Kuching Travel Guide, Sarawak

About Kuching

Kuching is the capital of Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia. Presently its population is approaching half a million people. The origin of the name Kuching, which means cat in Malay, is believed to come from two likely sources. Firstly, the word has a similar sound to kochin, which means harbour in Chinese. Another explanation has it that when James Brooke, the wealthy English adventurer, arrived in the Kuching area, he saw a lot of fruit trees bearing browish round fruits with sweet flesh. When he asked for the name of the fruit, the response was mata kuching. That name was corrupted to Kuching, and the word came to be used for the place.

Sarawak Cultural Performance (2 October 2004)
© Timothy Tye

Accommodation in Kuching

Book Accommodation Online or call up the following accommodation providers:

Borneo B&B Tel: 082 231200
Fata Hotel Tel: 082 248111
Kapit Hotel Tel: 082 418516
Liwah Hotel Tel: 082 429222
Singgahsana Lodge Tel: 082 429277, www.singgahsana.com

What to do in Kuching

The following are some suggested activities in Kuching. Please check with local tour operators for arrangements.

Extreme Sports: Contact Challenge Borneo, tel: 012 882 1921, www.challengeborneo, for available activities
Kayaking: Contact Kuching Kayak, tel: 082 253005, www.kuchingkayak.com, for kayaking around Kuching

Religious Buildings in Kuching

Click on Churches, Mosques & Temples in Kuching for a listing that I have assembled.

Getting there

Almost all visitors arrive at the Kuching International Airport (KCH). Upon arrival, you can take a taxi to the city. The procedure is quite straightforward. Buy your taxi coupon at the taxi stand outside the Arrival Hall. The fare is fixed at RM22.00.

Getting around

The city centre can be explored on foot. This include most of the sights along the Kuching Waterfront, and all the way till the Sarawak Museum. For farther away sights, you would do better to self-drive a rented car or book a local tour package.

Tourist Information Office

Tourism Malaysia has offices at Padungan, Jalan Song Thian Cheok, and Riverbank Suites, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman for distributing brochures. Tel: 246575. Opening Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Mon-Fri, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm Sat.

History of Kuching

The origin of Kuching, and for that matter Sarawak, was the stuff that swashbuckling adventure was made of. James Brooke arrived at the court of the Sultan of Brunei in 1839. Within a short period, he managed to get himself appointed Special Adviser. At that time, the sultan's influence was in decline, and he had difficulties maintaining control over his vast territory. That his officers were tyrants that forced the locals to pay high taxes did not help to endear the Sultan to his people.

When James Brooke helped to put down the rebellion, he sought and was appointed Governor of Sarawak. With help from the British, Brooke consolidated his position and expelled the sultan's people. The Sultan of Brunei tried to retaliate, but was unsuccessful. Instead, he was forced to sign a treaty with Brooke making Brooke the first White Rajah of Sarawak on November 24, 1841.

The Sarawak River and its tributaries was the only form of travel through the dense jungle, where tribal warfare was commonplace. Each time Brooke quelled a rebellion or warfare, he would seek new land grant, expanding his territory until eventually it dwarfed the Sultan's own territory. That was how James Brooke founded Sarawak.

With his death in 1868, James Brooke was succeeded by his nephew, Charles Brooke. While James was an adventurer, Charles Brooke was an excellent administrator and politician. Under his administration, many of Kuching's most elegant buildings were erected, includeing the Istana, Fort Margherita and the Court House. It was also under Charles Brooke that the well-beloved Sarawak Museum was founded.

When Charles died in 1917, his son Charles Vyner Brooke succeeded him as the third Rajah. He built on his father's achievements, setting up a State Council in 1941. Unfortunately the council was short-lived as the occupying Japanese forces put it to an end, and Vyner fled to Australia.

When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Sarawak came under Australian military administration until Vyner Brooke ceded it to the British Government. Sarawak became a British Crown Colony on 1st July, 1946. And on 16th September, 1963, Sarawak and Sabah gained independence together, and joined the other 11 states of Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia.

Kuching Location Map

Zoom out on the map to view sights outside the city of Kuching

View Kuching in a larger map

Photos of Kuching

Kuching at night, with statues of its namesake felines (1 October 2004)
© Timothy Tye

Kuching Waterfront at night (1 October 2004)
© Timothy Tye

Places of Interest in Kuching

Sights at the Sarawak Cultural Village

Historical Roads in Kuching

Kuching Road Names

Click on Kuching Road Names for alphabetical list of roads in Kuching.

Hospitals in Kuching

The number in brackets immediately after the name refers to the location, as shown on this map of Kuching.

Normah Medical Specialist Centre (1)

Timberland Medical Centre, Jalan Rock (10)

Golf Courses in Kuching

Sarawak Golf Course, Jalan Pustaka (2)

Sarawak Junior Golf Foundation and Academy (3)

Government Agencies in Kuching

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Sarawak, Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman (2)

Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri Kuching, Jalan Green Hill (6)

Menara Pelita (2)

Pustaka Negeri Sarawak (2)

Wisma Sumber Alam / Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation

Love to Travel? Earn from it!

Thanks for reading AsiaExplorers. It is such a joy for me to bring it to you, sharing with you all the tourist attractions in Asia. What gives me great pleasure is that I able to earn a good living simply by writing my travel websites. If you love to travel, you can write and earn like me, with full guidance provided. Read how you can write a travel-related profit-making website. Good luck!

AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Reasonable care is taken to check and verify the accuracy of the content. AsiaExplorers disclaims responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the tips and advice provided directly or indirectly by this website. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. The author is a Christian. Click here if you are interested to know more about his Christian beliefs. To contact AsiaExplorers, use the following email address: