Miri
Kayaking at Melinau River in the Mulu National Park - STBpic
Miri is more than just a booming oil and timber town; it is the gateway to the northeast region, rapidly becoming Sarawak's most popular tourist area. The town is also gaining a reputation for swinging nightlife as it caters to oil workers and weekend visitors from neighboring Brunei.
It is within easy reach of national parks, huge rivers, heritage and adventure travel destinations and some of the best scuba diving in Borneo.
Don't see Miri as just a staging post as it has attractions of its own. Not least is a wide range of accommodation from international class hotels to budget inns, good beaches and dozens of lively restaurants, pubs and bars.
The town's rapid growth has meant the opening of several modern shopping malls, but near the old harbors there are handicraft shops. Exotic jungle produce can be found at the native market opposite the main bus station. The town's most famous landmark is the grand Old Lady on top of Canada Hill, the first well to strike oil in 1910. These days production is offshore and some of the platforms can be see n from Canada Hill.
Good places to meet the local people are Brighton Beach, near the mouth of the Miri River and the open-air seafood centre on the promenade at Taman Selera. Miri also has a number of travel agents specializing in adventure holidays. The Mulu National Park is just 40 minutes away by light aircraft; Niah Caves are less than two hours drive away and you can reach the world's most biodiversity site at Lambir Hills in just 25 minutes. Half a day away by longboat or four-wheel-drive is Loagan Bunut a unique expanding and contracting lake that is a bird watcher's paradise.
From Miri you can reach the Bario Highlands by air in 40 minutes or travel by boat up the mighty Baram River and visit longhouses along the way. No wonder the Miri area was the venue for the Raid Gauloise held in 1994, an international team adventure competition.
Its international airport, just 15 minutes from the town center, has frequent flights to Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and all of Sarawak's major towns. There are also light aircraft flights to several isolated rural communities.
Miri is your center for the adventure holiday of a lifetime. Miri will hopefully attain it's Resort City Status by the year 2005.
Give us your views on what must be tried, seen, eaten, or just say something about this place.
Related Stories
Miri – from where it all began
Miri city to boost quality of life
Miri's most famous son bullish about cit...
Park reflects composition of ‘migrant to...
How to get there
Air
MAS operates frequent flights between Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri. Contact your local MAS office or travel agent for full details. MAS Rural Air Service flies Twin Otters to a host of rural airfields, including Miri-Bario (for the Kelabit Highlands), Miri-Mulu (for Gunung Mulu National Park) and Sibu-Kapit-Belaga (for the Rejang River).
A number of air charter companies can offer tailor-made solutions to visitors' travel needs. If you are travelling in a group, this needn't be too expensive. Please e-mail us for further details.
Road
There is an extensive bus network linking most of the major towns, including Kuching, Sibu, Sarikei, Sri Aman, Bintulu and Miri. Gunung Gading, Kubah, Niah Caves and Lambir Hills National Parks are easily accessible by public bus services, as is Semenggok Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Bus travel in Sarawak is generally economical, comfortable and reliable.
Taxis are easily found outside the large hotels or at taxi stands in all the major towns. Fares are reasonable, but should always be agreed in advance.
With the rapidly improving condition of Sarawak's road network,self-drive rental cars are a good alternative to public transport. Reputable operators can be found in most major towns.
Water
Express Boats - These powerful boats, which often resemble wingless aircraft, are the main means of travel on the major rivers and between the coastal towns. Express boat services are available to most of the major inland destinations, and as well as being fast and economical, they offer an excellent opportunity to enjoy the scenery and meet the locals.
Longboats and Sampans - Local river travel is usually in smaller craft. Small wooden longboats are the equivalent of buses and taxis in upriver areas, and visitors to longhouses will normally experience the pleasures of upriver travel in one. In Kuching, wooden sampans, known locally as tambangs, are used as river taxis and are an excellent way of discovering the Kuching river front.
For more information, e-mail :stb@sarawaktourism.com
