Heritage and Wildlife of Kuching

📍 Distances and journey time: Walking Tour (5km): 4 hrs

Kuching is a veritable treasure trove of historical buildings, remarkable stories and diverse food. At 09:00 meet the guide for your morning walking tour and wander the streets of this quaint town learning about the recent history and sampling local food from a range of ethnic groups. Start the day with a traditional Sarawak laksa – a local favourite of noodles, fish, prawns or chicken in a spicy coconut broth. This is arguably the best laksa available in Kuching!

 

Continue with a visit to the engaging Sarawak Museum, which was established in 1891 and houses a range of cultural artefacts. Wander through the museum to get a good understanding of the collective history of Sarawak. (Note: as of 15th June 2020, the Sarawak Museum is closed until further notice. If not reopened at the time of travelling, it will be replaced by the Textile Museum, showcasing authentic textiles made by the main ethnic communities of Sarawak).

 

Head to the site of the State Mosque - a Mughal-style pink mosque with striking gold minarets. At various points on the heritage walk take the opportunity to stop and sample some regional delicacies from the street and kopitiams (small cafes). Discover the health benefits of Chinese tea with a stop at the oldest tea shop in Kuching, make an offering at a 175-year-old temple and walk streets that have remained virtually unchanged for 100 years where traditional craftsmen ply their trade. The heritage walk takes around four hours and there will be a break for a local lunch as and when needed.

 

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

 

At 17:30 embark on a 2-hours sunset cruise along the Sarawak River aboard a traditional boat. This is the perfect way to end the day of discovery in Kuching, and provides an alternative view of the city waterfront, reminiscent of the days when Kuching was accessible only by water.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Distances and journey time: Kuching to Bako Village (24 km): 35 min Bako Village to Bako National Park (by boat) 25 mins

Kuching offers pristine rainforest, abundant wildlife, jungle streams, waterfalls, diverse plant life, secluded beaches, panoramic rocky shorelines, bizarre rock formations and an extensive network of trekking trails all accessible in a few days trip Bako National Park, just 35 minutes drive and 25 minutes boat transfer from Kuching, offers all of this.

At 08:00, depart Kuching for a 45-minute drive to Bako Fishing Village.  Continue by motorised boat for a 30-minute cruise along the beautiful coast to reach Bako National Park for an overnight stay.

The oldest of Sarawak’s national parks, Bako offers the perfect introduction to Sarawak’s forests and wildlife. Bako is also home to 275 rare proboscis monkey, found only in Borneo. Observe the fabulous proboscis monkeys, silvered langurs, bearded pigs and monitor lizards. Despite its seemingly small size, Bako contains a wide range of vegetation – swamp forest, scrub-like padang vegetation, mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest, delicate cliff vegetation and beautiful sandy beaches.  

Explore the rainforest on a variety of walking trails from mighty 80-metre dipterocarps to dense mangrove forest.  For bird enthusiasts, Bako is the home to many species such as the rufous-backed kingfisher, stork-billed kingfisher, red-crowned barbet, white-bellied woodpecker and many more.  During low tide, observe the mudskippers and blue-fiddler crabs coming out from their hideout for feeding on the beaches. Check into the accommodation and enjoy some time at leisure or discuss with the guide the options for the rest of the day.

Proboscis monkeys gather by the beach near the accommodation in the mid-afternoon, catching crabs as the tide changes. This is a great location to watch these animals in the wild.

Dinner at leisure.

This evening, take a nocturnal jungle walk with a national park guide to explore the sounds of the night. This is a very different experience to the day as the jungle comes alive with an array of insects, reptiles and birds.

Please note: This tour is not available during December-February due to rough seas.

Accommodation is basic and clean – National Park Lodge - bring toiletries as none are provided. It is recommended to pack a small bag for the overnight stay in Bako. Main luggage can be left at the hotel in Kuching.

Overnight in Bako National Park.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Distances and journey time: Bako National Park – Bako Village (by boat): 25 min Bako Village – Santubong Pier (32km): 40 min Santubong Pier – Semenggoh (40km): 1 hour Semenggoh – Kuching (20km): 35 min

After breakfast take a 20-minute boat transfer to Bako Village. Today’s program may vary due to tides and weather.

Upon arrival at Bako Village, meet the driver and continue to the mouth of the Santubong River. Board a motorised boat to cruise through the nearby mangrove forest and listen to the guide as he points out and describes various flora and fauna along the way.  Near the mouth of the Santubong River, begin searching for the elusive and rare Irrawaddy dolphins (April – November) before proceeding along the Salak River to look for proboscis monkeys and other wildlife.

Return to shore around noon and enjoy the freshest seafood for lunch in a fishing village, before transferring to the afternoon feed at the Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.

Established in 1975 and just outside Kuching, Semenggoh Nature Reserve is the home of many orang utans.  For over 20 years, the wardens here trained young orang utans, who had been orphaned or rescued from captivity, how to survive in the wild.

It is now a centre for the study of orang utan biology and behaviour and this is the primary reason that people visit the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, although the Rangers do work with other species including crocodiles and hornbills. Take a short 15-minute walk through the rainforest to the feeding platform where the rangers will be putting out fruits for the semi wild orang utan who spend most of their time roaming the forest but frequently come back to the Centre for a free meal.

Return to the hotel in Kuching for an evening at leisure.

Overnight in Kuching.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Distances and journey time: Kuching to Kuching International Airport (11km): 20 min

This morning enjoy  a leisurely breakfast prior to departure for onward journey.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast