

To get to the orchid garden from Kuching waterfront, you can either walk across the Darul Hana footbridge or take a short boat ride across the river. The gorgeous Normah Orchid – the state’s flower – can be spotted here and there. Tastefully laid out, the garden is very well looked after, and there are over 75,000 plants on display. Located just a short walk away from Fort Margherita, the Sarawak Orchid Garden is a delight to stroll around, with a myriad of different plants, flowers, and orchids lining its peaceful pathways and greenhouses. One of the main attractions in Kuching, the dazzling white walls and turrets of the fort stand out against the greens of the lawns and trees that surround it.īesides exploring the impressive fortifications, visitors can also take a look around the fort’s Police Museum, which has an amazing collection of old armaments and armor, including cannons, pistols, and swords. Overlooking the lively Kuching waterfront, Fort Margherita was built in 1879 on the banks of the Sarawak River to help protect the city from attack. With wildlife in the shape of proboscis monkeys and colorful hornbills for you to spot, Mount Santubong certainly makes for a memorable and nature-filled day out. Trekking through the lush rainforest to reach its summit is a marvelous experience, and the views from up high are simply spellbinding. Towering above its surroundings, the mount dominates the park, and its forested slopes rise dramatically above the glistening waters of the South China Sea. Located around half an hour’s drive to the north of Kuching, Mount Santubong lies at the heart of a delightful national park of the same name, with lots of great outdoor activities and beautiful scenery on offer. Due to re-open in mid-2020 after lengthy renovation works, the Sarawak Museum is well worth visiting if you want to learn more about Borneo and Kuching’s captivating past.

With the perfectly manicured lawns all around it, it wouldn’t look out of place in Merry Old England. The extensive collection is housed in a charming old building that dates to Victorian times. With lots of interesting ethnographic artifacts, local handicrafts, and wildlife specimens on display, the museum really is fascinating to wander around. Since then, it has educated countless numbers of people on the rich history, culture, and heritage of the island’s many indigenous groups. The oldest museum in the whole of Borneo, the Sarawak Museum was first opened in 1888. In addition to this, there are several venues located in the Old Courthouse that host art exhibitions and cultural performances. Nowadays, the lovely old colonial building is home to the fantastic Ranee Museum, which looks at the life and times of Margaret de Windt, the former queen of Sarawak. Its verandahs, pavilion, and Round Tower are very peaceful to walk around and showcase some wonderful architecture from different epochs. As such, it occupies a prominent place along Kuching’s waterfront. The Old Courthouseīuilt all the way back in 1871, the Old Courthouse was once the administrative center of the city. The pastel-colored colonial-era building lies on the banks of the Sarawak River and is just a stone’s throw away from the gorgeous Tua Pek Kong Temple, which is an important holy site for the local Chinese community. These document the history of the Chinese in Kuching since they first started migrating to the city around the year 1830. Among the extensive collection are lots of fantastic artifacts, photographs, and traditional costumes for you to peruse. Once the courthouse of the Sarawakian Chinese, this delightful museum now hosts a whole range of different exhibitions on the customs, cultures, and lifestyles of the nine main Chinese communities that came to live in the city. In addition to all of these tourist attractions, Kuching is ideally located if you want to explore the wild jungles and rugged coast that Sarawak is renowned for. Consequently, there are a lot of interesting historical sights to be found around town, with galleries, museums, and old colonial buildings all on show. Throughout its history, Kuching has been ruled by everyone from the Sultan of Brunei to the Japanese, and the adventurer James Brooke rather incredulously made it his own personal kingdom. As such, it is home to an intriguing mix of different peoples, cultures, and cuisines. Set in a picturesque spot on the banks of the Sarawak River, not far from the South China Sea, the city has long been an important trading post. Located in the west of Borneo Island, Kuching is the capital and largest city of the state of Sarawak in Malaysia.
