Sarawak Cultural Village

One of the must see places for any visitor is the Sarawak Cultural Village. And that was in my 'must do' list when I went to Sarawak.

So, what does one do in this village? House hopping of the many tribes! We started off with the unique coned shaped like Rumah Bidayuh (the Bidayuh house).

Met with this lady... she was just all smiles, and so welcoming to 'here house'. She tells me that she is Christian, and that she lives in Kuching (a good 45 minutes away) - and takes the bus to work daily.

Next up the long house of the Rumah Iban.

This was an interesting house with many people inside showcasing their culture. This lady is making a cloth, which designs are sometimes based on dreams... and that can take up to months to make.

There were some snacks being cooked on the spot.

When it is cooked - this is the pandan flavoured one.

There's also another cake - the kuih jala, cooked by another lady - who was also very friendly.

Next up, there is the Rumah Orang Ulu - which to me, was the most beautiful of them all. See its long decorated pilliars, with carvings of local motifs.

Up there, a guy played the local musical instrument.

It really caught my attention - for that a local instrument can play even the modern pop song! Isn't it nice? :)

Moving on, we were welcomed by the Orang Penan... "Hello, welcome to my office" the guys says without a blink, and smiled when we got his joke.

His station was quite unique as he allows one to do blow pipe - 3 tries for RM1.00.

The house hopping continues to another big house - the Rumah Orang Melanau, which has some colourful flags in the front.... giving one an impression that this house is one of the more grand ones.

And true - even the inside of the house has more items including antiques.

There is also this big bed, which is so well carved - again, all so grand.

A view of the lake - from the window of the Rumah Melanau.

There were a few more houses to see like the Malay house & also the Chinese house, but we had to rush to watch the daily performance.

This is where the many different tribes come together for a cultural show. And it is here that one can see the different costumes of all them, and to further understand the many races living in harmonious Sarawak.

I've been informed that there are close to 40 different tribes/ races in Sarawak. Maybe being a lil ignorant... for I didn't know that the major race in Sarawak is actually the Ibans, followed by the Chinese.

So coming to this village sure was good, as I now understand the multi racial aspects of East Malaysia, especially Sarawak better.

No wonder, there is the saying that East Malaysia is so multi racial - way more than what we experience in West Malaysia! I agree on this.

And I also think that this leads to the good thing about Sarawak - where everyone seems to bond so much better & are so friendly - be it from Kuching city or the outskirts... relating very closely to the tagline we have - 'the Malaysian warmth & Malaysian smile'... I personally think it's all here in Kuching - from my experience, at least! :)


*The Sarawak Cultural Village is about 45 minutes from Kuching city centre. One can take the busses (arranged with hotels) or like me, take a private tour.

*The Entrance Fee:
RM 60.00 (Adult)
RM 30.00 (Child : 6-12 years old)
Free for Children aged under 6.
Local Sarawakians get a discount.

It is advised that you bring enough cash, as if not wrong, they only accept certain credit cards.

*There are two must watch, Cultural Shows per day:
1130am - 1215pm
1600pm - 1645pm
I'd advise an early start, if you want to really see all - but then again, the journey up is just so enjoyable too!

*One can opt to stay overnight at the Cultural Village - with rather affordable rates too (RM91 inclusive of F&B!) - Accomodation details.