Information for Visitors
Miri, Miri, Where the F*** is Miri?
Miri is a medium size town in the State of Sarawak which is part of Malaysian Borneo. The town is on the coast and surrounded by primary jungle that provides some world class hashing opportunities. Close to the equator it has a tropical climate with year round temperatures from 28oC to 32oC and humidity from 70%-90%. The main monsoon period is from mid December to February.
Miri is historically an oil town with a large expatriate community which has given it a cosmopolitan atmosphere and a reputation as a fairly wild place. There are more bars per capita than most places in Malaysia and beer is cheap thanks to the proximity to a small duty free island with good "trading" connections. In addition to the regular hashes, Miri can offer numerous other runs and activities that will ensure an interesting visit for any sporting outdoor type of person or anyone interested in eco-tourism. A few of the exciting activities on offer are:
| Running | ||
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| Mountain Biking | ||
| There is a very active club that rides most Sundays . | ||
| Jungle trekking and Parks | ||
| There are several National Parks in the immediate vicinity that offer some very good trekking through primary jungle. Most parks offer good chalet type accommodation at reasonable cost. The main parks are: | ||
| Lambir | the closest park, about 30km from town with well preserved primary jungle and plentiful waterfalls. | |
| Logan Bunut | about 4 hours drive and home to the largest lake in Sarawak | |
| Semilanjou | Also about 4 hours drive and on the coast | |
| Niah | Home of the caves where birds nests are collected for making soup. The caves are also of considerable archaeological interest. About 4 hours drive from Miri. | |
| Mulu | Home of the largest cave complex in the world plus some spectacular mountain scenery. Also a good place for visiting traditional local Long Houses but beware of the Tuak (home brew) and the beautiful tribal women, unless you're looking for a wife! Mulu is usually reached by air but is also accessible by 4WD or express boat up the Baram river. | |
More info can be obtained from www.sarawaktourism.com/nationalparks and Sarawak Tourist Board
Longer jungle trips to unexplored parts of the interior can be arranged for small groups but this requires considerable pre-planning. For more ideas refer to Expedition to Bukit Selidang
Other things of interest in and around Miri are reef diving, the annual Borneo Cup Regatta for racing and cruising yachts, a crocodile farm and a visit to Oil well No. 1 with exhibits, located on the original site on a hill above the town
Unfortunately the only international flights direct to Miri is Air Asia from Singapore but there are good and cheap connections from Kuala Lumpur, Johore Baru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Brunei. Both Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia offer flights to Miri
Hotels and food are cheap and plentiful with hotels ranging from RM25/night (not recommended) up to RM150/night for 5 star accommodation.
Useful contacts in Miri are:
Miri Tourist Information Centre
Hotels: www.hotels.org.my Tourist board
| Quality Hotel | Imperial Hotel & Suites | Tel 0060-85-431133 email Imperialsuitesmiri@yahoo.com | |
| Budget hotel | Apple Lodge | Tel.0060-85-419696 | |
| Budget hotel | Raja Inn | Tel 0060-85-422422 | |
| Local tour operators | |||
| Borneo Mainland Travel & Tours | www.borneomainland.com info@borneomainland.com | ||
| Tropical Adventure Travel & Tours | Tel 0060-85-9337 | ||
Diving: Seridan Mulu, www.seridan.mulu.com seridan@pd.jaring.my Tel 0060-85-414300
Mountain Biking ------------------------
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