Discover the best things to do in Kuching (Borneo)
Borneo just sounds exotic, and as the world’s third largest island there is plenty to explore with the north belonging to Malaysia and the south to Indonesia. Most people who visit instantly think of heading to the northern tip and Kota Kinabalu but there is another place that should not be overlooked and that is Kuching!
Kuching is a very calm waterfront town, with it’s own airport with frequent flights from K-L, Kota Kinabalu, Singapore and Johor, among others so getting there isn’t too difficult at all. The town is known as the city of cats, and there are everywhere in art form as well as real life form. We spent 5 days based in the city and found so much to do to fill our days so would definitely recommend a read on and to decide if it is one for you as well.
Our first day in Kuching was one to find our feet after a long day of travelling the day before (as we came here from Tioman Island). We had a serviced apartment with a rooftop shared pool (which we never saw anyone else in) in the centre of the town around 10 minutes from the river front which is a wide promenade perfect for pushchairs and young children. There are things to see on both sides of the river but to find our bearings we just mooched around the side we were on which included China Town. We meandered through the beautiful streets at a fairly slow pace, marveling at all of the sculptures of cats, bikes, crocodiles, and art work and murals on the sides of buildings. There is a very chilled out way of life here, and even lunch took over a lunch to arrive!
Day 2 we headed out for wildlife spotting, getting a Grab to Semonggok Orangutan Wildlife Centre, around 20 minutes outside of Kuching. Having already visited these amazing creatures at Sepilok in Sandakan this was definitely a more rustic experience and if I had to pick, this was my preferred. It is also quieter and wilder with less vying for position to see the orangutans than in Sepilok and we were treated to 2 adults and a baby enjoying their breakfast. There is also a small gift shop, visitor centre and also 2 crocodiles which had to be captured supposedly after eating a small child! Opening times are limited with 8-10am in the morning and 2-4pm in the afternoon, with feeding time being the 2nd hour of each session. Tickets are extremely good value as well, only £2 per adult and half price for children.
After a morning of Orangutan viewing we went back to the river and took a boat to the other side to explore the castle. Even in the heat this was a worthwhile walk and activity, with nice grounds, cannons for the kids to explore and turrets to climb up in. The boat trip across the river takes around 2 minutes and there is a small fee for the driver.
That evening we ventured to the Topspot food market - a seafood hawker market on top of a multi-storey car park - very bizarre, but so much freshly caught fish to choose and have cooked however you prefer. I’m not a fish eater but even I could appreciate how delicious this all looked and there were other things to eat.
Day 3 was for more wildlife, starting out with a mangrove tour and dolphin spotting via a boat tour. We were very lucky and saw lots of Irrawady dolphins in the estuary, all of them following fisherman for their daily catch! From our boat whilst heading through the mangroves we also saw blue crabs, proboscis monkeys, mud flappers, storks and eagles - as well as a snake in the local village. The boat trip itself was a couple of hours altogether and life jackets were supplied although the water was very calm, heading out along the river towards the estuary.
After lunch at the nearby Damai Beach Resort, we headed to the Sarawak Culture Village which was great fun, exploring the long houses and climbing up the ladders. There were various performances along the way, ladders to climb (some of them huge) and see a more traditional way of life. There are paths, lakes and bridges to explore as well as the long houses of which there are enough to spend a few hours here. This ‘museum’ has been carefully prepared to be as authentically as possible. There was then a performance and traditional dancing on stage, which our children ended up featuring in! The kids loved this afternoon so definitely one for them! (and very educational for the adults too). Tickets are £14 for adults and £9 for children with under 2s going free.
Day 4 we visited the Bako National Park, only accessible by boat again (which depart from a jetty 45 minutes drive from Kuching) and home to proboscis monkeys, wild boars, and other wildlife. You arrive on a huge expanse of beach after passing stunning shorelines, rocky coastlines, green sea and empty beaches - although no swimming here due to fear of crocs! We explored the trekking paths (16 in total) to spot wildlife but word of warning this is not pushchair friendly and sturdy shoes are needed. Our 4 year old managed it fine, and I was carrying out youngest in the carrier and again no issues if you take your time, but there is a bit of rock scrambling to overcome. It’s very much worth it though and we saw hermit crabs, more monkeys, a snake and macaques. There are different paths of difficulty - we opted for easy and very pleased we did. On the return journey we paid a little more and our boat driver took us along the coastline and coves a little more which was really interesting.
Our last evening in Kuching was all about enjoying the waterfront by night. The lights are beautiful with all the buildings on both sides of the river, and the bridges lit up. We are so pleased we opted to come to this part of Borneo, even after having spent the same amount of time in KK and Sandakan - it was a very different vibe!
