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Kedah .
Penang .
Perak .
Selangor .
Melaka .
Kelantan .
Terengganu .
Sarawak .
Kuala Lumpur .
Others |
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MALAYSIA |
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MY SARAWAK |
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Sarawak,
East Malaysia |
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myMalaysiabooks takes you into the hidden paradise of Borneo. Explore nature's
paradise in Sarawak, Borneo, East Malaysia. |
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Welcome to the land of the hornbills.... SARAWAK .... the paradise of Borneo
Sarawak is located in East Malaysia, north of
Kalimantan Indonesia. Malaysia Airways, Air Asia and other
international Asian airlines flies to Kuching Sarawak daily.
Domestic flights from KLIA takes you to Kuching, Bintulu, Sibu,
etc. Enjoy the virgin tropical forest, tropical beaches and rich
culture of Sarawak, Malaysia.
Sarawak is the place for nature and
adventure lovers. Located on the vast forested continent of
Borneo, most of Sarawak is a forest reserve.
Sarawak is nature's paradise
- There are 10 nature parks scattered all over
Sarawak, Malaysia. Get an
experienced guide and a permit to explore the wonders of
natural rainforest of Borneo. Sarawak is the place to
experience a natural rainforest unchanged by the passage of time.
Travel by river to discover the forest's wondrous
diversity of life and see the complex interactions of Sarawak's
rainforest, alive with dazzling birds, spectacular and rare plants
and intriguing animals. Under the canopy of immense trees you can see the many
wildlife that lurks in the jungle.
People and culture
- Be overwhelmed
by the cultural diversity of the state There are more than
30 ethnic communities in Sarawak, each retaining their cultural
identity - Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayu, Melanau, Orang Ulu,
Penan, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, etc.
There are 27 distinct indigenous ethnic groups in Sarawak and
collectively they speak 45 different languages and dialects. (Dayak
is a collective name for the natives races in Sarawak i.e. the
Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Murut and others)
Iban is Sarawak's most known ethnic group, who were once the
legendary head hunters of Borneo. Today they have adopted a
peaceful lifestyle and travellers can plan a visit to an Iban
longhouse.
The Penan of Sarawak is traditionally a nomadic tribe who survive by hunting
and gathering. Today, only a small number continue to practice the
old lifestyle. Most Penan now settle by the riversides and make
long journeys into the forest to collect food, medicinal plants or
other jungle products. Sarawak is the best place to shop for
traditional handicrafts. Each ethnic community here
produces some unique and beautiful crafts, mainly
available in the state. |
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Where to
go |
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Towns and cities of Sarawak
Kuching
- the
capital of the state of Sarawak, lies on the banks of the Sarawak
River. Kuching in the Malay language means cat and you will find a cat museum
with displays of anything on cats. The streets are lined with many
small shops selling an assortment of beautiful handicrafts - wood,
ceramic or weaved crafts. Its the best place in Malaysia to get
traditional crafts of the natives. The Kuching waterfront is a place to stroll to see the city
or to
take a boat ride to see the Astana (palace) and enjoy the sunset. There are museums, pasar
malam (night markets) all within walking distances of the city
centre.
Town/City Websites
Kuching -
http://www.kuching.net.my
Miri - http://www.miri.net.my
Sibu - http://www.sibu.net.my
Betong -
http://www.betong.net.my
Bintulu -
http://www.bintulu.net.my
Kapit -
http://www.kapitro.sarawak.gov.my
Limbang -
http://www.limbang.net.my
Mukah -
http://www.mukah.net.my
Samarahan -
http://www.samarahan.net.my
Sarikei -
http://www.sarikei.net.my
Sri Aman -
http://www.sriaman.net.my
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National Parks
There are over 10 national forest parks that you can visit in the state.
Over 120,000 visitors visits these parks yearly. However much of
the forested areas in Sarawak are still unexplored. Some of these
parks include:
Tanjung Datu National
Park - where the forested mountain meets the sea. It has
interesting natural features, rain forest and unique coral reefs
Kubah National Park
- sandstone park with many waterfalls. Located 20 kilometres from Kuching,
it is one of Sarawak's most accessible national parks.
Gunung Gading National
Park - Mountainous park which is home to the Rafflisia,
the largest flower in the world (reaching 1 meter diameter). (Lundu
District, southwest Sarawak)
Bako National Park
- popular with visitors; abundant wildlife, jungle streams,
waterfalls, interesting plant life, secluded beaches and trekking
trails.
Batang Ai national Park - a
beautiful national park, home to one of the world's most
endangered species, the Orang Utan and other protected wildlife
like the hornbills and gibbons. It is also the water catchment
area of a huge artificial lake that stretches up the Engkari and
Ai valleys and has the Batang Ai Hydro-Electricity dam.
Gunung Mulu National
Park is considered the 'jewel in the
crown' of Sarawak's network of national parks. It is the largest
national park, covering 52,865 hectares of primary rainforest,
which is dissected by many fast flowing rivers and streams. The Mulu range is dominated by three mountains - Gunung Mulu (2,376
m), Gunung Api (1,750 m) and Gunung Benarat (1,585 m). However the
most spectacular landscape here is hidden underneath the forested
slopes of these mountains -one of the largest limestone cave
systems in the world, called the Mulu caves (5 million years old).
While the rugged adventurer can explore the vast cave systems,
there are show caves that can be visited on day trips. These caves
are accessible by walking along planks and concrete paths. A
walk leads through the forest to Deer and Lang's Cave whilst
Clearwater Cave and Wind Cave are reached by a longboat up Melinau
River, or by following a 4 km nature trail. Spotlights highlight
the unique features of the individual caves. Mulu offers the adventurous traveller an exhilarating cave
experience and rainforest trekking adventure. Trekkers can also
step into the trail used by the head hunters of the past.
Niah National
Park - located on the Sungai (river) Niah, 110 km to the
south-west of Miri. The Niah caves is an archaeological site where
the oldest modern human remains in Southeast Asia were found
(estimated to be 40,000 years old). Apart from the caves, visitors
can explore several the tropical rainforests, climb a 400m tall
limestone ridge or visit an Iban longhouse located near the park
boundary.
Lambir Hills National
Park is a small park located along the Miri-Bintulu Road,
30km south of Miri Town. This park is rich in forest species and
is ideal for researchers.
Similajau
National Park - is a strip of land lying on the coast of Bintulu Division (30 km from Bintulu. It has a beautiful coastline
of unspoiled white and golden sand and rocky beaches facing the
South China Sea
Loagan Bunut
National Park - is located in the upper end of Sungai
Bunut where Sarawak's largest natural lake is found. The local
Berawan fishermen call this lake 'Logan Bunut' (650 ha). The
surrounding area is covered with peat swamp forest and mixed Dipterocarp
Rainforest. There are numerous bird and animals species
found here, such as herons, bitterns, eagle, swallow, stork,
hornbills, barking deer, sambar deer, argus pheasant, long-tail
macaque, civet, giant squirrel and gibbons.
Talang-Satang
National Park - is the first National Park in Sarawak to
consist primarily of a marine area. It has been created for the
primary purpose of marine turtle conservation. A permit from the
Forest Department is necessary to enter the park. The park is
managed as a combination of nature tourism and conservation area.
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Rajang Mangroves
National Park - along the
shorelines of Central Sarawak, prevents erosion, tidal flooding
and salt intrusion and protects beaches and corals. The park is
the most complex mangrove areas in Sarawak, harbouring a total of
89 plant species. The park is home to the proboscis monkeys,
silvered langurs, small-clawed otters and plantain squirrels.
Common birds include white-collared kingfishers and stork-billed
kingfishers and contain 76 species of fish and crustaceans.
Maludam
National Park - is located in Sri Aman Division, in the
Maludam Peninsula, Sarawak. The entire area is a low-lying, flat peat
swamp. The park is critical to the protection of the the only viable
population of the red banded langur (Presbytis melalophos
cruciger) remaining in the world - one of the world's most
beautiful monkeys.
Gunung Buda National
Park - located in Ulu Medalam, Limbang Division,
it encompasses the Mulu Formation and the Gunung Buda limestone of
the Melinau Limestone. The caves in the park are large and
geomorphologically related to the Gunung Mulu National
Park caves.
Festivals and Celebrations
Gawai Dayak - If you are preparing to come to Sarawak in
June, come over during the Gawai Dayak. This celebration for the
Dayaks mark the end of the rice harvest and ushers in another
year of bountiful goodness. Locals dresses in traditional
costumes while the elders perform traditional rites. This party
and continous celebrations is throughout the month of June. It
provides an exciting and excellent opportunity for visitors to
learn about life at the longhouse.
more on this festival at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gawai_Dayak
Other festivals
and celebrations in Malaysia
More on Sarawak:
FREE SEARCH FOR
HOTEL OFFERS FROM MULTIPLE WEBSITES What to eat in Sarawak........ Malaysian
Food More about Sarawak at ........www.sarawaktourism.com
Post your comments at......... mysarawak blogspot
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Budget Stay by our Affiliates |
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How to get there |
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By air
Kuching
, Sarawak is
linked by airways to other major cities in Malaysia, as well as Singapore,
Bangkok, Hong Kong and Brunei by air. Kuching airport is an International
airport. Other domestic airports in Sarawak are at Miri, Sibu and Bintulu.
Daily flights are available on
Malaysia airlines and
Air Asia from
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Kuching.
You can also fly direct from
Penang International Airport
daily or Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) or Brunei Darussalam. Flights are
also available daily on Singapore Airlines and silk air from
Singapore and
other
Asian airlines
Sarawak
also has rural airstrips serving the rural settlements that are
not linked by roads. Regular scheduled air services on small
planes and helicopter services also links various towns and more
inaccessible areas in the Sarawak interior. Other than AirAsia
and Malaysia Airlines, airlines operating here are: Singapore
Airlines, MASWings,
Silkair
and
Batavia Air
By roads
The Trans-Borneo Highway runs from Kuching to all major cities in
Sarawak and into the state of Sabah through Brunei Darussalam.
The journey by bus between towns are usually long and tiring
because Sarawak is big. There are fewer roads here but roads takes you pass major towns such as
Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Sarikei and
Bintulu.
It take about 5 hours by car from Kuching to Sibu and another 5
hrs to Miri.
Major towns in Sarawak have public transport services including
buses, taxis and limousine services. Intercity bus services are
available for travel from town to town within the state and to
Indonesia (Pontianak) and Brunei. Where roads don't go, you can travel by boat or by
small planes
or helicopter.
Main bus companies that travel the Borneo highways are:
1) Biaramas serving
Kuching, Sarikei, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Kuala Belait, Bandar Seri
Begawan, Pontianak
2) VFT transport
serving Kuching, Serian, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu, Bintulu,
Simpang Batu, Niah, Miri, Dalat, Mukah, Pontianak
By river - water
transport
The rivers
of Sarawak
are an important means of transportation for the people and goods.
Sarawak has a total of 55 navigable rivers. The Rejang, the
longest river in Sarawak and in Malaysia, has between 300-500
boats plying the river daily. Some 50% of the traffic is passenger
transport and the rest for transportation of goods including logs. Detail on travelling to Malaysia:
Malaysia transport pages
From Malaysia
to Singapore ....more at
www.sarawaktourism.com
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