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Venture into the old part of Kuching and walk through the streets of the Little India, as well as the Main Bazaar. The sights, sounds and smells of old Asia will fill your senses with awe. If you wish to enter the Islamic mosque here (one of the oldest around) you will have to respect the local custom and take off your shoes and follow the dress code. Make a stop to visit the oldest Chinese temple in Sarawak. Walk past the Istana, Fort Margheritta, the old courthouse, ending up at a typical local "Kopi Tiam" (this is the local word for Coffee Shop) open air cafe. You can try and savor some local dishes like the very famous Sarawak "Laksa" (noodles cooked in coconut milk) or "Kolok Mee" (noodles cooked in soya sauce).
Rest of the day is free at your own leisure. Overnight at hotel.
KUCHING MALUDAM (B/L/D)
DAY 3 Please check out from the hotel. You can store your luggage at bell-counter of the hotel!! Bring along a long-sleeve or windbreaker as it can be cold inside the air-cond express boat.
Maludam Homestay
This is a Malays fishing village, located up north of Sri Aman division in Sarawak. There is no road from Kuching which connects this village; the easiest way to get there is by express boat. Maludam consist of about 5,000 inhabitants, dominating about 80% of Malays, 17% Iban & 3% Chinese. Its coastal lowland forest is the largest in the region.
(Due to time schedule change by boat operator regularly, please be punctual for the departure time)
Morning, meet at the hotel lobby and transfer by van to express boat wharf which will take about 2 hours to arrive at the jetty. Upon arrival get into the express boat with your belongings inside the express boat. The boat journey will take about 2 1/2 hours to reach Trisio then enroute by van to Maludam. Packed lunch will be served on board with a bottle of mineral water.
Arrival at the village with a warm welcome by a Malay family. You will be introduced to the family where you are going to spend a night. Snacks will be served in Malay style (Hidang) by this family. After that, you may proceed on a small motorise boat to look for some wildlife in the area such as crocodiles, proboscis monkeys, macaques, langgurs and others. Return to your adopted home in the late afternoon.
Before dinner you can join the family in preparing the meal - please inform your guide about it - then enjoy your dinner with the family, followed by leisurely evening before retiring for the night.
Overnight with this Malay family (simple accommodation with towel/mattress and blanket provided).
MALUDAM - SIBU (B/L/D)
DAY 4 Enjoy a breakfast prepared by our guides/host who are well known for their cooking skills! After your breakfast you say goodbye to your adopted family members and venture onward, by express boat again, to Pusa. Pusa is a very small district town dominated by Malays Iban and a small group of Chinese. Enjoy a typical local lunch in Pusa at a local restaurant, after which you will proceed overland by van/car to reach Sibu. (130 km). Along the way to Sibu several interesting stops.
First stop will be at a traditional Iban Longhouse. The Iban Chief and his people will welcome you. The Ibans in this village are mainly farmers. They cultivate "wild" rice, fish in the rivers and hunt wild animals for food. Stroll along the longhouse and get to know the very interesting culture and customs of this tribe. Second stop will be at Jakar town. This is a most famous pepper-growing town in Sarawak. After a short cigarette/toilet stop, visit a pepper farm and a factory which processes pepper.
Third stop will be a photo stop at a combined Chinese and Christian cemetery. You will proceed to Sibu. Upon arrival in Sibu, check-in at your hotel. In the early evening, visit an interesting night market and Sibu's waterfront. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight hotel of your choice.
SIBU LAMIN DANA (B/L/D)
DAY 5 After breakfast, check out of the hotel and get ready for your road journey to Mukah. First, you will stop at Pagoda temple in Sibu town centre before you proceed to Mukah.
Mukah is a popular Sago processing town of Sarawak, which is dominated by Melanau tribe. Sago Palms grow very well in low-lying soft and wet peat soil and in Mukah they are still processed in the traditional way. Upon arrival at Mukah, you will be taken to a traditional Melanau house called "Lamin Dana." Lamin Dana is built to accommodate visitors. The rooms are fitted with ventilators and twin beds. Lamin Dana is located in the center of Telian village where traditional Sago processing is the main occupation of this people. Upon arrival at Mukah, proceed for lunch at a local restaurant. Then check-in at the Lamin Dana Melanau house.
Afternoon, proceed by car / van to the various places of this village and experience how Sago logs are pulled/dragged along the stream. Watch how starch is extracted from sago dust and how sago pellets are made in various sizes before they are exported. Return to Lamin Dana.
Dinner at Lamin Dana. Enjoy an evening strol along this village before retiring for the night. Overnight in Lamin Dana.
LAMIN DANA SIBU MIRI (B/L/-)
DAY 6 After breakfast at Lamin Dana, check out. Return to Sibu by road (100 km) with two en route stops. One will be to view the last stage of sago processing. Here you will see how sago is manufactured into various food products like flour, biscuits and gelatin before they are exported to the outside world. Next will be a lunch stop at a local restaurant. You will also be able to see beautiful wild orchids and oil palm plantations along the way. Proceeding directly to Sibu airport and continue the journey with a flight to Miri.
Upon arrival in Miri, transfer to hotel of your choice for overnight.
MIRI MULU (B/L/-)
DAY 7 After breakfast, transfer to Miri airport for your flight to Mulu. Arrival at Mulu National Park, check-in at the Royal Mulu Resort. Local lunch will be provided outside the resort. In the afternoon, depart to visit the Deer and Lang caves. Wait for the bats which form a wonderful skyline over the evening sky. Return to the resort for overnight.
Note: Please leave your heavy suitcases in the hotel (in Miri) for storage and bring only a light backpack with necessary items as your flight to Mulu is a small aircraft which can allow not more than 10kg luggage per person. Overnight at Mulu resort before retiring for the night. Overnight in Lamin Dana.
MULU (B/L/-)
DAY 8 Breakfast. Depart towards Mulu National Park, you will walk towards to the entrance of Wind cave. Explore Wind Cave then venture to Clearwater Cave for further exploration. Have lunch and swim in the beautiful clear water streams. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure to enjoy the park. Overnight at Royal Mulu Resort.
MULU MIRI (B/L/-)
DAY 9 Breakfast. Depart for a Batu Mulong Penan Herbal tour.
This tour takes you on a journey with a Long Iman Penan tribesman (the only nomadic tribe in Sarawak), who will bring you on a trip into the jungle to show natural herbal medicines that this tribe have been using for centuries to cure sickness. Depart by a native longboat down the river into Batu Mulong, where you will meet your Penan guide from the Long Iman's longhouse. From here you will take a boat trip into the jungle where the Penan guide will show and explain several different plants and their uses as herbal cures.
Short trip to visit a burial site of the Orang Ulu tribe (this is an old burial ground of the former Orang Ulu tribe who has since migrated to other parts in Sarawak & Kalimantan. But there are some interesting totem poles and stories). Before returning to the resort you can make a stop at a natural hot spring used by the local Mulu people. It is a bit muddy but you can try it. Please pay RM 2 to the inhabitants directly if you wish to use the hot spring. Local lunch. Depart to the airport for your flight back to Mulu/Miri.
Please do not hesitate to ask us, if you wish to continue your journey to Kota Kinabalu or to other destinations.
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ITINERARY