The best things to do in Kuching are the orangutan feedings at Semenggoh, a full day on the trails of Bako National Park, the Borneo Cultures Museum, the Waterfront and Darul Hana Bridge at dusk, and Sarawak laksa for breakfast. Give it four days: two in town for the bazaars and museums, two out in the parks.
Kuching is a state capital that still behaves like a river town. The old trading quarter faces the Astana, Fort Margherita and the golden roof of the State Assembly across the Sarawak River, and wooden boats still ferry people over. The rainforest starts half an hour out.
Semenggoh has rehabilitated orangutans since 1975, and the semi-wild apes living in its 653 hectares of forest still swing in for fruit at the twice-daily feedings. Arrive before the morning session; a sighting is likely, never promised.
Sarawak's oldest national park, gazetted in 1957, packs mangrove, heath forest and sandstone sea stacks into about 27 square kilometres. Proboscis monkeys feed near park headquarters and on the Telok Paku trail. Give it the whole day.
The S-shaped footbridge, opened in 2017, links the old shophouse bank with the Astana, Fort Margherita and the State Assembly's golden roof. Cross at dusk, when the river lights come on, then ride a penambang boat back.
Sarawak's flagship museum stands beside Padang Merdeka and tells the story of the state's peoples, from longhouse craft to the Brooke era and after. Allow two hours, and dress modestly, as the museum asks.
A living museum at the foot of Mount Santubong, with traditional houses of Sarawak's main communities set around a lake. Plan the visit around the cultural show at 11.30am or 4pm; the hosts in each house fill in the rest.
Main Bazaar, laid out in 1864, is the oldest street in Sarawak, and its five-foot ways hold the city's densest run of craft and antique shops. Carpenter Street behind it is old Chinatown: coffee shops, clan houses and Hong San Si.
Charles Brooke built the fort in 1879 to guard the river and named it after his wife, Margaret. It now houses the Brooke Gallery, the clearest account in town of a century of rule by the White Rajahs.
Kuching breakfasts on Sarawak laksa: vermicelli in a spiced coconut broth with prawns, chicken and omelette strips, lime and sambal on the side. Choon Hui is the bowl Anthony Bourdain championed, so expect a queue.
Since 2013 the weekend market has run at Medan Niaga Satok. Growers from upriver bring jungle ferns, wild honey, Borneo fruit and orchids, the clearest look at what Kuching eats before it reaches a plate.
Kubah's forest on the Matang range holds over 60 frog species, and the pond near park headquarters is one of the best places in Sarawak to hear them. Walk the waterfall trail by day, about 90 minutes each way, and the pond after dark.
Lion dances on Carpenter Street and lanterns over the temples.
Open houses in the Malay kampungs; the date follows the lunar calendar.
The Dayak harvest festival, a Sarawak holiday from 1 June.
Three days of world music at the Sarawak Cultural Village in late June.
22 July marks self-government in 1963, a state holiday.
More than 300 food stalls at the MBKS grounds on Jalan Padungan.
A month of arts, music and food events across the city centre.
Longboat racing on the Sarawak River, a tradition from the 1870s.
About 10 km south of the centre by road. Grab or the airport taxi counter covers the ride in 20 to 30 minutes.
The default for Semenggoh, Damai and the Bako jetty. Book the return before you leave town; rural pickups are thin.
Wooden boats cross the Sarawak River from the Waterfront to Kampung Boyan and Fort Margherita in minutes. Pay in cash as you get off.
Kuching Sentral is the long-distance terminal for the rest of Sarawak. Local buses reach Semenggoh and the Bako jetty, but timetables are loose.
Spiced coconut broth over vermicelli, with prawns and omelette strips.
Springy egg noodles tossed dry with char siu; halal stalls use chicken.
Layer cake baked one thin sheet at a time, in bright patterns.
Dayak chicken sealed in bamboo with lemongrass and ginger, cooked over fire.
Melanau raw fish cured in calamansi with chilli, ginger and onion.
Crunchy jungle fern stir-fried with shrimp paste and garlic.
Flat rice noodles in a sweet-sour tomato gravy, a Kuching classic.
Fine-grained rice from the Bario highlands, a staple of Dayak tables.
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