Bintulu travel guide
Gas port, Melanau fishing village and Similajau's empty beaches
Bintulu is an industrial port in central Sarawak with a Melanau village across the river and a coastal national park half an hour away. Allow one or two days, ideally between March and October. Many nationalities need only the MDAC arrival card for Malaysia.
Bintulu is a coastal town in central Sarawak, roughly halfway between Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, and it was a fishing village until gas was found offshore in 1969. The Petronas LNG complex east of town now runs the economy. A clock tower monument on the way into town marks where Sarawak's first legislative council met in 1867.
Take a tambang (small passenger boat) across the Kemena river to Kampung Jepak. Melanau families there still process sago and dry fish; the village also makes belacan and cencaluk from tiny shrimp. Pasar Utama and the Tamu stand next to each other on Jalan Main Bazaar back on the town side, the place to buy fruit and shrimp paste.
Similajau National Park, about 30 km north, is the best day out. Easy forest trails lead to quiet beaches, but saltwater crocodiles live in the rivers, so stay out of the water near the estuaries. There is no public transport; take a taxi and fix the ride back in advance, or stay in the park's chalets.
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A Melanau village, two town markets and a coastal national park.
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Best time to visit Bintulu
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Rain eases to about 230-300 mm a month, with May the driest, so the Similajau trails are firmer.
December and January each bring around 450 mm of rain, with rough seas along the coast.
The Borneo International Kite Festival is held in Bintulu most years; check the dates and book a room early if you plan to go.
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Getting there
Coupon taxis from BTU and Medan Jaya coaches
Bintulu Airport is about 25 km outside town with no bus, so buy a fixed-fare ticket at the taxi coupon stand; the ride takes around 20 minutes. Flights come daily from Kuala Lumpur and Kuching, and Sarawak's own passport check applies even to domestic arrivals. Coaches use the Medan Jaya terminal, with routes to Kuching, Sibu and Miri.
- Airport taxi
- Coupon stand outside arrivals, about 20 minutes to town
- Express buses
- Medan Jaya terminal, for Miri, Sibu, Kuching and Mukah
- Express boats
- Only from Sebauh, Tubau, Labang and other local river towns
- Keep your passport handy on flights from Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu, as Sarawak checks arrivals.
- Walking out of the airport to flag a passing bus is technically possible but rarely worth it; take the taxi.
Where to stay
Jalan Pedada, Sri Dagang or a Similajau chalet
Bintulu's rooms were built for oil and gas contractors, so expect functional inns around Jalan Pedada and Sri Dagang. Stay in town if you want to walk to the Tamu and the tambang jetty in the morning, or book a Similajau chalet to save two long taxi rides to the park.
- Jalan Pedada
- Royal Inn, Sunlight Inn and New Capital Inn stand close together; cheap and near the old town, with plain rooms
- Taman Sri Dagang
- Sea View Inn and Sun Star Inn on Jalan Masjid, a second budget cluster within reach of town-centre restaurants
- Kemena Commercial Centre
- Regent Hotel on Jalan Tanjung Batu, in a newer business district with less atmosphere than the old streets
- Similajau National Park
- Park chalets and a hostel with a basic canteen; quiet forest nights, but no shops and plenty of mosquitoes
- Book the Similajau chalets with the park office before you set off, since there is nowhere else to sleep out there.
Getting around
On foot, city buses, tambang
Walk Bintulu's old town, where the markets, the river and the Council Negri monument are close together and most junctions have signalled crossings. City Public Link buses run from the Pasar Tamu terminal at a flat fare, tambang boats cross to Kampung Jepak in minutes, and for Similajau you should book a car out and back.
- City buses
- Pasar Tamu terminal, to Sungai Plan, Nyalau and Tatau
- Tambang
- Across the Kemena to Kampung Jepak
- Express boats
- Upriver to Sebauh, Tubau and Labang
- Similajau
- About 30 km by car; no public transport
- Learn the Malay for your stop before boarding a city bus; drivers seldom speak English.
- The ride back from Similajau often costs more than the ride out, so agree on a pickup in advance.
Know before you go
What makes Bintulu worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Similajau National Park, with forest paths that end on near-empty beaches.
- Kampung Jepak, where sago, dried fish and shrimp paste are still made by hand.
- The Tamu market, where rural traders bring fruit and belacan into town.
Good to know
- No buses serve the airport; budget for the fixed taxi into town.
- Crocodiles live in Similajau's rivers, so swim only where the rangers say it is safe.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Bintulu, month by month
Bintulu is wettest from November to January, with about 460 mm in January, and driest in May at about 233 mm. Highs stay at 30 to 32°C.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Bintulu (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
The Tamu, a tambang across the Kemena and Similajau's trails
Two days cover Bintulu. On the first morning, browse Pasar Utama and the Tamu on Jalan Main Bazaar while traders unload fruit and belacan, then take a tambang across the Kemena to Kampung Jepak. Spend day two at Similajau National Park, about 30 km north, which has no public transport, so book a car.
From the riverbank behind them, hop on a tambang across the Kemena to Kampung Jepak. Melanau households there work sago, lay fish out to dry and make cencaluk, and some still weave the conical terendak hats and tutop food covers by hand.
Back on the town side in the afternoon, walk to the Council Negri monument, a centenary stone with a later clock tower and fountain, marking the first sitting of Sarawak's legislature in 1867. In the evening, head for a seafood dinner and, if you like, one of the bars that serve the oil and gas crowd.
With no public transport, take a car and fix the return, or book a park chalet and stay the night. The trails are gentle and end on quiet beaches. Carry mosquito repellent and stay out of the rivers, where saltwater crocodiles live.
Umai, cencaluk and belacan from the Bintulu Tamu
Start at the Tamu, where stalls sell belacan, the shrimp paste behind much of Bintulu's cooking, and cencaluk, salted fermented shrimp eaten with rice, chilli and lime. Seek out umai, the Melanau raw fish salad, and have kolo mee for breakfast in an old-town coffee shop.
Much of it comes from Kampung Jepak across the river, where you can also see sago being processed into the flour that Melanau kitchens rely on.
The dish to seek out is umai, the Melanau raw fish salad, sliced thin and cured with lime, shallots and chilli. Seribu Bintang, at the far end of Kampung Baru where the road splits, puts it on a long menu that runs through Thai, Chinese, Malay, Indian and Indonesian cooking. Regulars order broccoli with sea asparagus, fish steamed or fried with a choice of sauces, and claypots, and some tables are in low pondok huts where you sit on the floor.
For breakfast, coffee shops in the old town serve the Sarawak staples, kolo mee and Sarawak laksa. In the evening, the oil and gas workforce keeps a string of bars and karaoke lounges busy, more than you would expect in a town this size.
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How we research our Bintulu travel guide
Bintulu's coupon-taxi fares, coach routes and Similajau park details are checked against Tourism Malaysia, the city's official website, the MDAC page and Wikipedia's Bintulu entry. AirBorneo's 2026 takeover of the MASwings routes prompted the latest review.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of BintuluMalaysia Digital Arrival CardTourism Malaysia
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Bintulu.
Getting there
Only the taxi in practice. Buy a ticket at the coupon stand outside arrivals; the 25 km into town takes about 20 minutes.
By taxi, e-hailing car or hired car, about 30 km north of town. There is no public transport, so arrange your return trip in advance.
Yes. Express coaches leave the Medan Jaya terminal for Miri (about 200 km), Sibu (about 215 km) and Kuching (about 610 km), run by companies such as MTC Transport, Biaramas and Eva Transport.
Take a tambang, a small passenger boat, across the Kemena river from the town side. It can also be reached by road via the Kuala Tatau turn-off on the Bintulu to Sibu road.
General
Yes. Give the first day to the markets and the boat across to Jepak, and the second to the park's trails and beaches.
AirAsia flies from Kuching, and AirBorneo, the former MASwings, runs turboprops to other towns in Sarawak and Sabah. From Kuala Lumpur both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia fly daily.
Seribu Bintang at the end of Kampung Baru serves the Melanau raw fish salad among its long multi-cuisine menu.
Not the walking, but take care with swimming. Saltwater crocodiles live in the park's rivers, so keep away from estuaries and ask rangers which stretches are safe.
Walk Bintulu's old town, where the markets, the river and the Council Negri monument are close together and most junctions have signalled crossings. City Public Link buses run from the Pasar Tamu terminal at a flat fare, tambang boats cross to Kampung Jepak in minutes, and for Similajau you should book a car out and back.
Visa & documents
Yes. Sarawak operates its own immigration control, so domestic arrivals from the peninsula or Sabah are checked on landing.
Timing & weather
November to February. December and January each average around 450 mm of rain, against about 230 mm in May, the driest month.
The best time to visit Bintulu is Mar to Oct. Calmer seas and drier trails than in the north-east monsoon.
- Best overall: March - October (Rain eases to about 230-300 mm a month, with May the driest, so the Similajau trails are firmer)
- Monsoon: November - February (December and January each bring around 450 mm of rain, with rough seas along the coast)
April is the warmest month in Bintulu, with average highs of 32°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 24°C. January is the wettest month, at about 460 mm of rain; May is the driest. Bintulu is wettest from November to January, with about 460 mm in January, and driest in May at about 233 mm.
Booking
Allow one or two days, ideally between March and October.
Health & safety
Malaysia is generally safe. Bag snatching occurs in cities, and governments advise against non-essential travel to islands off eastern Sabah.
