You can visit a few worthwhile stops along the way you travel from Sibu to Miri. The sleepy Melanau fishing village of Mukah is a pleasant layover and offers a relaxed respite from jungle life. The traditional wooden houses are stilted and visitors can watch the fascinating process of extracting sago from the thick trunks of the sago palm. An excursion out to sea with the fishermen is another possibility. The town is home to the enigmatic annual Kaul Festival where ancient Melanau rites appease the spirits of the sea and mark the new fishing season as well as give thanks to the fertility spirits. Several towns hold their own Kaul Festival as well as the official one held in the second week of April.

The burgeoning oil town of Bintulu has developed out of all recognition in the past couple of decades. The old wooden bazaar has given away to new shops and hotels, as well as a deep-water port, chemical factories and a massive liquid petroleum gas (LPG) plant to exploit offshore reserves of natural gas.

About 20km (12 miles) away from Bintulu is the Similajau National Park. Gazetted in 1976, the 7,067-hectare (17,500-acre) national park is less visited than those closer to Kuching or Miri, but its more difficult access makes it no less attractive. Opened to visitors only in 1991, the long narrow park covers a 32km by 1.5km area (20 miles by 1 mile) and is bordered by one of Sarawak’s most beautiful stretches of unspoiled beach, with jungle trails running into the forest. Small rivers and rapids on the Sebulong River also make for interesting exploration. Similajau is home to saltwater crocodiles, so watch your step when walking close to river inlets. Other, less spectacular inhabitants include gibbons, banded langurs, civet cats, procupines, wild boar and long-tailed macaques, as well as 185 species of birds, including hornbills. Green turtles come to lay their eggs on the quiet beaches between July and September.

Similanjau National Park Chalet

Numerous longhouses can be visited up the Kemana River that runs into Bintulu; some of these are accessible by road as well as by river. Further upriver are the Orang Ulu longhouses of the Kenyah and Penan peoples.