Longhouse Tours

Early morning depart for a journey of 250 kms by road from Kuching to the hydro lake at Lubok Antu. You will find the journey on the way quite enthralling as you pass quaint small roadside towns, farmhouses and small village settlements. You will also see rubber, coco amd oil palm plantations and pepper orchards along the way. Stopover at Serian for a short tour of the town including a visit to the Durian Monument, possibly the only one of its kind in Borneo. Mingle with Bidayuh tribesmen at the town's bazaars and market-place and be intrigued by the local products on sale there, including live sago worms.

Continue journey until you reach Lachau where you will have lunch at one of the local coffee shops. Continue journey after lunch. Undulating countryside characterised by limestone hills soon change into mountain range as you go deeper into the interior as secondary jungles covered with overhanging creepers give way to tall towering trees of the ancient virgin rainforest. The deep blue water of the hydro lake will greet you as you complete the first leg of your journey by road.

You will continue your journey to the longhouse by motorised native longboat which will take you across the lake and into the Engkari River, one of the many tributaries flowing into the lake. The journey of slightly more than one hour by boat will take you to Ugat Longhouse, nestled on a hill beside the river. Constructed of tropical timber, this longhouse of nearly 100 metres long, has 40 units of family rooms. Each unit of rooms houses a family and all the residents here literally live under one roof as a self-contained village sharing a communal hall and verandah that stretch the entire length of the longhouse. Browse around the longhouse and feel free to talk to the inhabitants accompanied by our guide who will interprete for you.

The natives here still spin cotton, weave the pua (traditional cloth), hunt with blowpipes and create intricate carvings from bamboo and wood. Take a dip or swim in the cool river to freshen up before having dinner at CPH's guesthouse. Spend the night at the longhouse as they entertain you with their traditional dances to the beat of gongs and drums. Join in the dances and in the beating of the gongs and drums and sample your first glass of tuak (home-brewed rice wine). Overnight accommodation at the guesthouse equipped with basic amenities.

After breakfast at the guesthouse go for a short jungle trek within the vicinity of the longhouse with traditionally clad Ibans carrying blowpipes. Depart for Kuching via the same route as your arrival. Lunch enroute at one of the small roadside town before arriving at Kuching. The duration for this tour can range from 2Days/1Night to 4Days/3Nights or even longer.