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Miri which serves as a gateway to
the Northeast Region was once a sleepy fishing village made prosperous
through the discovery of oil in 1910. Miri, dubbed as the "Oil Town", is
the third largest town in Sarawak with its wealth being mostly from the
vast oil and gas deposits found off the coastline of the South China Sea.
One is never far from the signs of the oil industry - be it boats, the
Shell settlement or service tenders.
Even though the atmosphere in the town is relaxed and casual, it is a
bustling commercial centre with lively native markets, scenic parks,
beaches, with excellent restaurants and pubs. The proliferation of bars
and clubs serves to quench the entertainment hungry visitors mainly from
conservatively Islamic Brunei, where such outlets and alcohol are banned.
Places of Interest
Canada Hill
The town�s most famous landmark � the grand Old Lady on top of Canada
Hill, the first well to strike oil in 1910. This original wooden rig while
by itself may not be spectacular, the view of the sprawling town and the
South China Sea is worth the visit.
Tamu Muhibbah
Tamu Muhibbah is the local market where fascinating products from the
Sarawakian interior are sold and a place for the unusual, be it a new
variety of red bananas, mangoes resembling turnips, brown and white rice
from upstream Bario and jungle remedies made from exotic plants and animal
bi-products.
Miri Heritage Centre
The place for good selection of native products such as baskets, hats,
textiles, and beadwork jewellery for which this part of the world is
famous.
Beaches
Miri also has beaches such as ' Brighton' each and 'Hawaii Beach'. Other
little discovered destinations accessible from Miri are the Bario and
Kelabit Highlands, two beautiful and remote mountain valleys with superb
jungle treks and Kelabit longhouses.
Diving in Miri
Miri�s best offer is the fantastic opportunities for divers. Divers, from
beginners to those who have dived all the world famous spots, have nothing
but praise for the reefs around Miri. The reefs here are all patch reefs
with varying depths from 7 to 30 meters with average visibility of 10 to
30 meters
Other Places
Miri also serves as a gateway to the Northeast Region.
The Mulu National
Park is just 30 minutes by flight while Niah is two hours drive away. You
can reach one the world�s most biodiverse site at
Lambir Hills in just 25
minutes. Half a day away is Loagan Bunut, a unique natural expanding and
contracting lake, which is fast becoming a bird watcher�s paradise. 110 km
to the south-west of Miri is the remnants of early mans dwellings and
Cave paintings in Niah Caves, an important
archaeological site known as one of the birthplaces of civilisation in the
region.
Then,
from Miri you can reach the Bario Highlands by air in 40 minutes or travel
by boat up the mighty Baram River and explore longhouses and villages
along the way.
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Divers, from beginners to
those who have dived all the world famous spots, have nothing but
praise for the reefs around Miri. The reefs here are all patch reefs
with varying depths from 7 to 30 meters with average visibility of 10
to 30 meters
A 30 minutes flight from Miri
is the Gunung Mulu National Park, is Sarawak's largest national park.
Its 15 different types of forest contains a wealth of wildlife and
thousands of species of ferns, fungi, mosses and flowering plants. The
park has one of the most spectacular cave systems in the world.
Mulu Caves /
Treks & Climbs
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Just 30 minutes drive away
from Miri, it is known to be the world's most bio-diverse forest.
Lambir Hills is home to more than 1,000 species of trees. There are
plants and insects here that have not yet been discovered as well as
waterfalls and bathing pools for a quick dip
110 km to the south-west of
Miri is the Niah National Park within which is the Niah Caves, an
important archaeological sites known as one of the birthplaces of
civilisation in the region
Lying 130km away from Miri,
the incredible shrinking lake is the centre piece of this park. Called
Loagan Bunut by the local Berawan people, is the Sarawak's largest
natural lake, where in the dry months, the lake shrinks to great
expanses of dry mud flats.
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