Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kuching Sentral
This massive
bus terminal- cum-shopping mall
(cnr Jln Penrissen &
Jln Airport)
, opened in 2012, handles almost all of Kuching's medium- and all long-haul
routes. Situated about 10km south of the centre, it's also known as Six-and-a-Half-Mile
Bus Station. Amenities include electronic departure boards and cafes offering wi-fi. Book
your ticket at a company counter, then pay at counter 2 or 3 (marked 'Cashier/Boarding
Pass'). Before boarding, show your tickets to the staff at the Check-In desk.
To Central Sarawak
From 6.30am to 10.30pm, a dozen different companies send buses
at least hourly along Sarawak's northern coast to Miri (RM80, 14½ hours), with stops at
Sibu (RM50, 7½ hours), Bintulu (RM70, 11½ hours), Batu Niah Junction (jumping-off
point for Niah National Park) and Lambir Hills National Park. Bus Asia, for instance, has
nine departures a day, the first at 7.30am, the last at 10pm; unlike its competitors, the
company has a
city centre office
( 082-411111; cnr Jln Abell & Jln Chan Chin Ann;
6am to 10pm)
and, from Monday to Saturday, runs shuttle buses out to Kuching Sent-
ral. Luxurious 'VIP buses', eg those run by
Asia Star
( 1300-888 287;
ht-
tp://asiastar.my
)
, have just three seats across (28 in total), and some come with on-board
toilets, and yet cost a mere RM10 to RM20 more than regular coaches. To get to Brunei,
Limbang or Sabah, you have to change buses in Miri.
To Western Sarawak
Buses to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Bako National Park, Ku-
bah National Park and the Matang Wildlife Sanctuary stop at or near Saujana Bus Station.
Buses to Lundu (including the Wind Cave and Fairy Cave) use Kuching Sentral.
Taxi
For some destinations, the only transport op- tion - other than taking a tour - is chartering
a taxi through your hotel or guesthouse or via a company such as Kuching City Radio
Taxi (
Click here
)
. Hiring a red-and-yellow cab for an eight-hour day should cost about
RM250, with the price depending in part on distance; unofficial taxis may charge less. If
you'd like your driver to wait at your destination and then take you back to town, count on
paying about RM20 per hour of wait time.
Listed below is a sample of one-way taxi fares from Kuching (prices are 50% higher at
night):
Destination
Fare
Annah Rais Longhouse
at least RM80
Bako Bazaar (Bako National Park)RM40
Express Wharf (ferry to Sibu)
RM25
