Things to do in  Kuching

Sarawak’s oldest national park, Bako National Park packs a lot of action into just 10 square miles (27 square kilometers) of land. Seven different ecosystems, including rain forest and mangroves, are home to wildlife from long-nosed proboscis monkeys to orchids, carnivorous pitcher plants, bearded pigs, and mudskippers (“walking” fish).

Sarawak Cultural Village showcases the varied cultures and customs of Sarawak’s ethnic groups. The living museum comprises traditional buildings, which include a Chinese farmhouse and several types of longhouses, and gives you the chance to see locals going about everyday activities such as carving, sago-making, crushing sugar cane, and growing pepper.

There are few places in the world with a healthier population of young orangutans than the jungles surrounding the Semenggoh Nature Reserve. This thriving population owes its success to a 30-year rehabilitation program that reintroduced hundreds of primates into the surrounding forest. Today, you can observe free-roaming orangutans during feeding times.

Set just 14 miles (22 kilometers) outside the Sarawak state capital of Kuching, the sandstone mountains of Kubah National Park offer some of the best day trekking and plant-spotting opportunities in the region. Swim in natural pools below waterfalls or hike along nature trails frequented by bearded pigs and pheasants.

Built between 1868 and 1927 to serve as Sarawak’s center of government, Kuching Old Court House is a heritage complex of low buildings set around a central courtyard. It’s home to the Ranee Museum, tourist information offices, events and live music venues, plus several eateries: it’s officially known as the Sarawak Tourism Complex.

Rivers have long been the arteries of Borneo, and a stroll along Kuching Waterfront (Esplanade)—which meanders along more than half a mile (1 kilometer) of the Sarawak River—is the perfect way to discover this mellow but lively city. The contemporary Darul Hana Bridge, a pedestrian walkway, connects it to the northern shore.

One of more than 70 temples in Sarawak devoted to Tua Pek Kong (a Taoist deity popular with Malaysians and Singaporeans of Chinese descent), Kuching’s Tua Pek Kong Temple is one of the city’s oldest Chinese places of worship—a plaque claims it dates back to 1770. It's perched on a podium adorned with vibrant dragon carvings, and inside Incense smolders and gaudy colors glisten.

A confection of rose-pink paint and gilded, Mughal-style onion domes, Kuching Mosque (Masjid Bandaraya Kuching) is a Kuching skyline landmark: it stands on a low hill overlooking the Sarawak River. The mosque’s history goes back to at least 1840, but the current structure dates back to 1968: it served as Sarawak’s state mosque for years.

Sarawak Museum exhibits ethnographic and ecological artifacts relating to traditional tribal and environmental life in the state of Sarawak. Admire small scale replicas of Iban longhouses, tribal weapons, and mounted exhibits of exotic mammals and reptiles—of particular interest are the displays of shrunken heads and human skulls.

Built in 1870 by Charles Brooke, Second White Rajah of Sarawak, the Astana is now the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak. It is a regal complex comprising three separate bungalows and a narrow system of passageways that unifies all parts of the Astana into a single palatial dwelling.

Initially built as a prison in 1879, the Square Tower sits in colonial splendor on the eastern end of the Kuching Waterfront. With its crenelated top, hexagonal turret, and emblazoned Brooke family coat of arms, the striking structure still resembles the fortress it once was. Today, it’s home to Magenta Restaurant, which only opens for dinner.

Annah Rais is a Bidayuh longhouse settlement in the foothills of the Borneo Highlands, located 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Kuching. While the 500 residents of Annah Rais make a living from visiting tourists, the well-maintained traditional longhouse architecture gives you a sense of what life in such communal settlements is like.

Though Borneo might be most famous for orangutans and elephants, the Sarawak capital of Kuching is best known for cats—the Malay word for cat (kucing) sounds exactly like the city’s name, which earned it the moniker of Cat City. Kuching commemorates this with a series of kitsch cat statues throughout its center, depicting different breeds in their feline fabulousness.

Though Borneo is best known for its orangutans, at Gunung Gading National Park it’s a plant that’s the star of the show. Boasting the title of the largest (and smelliest) flower in the world, the rare rafflesia flower blooms regularly here throughout the year. Besides flower spotting, the national park features jungle trails leading to streams, waterfalls, and the peak of Gunung Gading Mountain.

Perched on the edge of Kubah National Park, Matang Wildlife Centre rehabilitates native Bornean species such as orangutans and sun bears. In addition to viewing the rock pools and three waterfalls of Kubah, come to Matang to walk nature trails and viewing platforms to observe rescued animals in habitats that emulate their natural homes.