Kuching

Introduction

Kuching is the capital of Sarawak and its most populous city, set on the Sarawak River at the southwestern tip of the state, on the island of Borneo. It is also the seat of Kuching Division, and the city itself spreads across a substantial area of more than 400 square kilometres.

Administratively the city is divided into two regions, Kuching North and Kuching South, each with its own character and population. Together they form the urban whole that most visitors experience as Kuching.

Before you go

Kuching is the former capital of the White Rajahs of Sarawak, and locals take pride in their clean, attractive and multicultural city. It's generally safe and relatively clean, but expect a noticeably different experience from West Malaysia. The name is often linked to the Malay word for cat, though it may also come from a Chinese word for port or the Malay term for the longan fruit. The city is one of the most multi-racial in Malaysia, with Chinese, Malay, Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu, Indian and Javanese communities, and most locals speak at least Malay plus their own ethnic tongue, with many speaking decent English.

The climate is tropical rainforest: sunshine year-round, no dry season and no pronounced summer or winter, with heavy and frequent rain. It is drier in July and August and wetter between November and February, the time of the Landas monsoon, though this does not hinder tourist activities. Kuching celebrates all federal holidays except Deepavali, plus Good Friday and Gawai Day. Expect large local celebrations for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Gawai, a harvest celebration that begins around sunset on 31 May and can last several days. If you plan to tour the Santubong area, avoid the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, when traffic towards Petra Jaya is heavy.

Getting there

Because Kuching sits in Sarawak, which keeps its own immigration procedures, an ordinary Malaysian visa may not be enough; most visitors can get a visa on arrival at Kuching International Airport, but check the Sarawak rules before you travel.

Kuching International Airport is Sarawak's main gateway, with near-hourly flights from Kuala Lumpur and frequent services from Singapore, Johor Bahru, Labuan, Kota Kinabalu and other Sarawak cities such as Sibu, Bintulu and Miri; MASwings links Kuching with Mukah, and international connections are limited to Singapore and Jakarta. Airlines serving the airport include AirAsia, Firefly, Scoot and Wings Air. The airport is modern and pleasant, with shops and restaurants on the lower concourse and in the arrival and departure halls; note that all flights leaving Sarawak pass through passport control, and the upper concourse used by international flights has no shops or restaurants. The city is about 20 minutes away by taxi, though school-run and rush-hour traffic can stretch the short trip considerably, and Uber or GrabCar is a cheaper option. Buses no longer run directly between the airport and the city centre, but several services stop roughly a kilometre west of the airport, and the most convenient place to catch them back is the main bus terminal in the city.

• By boat: The Express Bahagia runs a once-daily service from Kuching to Sibu, with stops at Sarikei and Tanjung Manis, departing from Pending Express Boat Jetty east of the city; the exact time varies with the tides, so arrive an hour early to buy tickets. City Public Link bus K1 reaches the jetty from the city centre. Bring snacks, as none are sold on board, board early for a good seat, and sit upstairs or outside to avoid seasickness and take in the views.
• By bus: Long-distance express buses use the regional express bus terminal, also called Kuching Sentral or "3½ miles", south of the city and about a kilometre from the airport. Services connect to major Sarawak cities like Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, to Pontianak in Indonesia, and to nearby towns such as Lundu and Sri Aman. To reach Kuching Sentral from the city centre, take Sarawak Transport 3A or City Public Link bus K3 towards Serian from the city bus terminal near the main mosque; the buses do not enter the station itself, stopping on the main north–south road nearby. Buses to closer destinations such as Bako National Park, Bau and the Semenggoh Orang Utan Centre leave from various spots in the city centre near the main mosque, depending on the company.
• By car: Driving from Indonesia is straightforward, as an Indonesian licence is accepted in Malaysia. Within Sarawak the roads connecting towns to Kuching are well maintained, but long, winding stretches with few rest stops can be tiring. Travellers from Sabah and Brunei can use the Pan Borneo Highway, though you will pass through immigration several times at the Sabah–Sarawak and Malaysia–Brunei borders; Bruneian drivers need a permit, obtained by filling in a form at the Malaysian checkpoint, and a Bruneian licence is valid in Malaysia.
• By helicopter: Private helicopters and aircraft can be chartered from Hornbill Skyways.

Getting around

Kuching has no train, metro or tram network, so you'll get around by bus, taxi, ride-hailing car, boat or on foot. Public buses are run by a handful of private companies and are oriented around a few key hubs rather than one integrated system, with many local departures leaving from spots in the city centre near the main mosque. City Public Link's yellow-and-green buses cover routes including the K1 to the Pending Express Boat Jetty and the K3 towards Serian via Kuching Sentral; Sarawak Transport Company runs routes including bus 3A towards Serian and Kuching Sentral; BusAsia's red No. 1 runs from the open air market near Electra House to Bako Bazaar, where you transfer to a boat for Bako National Park; and Kuching Metro's No. 103 departs from the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) for Semenggoh. Fares are low and paid in cash, and schedules aren't always clearly published, so it helps to ask at your accommodation or at the terminal about departure points and times for your destination. Mini buses also operate, including to Semenggoh and Bako, and tend to be a little faster and more regular but more expensive than the big buses. For long-distance travel, Kuching Sentral south of the city is where express buses arrive from and depart for Sibu, Bintulu, Miri and Pontianak, as well as regional towns such as Lundu and Sri Aman; to reach it from the centre, take STC bus 3A or CPL bus K3 with destination Serian. City buses don't enter the station itself — the stop is on the main north–south road nearby, and getting back to the city centre means crossing that busy road to the opposite stop.

Boats are part of the mix: the Express Bahagia runs a once-daily service from Kuching to Sibu out of the Pending Express Boat Jetty, with departure times that vary with the tides, and river taxis known as tambang or penambang cross the Sarawak River at various points along the Kuching Waterfront. Taxis and ride-hailing cars are the most straightforward option for point-to-point trips, especially where buses don't run. Taxis are metered in principle but drivers seldom use the meter, so appraise the driver's honesty before proceeding; ride-hailing services including Maxim and Grab are commonplace and hassle-free for the city and airport, though for rural areas outside Kuching you may not find a car for the return trip and can negotiate a waiting and return fee with the driver. Some drivers may ask you to cancel the trip in the app and pay cash instead. Driving yourself is possible — roads in the city and suburbs are well tarred and fairly maintained, orientation is on the left and generally slow-paced — but directional signs are inadequate, so you'll want Google Maps and a mobile internet connection, and you should drive defensively as some drivers turn or overtake without indicating. Car rental firms operate from the airport and around town, and motorcycle and bicycle rental is also available; roads are adequate for cycling though not bicycle friendly. Walking works well for the historic core along the Sarawak River, where the bazaar, temples and waterfront sights sit close together, but beyond the centre the city spreads out and the heat and humidity make long walks less appealing. From the airport, a taxi takes about twenty minutes outside peak times but up to an hour in rush hour or during the school run, ride-hailing is cheaper, and public buses no longer serve the airport–city centre route directly — other buses stop roughly a kilometre west of the airport, and the easiest place to catch them back towards the airport is the main bus terminal in the city.

Where to stay

Budget options cluster around Chinatown and the city centre. Check-In Lodge sits on the main street of Chinatown, with dorms and private rooms, a rooftop and a small pool. Threehouse Bed & Breakfast, under Iban and Scandinavian ownership, is tucked on Upper China Street in the middle of town. Tune Hotel - Waterfront Kuching, opposite the Hilton, keeps services limited and basic. Sunset Homestay offers capsule-style bunks with curtains for extra privacy, plus lockers, air conditioning and free wifi.

Mid-range choices include the Harbour View Hotel, centrally placed in front of the Kuching Waterfront, and Hotel Grand Continental, a comfortable walk from the waterfront. The LimeTree Hotel is a boutique property adjacent to Chinatown, minutes from the Waterfront and malls, while Citadines Uplands Kuching provides studio and apartment-style stays with a business centre and outdoor pool. For a splurge, the Hilton Kuching has a riverside location worth paying extra for a river view, and the Merdeka Palace Hotel, next to the Sarawak Museum, carries more colonial character than its riverside rivals, with a rooftop pool overlooking the city. The Riverside Majestic, despite its name, sits just across the street from the river, and Pullman Kuching, on its hilltop at Jalan Mathies, looks out over the city and the Sarawak River.

Food & drink

Eating out is the main pastime in Kuching, and you'll find a huge variety of eateries at pretty cheap prices with excellent service. The more local the place, the less English is spoken, so be prepared to point and smile. Most places are quite clean, but if you're not comfortable with a spot, simply walk somewhere else — there are plenty to choose from.

Sarawak laksa is the most noticeably Sarawakian dish here, built on a base of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped with omelette strips, chicken, prawns and fresh coriander. It's considered a breakfast dish, and the popular places sell out fast. Halal versions appear at Malay coffee shops, non-Halal at Chinese ones; the Chinese style has a thinner gravy with more toppings, while the Malay version is thicker with more beansprouts. Kolo mee, an egg noodle served with sliced roasted pork, is a daily staple for the local Chinese, eaten at breakfast, lunch or supper, though some eateries only serve it until noon. It comes plain or seasoned with red sauce, and differs from wonton mee in that it isn't drenched in dark soy sauce. Other dishes worth seeking out include mee sapi, a gravy-ish take on kolo mee; manok pansoh, Iban chicken stuffed into bamboo with mushrooms, lemongrass and tapioca leaves and cooked over an open fire, which some restaurants require you to book ahead; manok kacangma, a herbal chicken dish eaten with white rice; and umai, a raw fish salad of thin fish slivers with onion, chilli, salt and sour fruit juice, served with toasted sago pearls. Midin, a jungle fern, is fried with garlic or belacan, and you can try umai, midin and manok kacangma at nasi campur spreads during lunch hours. Bubur pedas, a spiced porridge, appears only during Ramadan, and linut, a sticky sago flour dish, is a Melanau food served at gatherings. If dabai is in season, try the small black fruit soaked and eaten with salt, sugar or soy sauce. Kuching has also absorbed Thai favourites such as tom yam, nasi paprik and pattaya, along with bakso and soto from Indonesia, nasi ayam Singapura, and Western food and fast food chains.

What to see and do

Kuching's appeal lies in how its high-rises sit close to lush green jungle, and the city is known as a memorable sunset spot — head to the Waterfront, the Santubong Peninsula or the Bako Peninsula to watch the sun go down. Any visit is incomplete without a walk along the Kuching Waterfront, once a line of old warehouses and now the city's most popular meeting place; by day it offers the best views of the Astana, Fort Margherita, the DUN complex and the Malay kampungs of Kampung Sinjan and Kampung Lintang, while at night it fills with couples and youngsters. Food kiosks line the waterfront, including one serving mee mamak; if you order traditional Malay food such as grilled fish, ask for it to be warmed up. Nearby, the Main Bazaar is a long row of shophouses selling Sarawak souvenirs and handicrafts, and at its east end stands the Tua Pek Kong Temple, the oldest Chinese temple in the city and the site of festivals such as the Wang Kang Festival and Ghost Festival.

Across the river, reached by tambang boat from the Waterfront or by road through Petra Jaya, Fort Margherita was built as a defensive structure and now houses the Brooke Gallery, a museum devoted to the White Rajahs, along with old cannons, guns and swords. The Astana, the residence of the Head of State, sits on the north bank just across from the Waterfront, built as a bridal gift and flanked by an orchid garden with an observation tower. The city's museums cluster just south of the centre: the Sarawak Museum, the oldest in Borneo, has been renamed the Borneo Cultures Museum and holds ethnic displays and historical items from Sarawak, while the Dewan Tun Abdul Razak opposite houses changing exhibitions and a gift shop. Also worth seeking out are the Sarawak Islamic Museum, with its galleries around a courtyard garden, the small Chinese History Museum at the east end of the Main Bazaar, the Sarawak Timber Museum, the Sarawak Textile Museum, and the Cat Museum with its large collection of cat memorabilia. Further afield, the Sarawak Cultural Village is a living museum where you can experience the lifestyles of Sarawak's ethnic groups, and the annual Rainforest World Music Festival takes place there each July. For something quieter, the Friendship Garden has ponds, koi fish and two wishing wells, while Taman Budaya, once a reservoir, is a spot for jogging and walking beside a large pond. The Sunday Market in Satok, which comes alive from Saturday afternoon into Sunday afternoon, spreads across sections for food, fruit, vegetables, fish — including salted terubok — potted plants, jungle produce such as wild honey, pets, clothing and toys; wear shoes for the wet fish and chicken areas, and note that some stalls close during big celebrations like Gawai, Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, while the roofed Pasar Tamu section operates daily.

When to go

Kuching has a tropical rainforest climate, so there is no dry season and no pronounced summer or winter. Expect warmth and heavy, frequent rainfall throughout the year, with sunshine continuing even during wetter stretches. Because temperatures stay consistent, days feel much like one another whatever month you visit.

• July and August: the drier stretch of the year, though rain still falls.
• November through February: the wetter period, when the Landas monsoon brings heavy and frequent rainfall. Despite the wet conditions, tourist activities are not hindered.

Festivals & events

Kuching's festival calendar is anchored by the Rainforest World Music Festival, held each June. Time your visit around it if you want the city at its most musical, with performers and audiences gathering for the event.

Three days in Kuching

Day one: Start by getting your bearings along the Sarawak River, the waterway that gives Kuching its shape and its rhythm. The city sits on the island of Borneo, in the state of Sarawak, and is split administratively into Kuching North and Kuching South, which together make up Kuching Division. Wander the older streets where Chinese shophouses and Malay kampung life sit side by side, a reminder that this is a place shaped by Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu, Indian and Javanese communities, with English widely spoken alongside Malay. If your visit falls in July or August, expect the city to be at its liveliest, and check whether your dates overlap with Gawai Day, Gawai, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Good Friday or Landas, since these can transform the streets and the calendar.

Day two: Head out of the centre towards Santubong, where the river meets the coast and the landscape opens up. This is the side of Kuching where you can slow down, take in the views back across the water and get a sense of how the city relates to the wider Sarawak region. Petra Jaya, on the north bank, gives you another angle on the city and its spread. Because Kuching is a place of many communities, your meals are a good way to travel through its cultures - look for the everyday cooking of the Malay, Chinese and indigenous groups rather than anything staged for visitors.

Day three: Use your last day to fill in the gaps. Revisit the riverfront at a different time of day, when the light changes and the city feels different again. If you are here in November or February, you may catch a quieter mood between the bigger festivals, while May brings its own observances. The White Rajahs left their mark on Kuching in ways you will have noticed over the previous two days, and the contrast with West Malaysia is part of what makes Sarawak distinct. Keep the pace easy, stay close to the river, and let the city's mix of Malay, Chinese, Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu, Indian and Javanese influences set the tone for your final hours.