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Miri, Sarawak
| Miri
is the third largest town in Sarawak and the gateway to the North
East Region. The town is a bustling commercial centre with some 150,000
inhabitants, and the home of Sarawak’s oil industry. It is within easy
reach of national parks, mighty river, heritage sites and adventure
travel destinations, offering the visitor some of the most fascinating
experiences in all of Sarawak.
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An aerial view of Miri town and the South China Sea on the right |
The town offers a wide range of
accommodation ranging from international class hotels to budget inns,
good beaches nearby, and dozens of lively restaurants, pubs and bars.
The centre is very compact and the busy streets are cramped with
hundreds of shops, as well as bustling street markets.
A number of modern malls offers shopping opportunities. There are
plenty of sights to see. The most famous landmark in Miri is the ‘Grand Old
Lady’ on top of Canada Hill, the first well to strike oil in Sarawak in 1910.
Production has moved offshore nowadays, and some of the production platforms can
be seen from Canada Hill. Pleasant places to stroll include Brighton Beach, near
the mouth of Miri River, Taman Selera, a busy open-air seafood centre facing
the sea, the new Miri Park, with food stalls and bbq pits, and the recently
completed Esplanade beach. |
| Miri is the jumping off
point for many of Sarawak’s excellent national parks. Gunung Mulu, 40
minutes away by air, is home to the world’s largest cave system, as well
as untouched rainforest and remarkable rock formations such as the
Pinnacles. Lambir Hills, the world’s most biologically diverse
rainforest, dotted with sparkling waterfalls, is a mere 25 minutes from
town. |
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Niah Caves, an important heritage site
and one of the cradles of mankind, is less than two hours drive away. It
is an important archaeological site and one of the cradles of
civilization in Southeast Asia; human remains found here have been dated
as over 40,000 years old. Visitors can see birds nest collectors at work
in the Great Cave, view the ancient rock paintings in the Painted Cave,
and stop off at a friendly Iban longhouse. |
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