According to Directoryaah, Kuching is the capital of Malaysia ‘s largest state, Sarawak. The state is located on the island of Kalimantan (Borneo). Kuching is located in the western part of Sarawak on both banks of the river of the same name, about 32 km from the sea.
In Kuching, the colonial-style Courthouse is worth seeing; the clock tower, built in 1883; White Raja Monument – a memorial to Charles Brook, the White Raja who ruled Sarawak; Chinese temple Tua Pek; Astana – a palace on the northern bank of the Sarawak River; monument to cats; suspension bridge; the old city mosque; the main city bazaar; The Sarawak Museum is one of the most famous anthropology museums in the world.
Kuching surrounded by sights on all sides. At 32 km from the city there are several “exemplary” villages, demonstrating the life of local tribes. About 150 people live here, who dress in traditional costumes and put on performances for tourists. The village has a theatre, a souvenir shop and a restaurant. There is also an opportunity to “play” a wedding in the style traditional for local tribes. The national parks of Gunung Gading, Bako and Tanjung Datu are located in the vicinity of Kuching. Before 1994 Gunung Gading National Park was closed to tourists and served as a conservation area for the giant rafflesia plant, whose flowers can reach a weight of 10 kg. Today, tourists can see these unique flowers with their own eyes. The peak of flowering usually occurs in November, December and January. The management of the park, as a rule, knows in advance the place and time of the appearance of the flower. The park’s hiking trail runs along mountain slopes covered with jungle, along rivers and waterfalls. Bako National Park guards the rocky coastline of the South China Sea, whose bizarre coastal formations have been shaped by erosion over millions of years. The area of the park is 27 sq. km. Here you can see almost all the plants that are found on the island of Kalimantan, as well as endemic proboscis monkeys. Tanjung Datu National Park located on the western edge of the state. Coastal coral reefs and island forest communities are protected in the park. In addition to national parks in the vicinity of Kuching, it is worth visiting the Matang Wildlife Center, where many orangutans rescued from death are taught to survive in the wild.
250 km east of Kuching, on the border with Indonesia, on an area of 240 sq. km, Batang Ai National Park is located. The only way to get here is to travel on the river by boat. The park has a vast reservoir, which was formed during the construction of a dam. A wide variety of monkeys live in the local rainforests. The park is also inhabited by the Iban tribes, who are known for their dwellings, which are a long one-story house consisting of one room.
On the northern coast of Sarawak are the Similajau, Niah and Lambir Hill National Parks. Similajau National Park is famous for its deserted sandy beaches and coastal forests. 36 species of mammals live here, of which 12 are marine (whales, dolphins, dugongs, etc.), 230 species of birds and saltwater crocodiles. Niah National Park located near the coast in the jungle. The name of the park was given by the Niah cave system located here. In these caves, human habitats, burials and rock inscriptions, which are about 40,000 years old, were discovered. Lambir Hill National Park covers an area of 7000 hectares, and for every 50 hectares of the park there are about 1050 different species of trees, each of which is home to about 1000 species of insects. Gibbons, tiny tarsier monkeys, bearded pigs, deer, clouded leopards and about 160 species of birds live in the local forest.
In the very east of Sarawak, there is a chain of one of the oldest caves in the world – Mulu. These caves are truly unique: here is the largest natural underground cavity in the world with dimensions of 700 m in length, 400 m in width and 70 m in height, the longest cave chain in Southeast Asia, stretching for 51.5 km, and also the world’s largest cave tunnel, which would accommodate 5 of London’s St. Paul’s Cathedrals. The caves are protected by the national park of the same name. In addition to the caves in the park, giant limestone pillars up to 45 m in height are interesting.
