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.

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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