The southern Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, Sarawak is predominantly rainforest, with many incredible national parks and just a few towns and cities. Kuching, the main city and main access point for Sarawak was my favourite city in Borneo, thanks to its pretty waterfront, interesting Chinese temples and fantastic food. One of the best parts is that pretty much every single restaurant or supermarket is on Uber Eats or Food Panda. If your hostel has a nice balcony, or if you just fancy sitting along the waterfront to eat, you can order through the app, usually with a discount code (they have about 6 different voucher codes every day), and have any food you could possibly want within minutes without even having to move. Very lazy, but pretty awesome, especially after hiking day, or if there’s pouring rain.

Semenggoh Nature Reserve

The best place to see orangutans in the state of Sarawak is at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre. The orangutans here are considered semi-wild, which means sightings are not guaranteed. During fruiting season (April-December) the animals are usually able to forage for themselves, so the best chances of seeing them at the daily feeding sessions is January-March. This is a slightly different season to the state of Sabah in the north of Borneo, so bear this in mind when planning your trip. The nature reserve at Semenggoh is an easy bus ride from Kuching, and also includes a botanical research centre and multiple jungle hikes.

Gunung Mulu National Park

Gunung Mulu is one of the most geologically interesting national parks in the world. With huge cave systems, stunning limestone carsts, rivers perfect for a cool jungle dip, and a nightly bat exodus, this area should definitely be on your Borneo bucket list. Explore the jungle walkways at leisure, or sign up to a tour for some adventure caving or epic hiking. The park is only reachable by plane. This puts a lot of travellers off, but it is an absolutely stunning area and should definitely be on your list. The only flights that show up on comparison sites are with Malaysian Airlines, but there is another local carrier called MASwings, and searching on their site directly will get you flights for less than half the price.

Pinnacles

This hike is honestly one of the best hikes I’ve done anywhere in the world. The pinnacles are a series of jagged limestone carsts that jut up out of the forest, creating a weird landscape that almost looks like the earth has claws. The view from the top is absolutely breath-taking. That is, if you have any breath left after the trek! The length of this trek is only 2.4km, but over this distance you climb 1200m. That’s a 45 degree incline, and it is rough. The final section is actually a series of ladders attached to the cliff face! There is a fairly strict schedule, as you have to reach the top by a certain time in order to get down before dark. The information you receive from the park when booking is a little scary, detailing the costs for medical rescue if you fall. Don’t be put off! The hike is not easy, and you will have to push yourself, but trust me when I say it is so worth it.

Clearwater Cave

This is one of the largest cave systems in the world, and they are still discovering more of it every year. Mulu National Park is known for its caves, and you can visit most of them, either on a leisurely walking tour or a more intense caving adventure. Clearwater cave is one of the more interesting visits. Including all its various tunnels and caverns, it measures over 200km in length! Be sure to take your swimsuit when you visit, as, while you can’t swim in the cave itself, there is an awesome spot at the entrance to take a refreshing dip in the crystal clear river.

Tip: If you plan on doing the pinnacles hike, you will visit this cave on the way to the camp where you spend the night before starting the hike. Two awesome trips for the price of one!

Bandar Seri Begawan

Brunei is a tiny country entirely surrounded by the state of Sarawak. Thanks to its oil reserves it is one of the richest countries in Asia, despite its size. The only place tourists ever really visit is the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan (one of the coolest capital names ever!) Even in the capital you may well never meet another tourist. In fact, you may not meet many people at all – the city is a fairly quiet place, with most people keeping to themselves. What you can see is some lavish mosques, an extensive stilt village and perhaps some crocodiles! Visit the Royal Regalia Museum for a fascinating insight into Brunei’s history and culture. You only really need two or three days to tick this country off your list, but it’s a fun way to break up your travel between Sabah and Sarawak.

Kuching Waterfront

The waterfront area in Kuching is a relaxing place for a stroll by day and a vibrant place to hang out by night. From the blue mosque at one end to the cat statue at the other, a walk down the waterfront path will take you past some of Kuching’s most notable sites. During the day, hail a water taxi to take you across the river to explore Fort Margherita and the Water Cascade. In the evening, claim a spot on the steps to watch the Darul Hana Musical Fountain put on a colourful show, with the State Legislative Assembly lit up in the background.

Chinatown

This historic area of Kuching is a great place to stay, to eat, and to explore! A lot of the buildings have signs on the side with QR codes which pull up the history for you to read and learn more, like a little self guided tour. The signs do have numbers, so I guess there is an official suggested route. But I recommend just wandering around getting lost, choosing any street which looks interesting, and scanning the codes as and when you find them.

Lau Ya Keng Foodcourt

China Town is one of the best areas to try some traditional Sarawak dishes, and this food hall is my top recommendation. Kolo Mee is a dry noodle dish with roasted pork, minced pork, shallots and fried onions. It’s simple, yet oh so delicious. Find the Kolo Mee stall at Lau Ya Keng and order Kolo Keuy Tiaw, which is the same dish but with wider noodles, which somehow makes it even better. Also in this food court you will find satay skewers, laksa, dumplings, and all kinds of tasty offerings. The best thing to do is grab a table, order something from every stall, and have yourself a delicious Sarawakian buffet.

Ceylonese Restaurant

This restaurant is so popular with locals that there is always a queue outside, but it moves fast, so hop in line and treat yourself to an excellent curry. The menu is not huge, but everything on it is delicious. The highlight is the naan selection: they have a plain, a garlic, a cheese naan, a double cheese naan and even a triple cheese naan. It’s tempting to overload on cheesy goodness, but I recommend you stick to the basic cheese naan – it’s still SO much cheese, I can’t even imagine how much is in the triple.

The Round Tower

The round tower is one of Kuching’s historical landmarks, originally built as part of a Fort to defend the city from pirates. Today, it houses a cute restaurant with some excellent food. Go for the smoked duck mango salad, one of the many delicious pasta dishes, or simply one of their mouth-watering homemade cakes.

Cat Museum

Kuching is the Malay word for cat, and this city truly lives up to its name. You can find weird and wonderful cat statues all over Kuching, along with graffitied murals and cat-themed souvenir shops. But the weirdest of all has to be the cat museum. Opened in 1992 it claims to be the first ever cat museum, housing over 4000 artifacts. Learn all about the status of cats in various cultures throughout history, and enjoy some memorabilia from all over the globe. From a mummified cat to felines in comics, as well as a photography kiosk to get pictures of your head on a cat’s body, this place is quite an experience. As a bonus, it is located in Bukit Siol, which is a hill overlooking the city and worth going to anyway for the great views of Kuching.

This article was originally published as “Visit stunning Sarawak, Borneo” on Wanderdash (follow me @rosroundtheworld)