SARAWAK Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia, is located on the South-Western
corner of Malaysian Borneo. It is a land of vast primeval rainforests,
majestic mountains, caves, unique flora and fauna and diverse ethnic
communities. Sarawak's history is one of heroic adventure and romance,
piracy and rebellion. The state came under the rule of the White Rajahs
when the Sultan of Brunei made James Brook, an English adventurer,
the ruler of Sarawak in 1841 for his help in quelling a rebellion.
Sarawak shares its boundaries with Kalimantan in the south and Brunei
and Sabah in the north. Two-thirds of its land is rainforest and its
population of 1.7 million is made up of 23 ethnic groups. Sarawak
is best known for its natural and cultural wonders.
Places of Interest
Sarawak-Kuching Waterfront
Located at Jalan Gambier, this is a colorful place for soaking up
the sights and sounds of the local culture. There are open-air food
stalls and stalls selling fruits and vegetables. Within the area is
a hawker center with some clothes and handicraft shops.
Fort Margherita Built by Rajah Charles Brooke and named after his wife, this was
the Police Headquarters since 1879, until it was converted into a
Police Museum. It now houses an opium den, a lock-up and an assortment
of weapons and relevant paraphernalia.
Getting there:
Take a boat from the Waterfront and Main Bazaar.
Sarawak-Gunung Mulu National Park
This is Sarawak's largest national park, covering an area of 544 sq
km. The park, also a World Heritage Site, contains Sarawak's second-highest
peak, Gunung Mulu, a sandstone outcrop standing at 2,376m. There is
also the 1,750m Gunung Api, an impressive limestone outcrop. The park
is noted for its diverse vegetation, which varies from peat swamp
to limestone and forest terrain. This national park contains about
1,500 species of flowering plants, included 10 species of the famous
pitcher plant.
Caving is a popular pursuit here, since Gunung Mulu National Park
has an extensive underground cave system that is one of the largest
in the world.
Niah National Park Niah National Park. inhabited by flying lizards, long-tailed macaques
and hornbills, this park is also known for its caves, primarily:
The Painted Cave
Features thousand-year-old, iron-age cave paintings.
Great Cave
In 1873, Palaeolithic and Neolithic tools as well as human remains were found here. The Chinese delicacy, bird's nest is harvested in this cave while the Penan people collect guano here.
Apart from caves, visitors can trek or climb a 1,312.3 feet high limestone ridge. Facilities here include chalets, a hostel, rest house and canteen.
Getting there:
Located 62.12 miles south of Miri, near Bintulu. It is best to book
a trip with a tour operator.
Sarawak-Cultural Village
The Sarawak Cultural Village, near the Santubong fishing village,
is also known as the “ Living Museum.” It is set within 15 acres of
natural jungle in the foothills of the famous Santubong mountain.
The "Living Museum” has traditional longhouse dwellings of the
various ethnic groups of the state. There are arts and crafts demonstrations
and presentations of the dance and music of the Iban, Kayan, Kenyah
and Bidayuh people.
Sarawak-Museum
With an external structure inspired by a house in Normandy, the Sarawak
Museum is noted as one of the finest in Asia . It has an excellent
collection of Borneon ethnological and archeological artifacts and
a permanent exhibition of native arts and crafts. Many of the exhibits
are from the collection of Alfred Russell Wallace, a naturalist who,
with Charles Darwin, was a co-founder of the theory of evolution.
An annex to the museum has Chinese porcelain and galleries devoted
to the way of life of the various tribes. There is also a reconstruction
of the Niah caves where evidence of human remains were uncovered some
40,000 years ago.