Similajau features a stretch of fine beaches with clear water suitable for swimming, especially during the dry season (February to October).The park is located 30 km north-east of the town of Bintulu. There is no public longboat service and transport should be arranged in advance. Access is by motorized traditional longboat from the Hilton Batang Ai jetty or the Batang Ai public jetty. Batang Ai National Park is the only part of this area open to visitors. It is a rainforest and wildlife conservation area and one of the few remaining areas where orangutans are found in the wild.
There is no regular boat service and visitors should travel in an organised tour. Pulau Satang Besar is a 30-minute boat ride from Damai Beach, Sarawak Boat Club Jetty or Telaga Air Jetty. These four “Turtle Islands” are responsible for 95% of all the turtle landings in Sarawak. The park comprises the coastline and sea surrounding four islands of the southwest coast of Sarawak Pulau Talang Besar (Greater Talang Island) and Pulau Talang Kecil (Lesser Talang Island) off Sematan, and Pulau Satang Besar (Greater Satang Island) and Pulau Satang Kecil (Lesser Satang Island) off Santubong, near Kuching. Talang-Satang is a marine park established with the primary aim of conserving Sarawak’s marine turtle population. For those few who make the effort, pristine beaches, stretches of coral and unspoilt rainforest await. There is no road access to Tanjung Datu so independent travel to the park may be difficult. Tanjung Datu is one of Sarawak’s smallest National Parks with an area of just 14 sq km. The Matang Wildlife Centre is located nearby. It contains three sandstone peaks, the highest of which, Gunung Serapi (911m), takes 3-3 1/2 hours to reach the summit where a viewing platform provides great views on a clear day. The park is easily accessible from Kuching on a day trip.Īnother easily accessible park, just 22km from Kuching, is Kubah National Park. The park includes four jungle-clad mountain peaks, dense primary rainforest, crystal clear streams and waterfalls and is one of the best places in Malaysia to find the giant Rafflesia flower. You can read about my trip to Bako Bational Park here. Bako Sea Stack is a much photographed unusual rock formation jutting out of the sea. There are some fine beaches here too - Telok Sibur, Telok Pandan Besar and Telok Pandan Kecil among them. This is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak but one of the most interesting, containing a wide variety of vegetation and terrains which can be accessed by a well-maintained network of nature trails. On this map of Top Sarawak Attractions I have tried to place the marker points as accurately as possible for those places I have visited but some marker locations are rough estimates only and should not be relied upon without double checking. So far I have only visited the areas around Kuching, Limbang and Miri but I feel there is a need to create a comprehensive list of Top Sarawak Attractions for those intrepid travellers who would like to explore further afield. On this website, it is my policy to only write about places that I have visited personally but I am making an exception for Sarawak due to its size. Sarawak is a biodiversity hotspot and its forests, caves, wildlife, mountains and beaches are its main attractions. Around 5% of Sarawak's land area is classified as Totally Protected Areas, comprising 25 national Parks, 8 Nature Reserves and 4 Wildlife Sanctuaries. All the major towns have their own airports while boat services on the state's 55 navigable rivers are still the only way to access many inland and remote rural areas.įorest cover is said to extend to 84% of Sarawak's land area but rainforests are under threat from logging, agriculture, plantations and development. In 1960 there were less than 500km of sealed roads in the whole state but now there are over 11,000km. but with a population of only 2.5 million made up of a multicultural mix of 27 ethnic groups.ĭespite the state's vastness and inaccessibility, it is much easier than it used to be to get around.
Sarawak is Malaysia's largest state with an area of 124,000 sq.km. It is probably the most comprehensive list you can find on the internet. I have compiled this list of Top Sarawak Attractions based on my travels and extensive research.