DISCOVER SARAWAK

After you arrive into KLIA you will take another flight to Kuching, Sarawak.

Kuching is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and pleasant cities you will come across in Borneo. 

Here you will be welcomed by your guide and transferred to your hotel in Kuching.

You will have time to freshen up and then take a nice walk with your guide within this vibrant city.

Morning after breakfast we will head to explore most trendy, forward-thinking destination of Borneo. This comprehensive tour will take in all her sights.

Highlights: -

* Drive pass the old Colonial Law Courts, the majestic Clock Tower constructed in 1883, the

 Monument of the White Rajahs - a memorial to Charles Brooke, the White Rajah who ruled Sarawak.  

* Visit Tua Pek Kong-a magnificent Chinese Oldest Temple.

* Stop at the Civic Centre and go up the Viewing Platform for a panoramic view of Kuching and take a photo stop at the famous Kuching Waterfront.

* View from the Waterfront, the Astana - a shingled roof palace on the northern bank of the Sarawak River.

* Pass by the Cat Monument, Malay Villages, Old state mosque, the Main Bazaar and the wet market.

* Finally, visit the Sarawak Museum - one of the most renowned anthropological museums in the world. 

Note: The Sarawak Museum is closed on the first day of every festive season.

Pick up from hotel lobby and morning proceed for BAKO NATIONAL PARK TOUR. Bako National Park, established since 1957, is the oldest and one of the most popular national parks in Sarawak. Situated about 37 km from Kuching city, the excursion takes about one and a half hour by land and boat. With an area about 2,728 hectares, it offers the perfect introduction to Sarawak’s forest and wildlife. Unlike the other parks, visitors to Bako National Park are almost guaranteed to see wildlife such as long-tailed macaques, squirrels, white bearded pigs, silver leaf monkeys, etc. With 17 trails provided, ranging from 0.2 km to 5.75 km, you will almost find new experience in each different trail. You will be brought along the Teluk Paku trail. To spot the Proboscis monkey, species which only can be found in Borneo Island, you will need to walk slowly, keep as quiet as possible, and listen out for sounds and movement along the way. In Bako National Park, you will also be able to view 7 different types of vegetations and forests from almost desert-like scrub or ‘padang’ to lowland dipterocarp forest. Take the trail to Teluk Pandan Kecil and you will find a lot of the carnivorous plants, pitcher plants, and you will also see the most famous rock formation at the end of the same trail, the beautiful sea stack. Packed lunch is provided. After lunch, transfer back to hotel for overnight.

Pick up from Hotel lobby and proceed for TRADITIONAL IBAN LONGHOUSE SAFARI. A village of 20 – 25 ‘bilek’ or rooms (each for one family) all under one roof of a long stretch wooden house standing on stilts. The expedition will begin with a 4 hours car ride passing through the scenic greenery countryside. The vast land on both side of the road are can be seen dotted with vegetable farms, paddy fields, rubber, pepper, oil palm and cocoa plantations which generated some of the top revenue earner crops of Sarawak. En-route you will have a brief stopover at small native town called Serian for a chance to experience the busy daily wet market and witness some of the rare jungle produce brought by the native from the deep jungle to sell to the town folks. Another en-route for a brief lunch break at ‘Lachau’ – small popular ‘cowboy’ town for Indonesian natives from the nearby Kalimantan border town to do barter trade without proper document. You could do your last minutes shopping for the visiting gift to present to your Iban host. The car ride will end at a river bank where a further native longboat ride will take you upstream. The journey varies depending on the water level of the river and which longhouse from 20 mins to nearly an hour. Poling under trees bending protectively over the river and shooting rapids (during dry season, you might be required to get down and help the boatman to drag the boat for a short distance) before arriving at your destination. Upon arrival at the longhouse, you can tour around the longhouse while the ‘semi-wild’ boars and hunting dogs running nearby. You can mingle with the longhouse folks & talk about their daily activities and the communal style of living at the longhouse or share your side of the story. Cool off and relax yourself in the river is one of the best thing to do after the whole long journey. After dinner, you will be led to the longhouse again. The Iban maidens and ‘warriors’ will perform a welcome dance while ‘tuak’ – the locally brewed rice wines are served as welcome drink. Overnight at Iban Longhouse’s Guesthouse.

Remarks: Accommodation is based on a very BASIC CONCEPT and dormitories style with basic facilities only (without air-conditioner / fan)

After breakfast, you will be invited to watch the demonstration of one of the Iban favorite gambling game – ‘cock fighting’ and using of the blowpipe will be held at the open space. The is a chance for you to try on this popular leisure game and polish your skill of using the deadly weapon – ‘blowpipe’. You will be then be brought back to the river bank to proceed for a short car ride and another 20 mins boat ride across a man-make lake that will bring you to the luxury longhouse resort. Check in at the Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. For those who have more energy to spare can join the Nature Walk led by the in-house ‘naturalist’. The 2 km jungle trekking will bring you into the unspoilt jungle nearby the resort to learn about plants and animals that enable the native to survive without modern facilities. There will be a 60 meters long ‘canopy walk’ hanging 30 meters above the ground and a 40 meters high platform to enable you to enjoy a good bird eyes view of the surrounding. Overnight at the resort.

After breakfast at the hotel we take the boat ride back to mainland, and we will travel towards Semenggok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center. At the center, you may see semi-wild orangutans and perhaps other wildlife which had either being orphaned or confiscated from the locals who had kept these endangered wildlife illegally as pets. Learn about the rehabilitation of the Orangutans, and enjoy the sights and sounds of exotic tropical birds in the forest. Then we continue our journey to Kuching Airport for your flight to onward destination.

End of program