cream – Miri, Sarawak
One of the most popular attraction here is the rock formation which can be seen from the cliff where you can park your car. However, at the time of writing, the famous rock formation at Tusan Beach has collapsed in February 2020 due to heavy rain. It is disappointing knowing that we won’t be able to see the rock formation, however you can still enjoy the peaceful ambience here. 
 
Photo with the famous rock formation before its collapse – Tusan Beach, Miri
The famous rock formation before its collapse – Tusan Beach, Miri
To conclude this post, Miri is definitely a relaxing and laid back trip where you can explore many nature sites and enjoy good food. So, make sure to add Miri into your list the next time you travel to Sarawak.
Rock formation – Tusan Beach, Miri, Sarawak
Have any experience or tips on travelling in Miri? 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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