Why You Can’t Leave Sarawak Without Visiting Miri
Not many people have heard about or even travelled to Miri before. When you think of Sarawak, you will probably only relate it to Kuching. It’s our first time hearing about Miri too and we’re glad that we get to experience this amazing city!
Spot The Bird Nest Hunters At Niah Caves
Niah Caves go way back in history where 40,000 year old human remains were discovered! The tradition of the bird nest hunting also started a long time ago where the locals risk their lives to retrieve those swiftlets’ nests tucked high up in the cave ceiling!
If you look closely at the photo below, you’ll notice these thin long poles hanging down from the cave ceilings. Yes, this is the way up to the cave ceiling where the bird nest collectors get their raw bird nests. They have no safety harness or any other safety equipment when climbing up these wooden poles! Crazy right? These local people have been doing these over many generations and it’s very interesting that each pole belongs to 1 family. Somewhat similar to a plot of farm land that has been distributed to different families.
At the entrance of Niah Cave
Apparently they used this really strong and heavy hard wood (ironwood) to build the pole ladders. These wood typically last for more than 100 years without rotting or breaking! And they’re really really heavy! I tried lifting one of it and it felt almost impossible. It’s just very hard to imagine how they can build these pole ladders which reach all the way up to the ceiling!
Ceiling of Niah Cave where the locals collect the raw bird nests
Tip: Start your trip to Niah Cave early! There’s so much to explore within the cave and you will need at least more than 3 hours. Sadly we didn’t have enough time to visit the Painted Caves 🙁
Challenge Your Senses At Lambir National Park
Usually people visit Lambir National Park during the day but for us, we did something special and did a nocturnal walk instead! According to our guide, the park comes alive at night and the experience is just different from during the day. Boy was it true!
Night trek at Lambir National Park
Somehow your senses awaken the moment you step into the darkness of this forest. Your ears prick at the slightest and your eyes become more alert and notice every small movement made. Perhaps with full light during the day, our senses tend to take things for granted and fall into “sleep mode”. But they definitely can’t be asleep when it’s all darkness surrounding you.
Tip: This park is awesome for macro photography. Bring along a strong flash light if you wish to take photo of these cute little creatures! Request for Miki (park ranger), he’s very familiar with the park and can help you to spot these tiny creatures.
Cute tiny leaf frog spotted!
Colourful micro stick insect
Cute froggy hiding among the leaves!
Essential Information
How to get there
For Niah Cave, it’s only takes less than hour to drive from Miri city. For Lambir National Park, it’s also around 40 minutes drive from Miri City. Both places are pretty accessible by car but not by public transport.
Where we stayed in Miri
Kingwood Boutique Hotel (Click here to check for latest hotel prices and book directly)
Awesome location, you have plenty of food choices just right outside of your hotel. There is a shopping mall with a supermarket just 5 minutes walk away as well. The rooms were small but very cozy. Super comfortable beds! Overall we really enjoyed staying in this hotel!
How to book the above tours
We booked our tour with Amazing Borneo and they arranged for our accommodation, guide and transport in Miri! Great service, highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy agency in Sarawak.
