Sibu travel guide
Foochow noodles, Tua Pek Kong's pagoda and express boats up the Rajang
Sibu is a Foochow Chinese river town in central Sarawak and the starting point for express boats up the Rajang to Kapit. One night covers the temple, the markets and a bowl of kampua mee. May to September is the least wet stretch. Prices are moderate, and many passports enter visa-free with the MDAC.
Sibu stands at the meeting of the Rajang and Igan rivers in central Sarawak, about 60 km from the sea. It is a Foochow Chinese town, one of only a few in Malaysia, and the main departure point for express boats up the Rajang, the country's longest river, to Kapit.
Start at Tua Pek Kong Temple on the waterfront, whose history goes back to 1870. Ask for the key to the pagoda tower and climb it near sunset for the view over the two rivers. The vast Central Market, with food stalls upstairs, sells dabai (a black local olive) and other Sarawak produce, and the night market runs every evening until midnight.
Breakfast should be kampua mee, springy noodles tossed with fried shallots, or kompia, a small Foochow bread bun. Wash it down with a three-layer teh C special. Keep a hand on your wallet around the Central Market, where pickpockets work the crowds, and use Grab rather than the mostly unmetered taxis.
Explore Sibu by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Sibu.
Sibu at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of Malaysia
Pick a place by travel style: beaches, nature, cities, heritage, hills, islands.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Sibu
Temples, markets and Foochow food beside the Rajang.
No things to do in Sibu are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Sibu
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Rain drops to about 180 to 240 mm a month, with July the lightest, so boat trips and walks are easier.
December and January top 400 mm; rivers run high and downpours are long.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Sibu are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Sibu
Traveling to Sibu? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Sibu Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
Flights, coaches and river boats
Sibu Airport (SBW) has frequent flights from Kuala Lumpur, links to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, and Scoot flights from Singapore; buy a taxi coupon or book Grab, since no bus runs. Express coaches from Kuching, Bintulu and Miri use the long-distance terminal on Jalan Pahlawan, and express boats leave Sibu up the Rajang to Kapit. Express coaches from Kuching, Bintulu, Mukah and Miri, run by Biaramas, Suria and Borneo Highway Express among others, use the long-distance Sibu Bus Terminal on Jalan Pahlawan, outside the centre. Buses from Sarikei are the exception and pull into the short-distance terminal downtown, by the express boat wharf. Sibu is also where most people board the express boats up the Rajang to Kapit.
- From the airport
- Taxi coupon or Grab; no bus
- Long-distance terminal
- Jalan Pahlawan; Miri about 7 hours, day and overnight
- Terminal to downtown
- Local bus during the day, or Grab
- Express boats
- Up the Rajang to Kapit from the downtown terminal
- Flying to Kota Kinabalu beats a long bus ride through Brunei; MASwings routes passed to AirBorneo in January 2026, so check its schedule as well as AirAsia's.
Where to stay
Wharf-side hotels along the Rajang Esplanade
Sleep in downtown Sibu, because the express boats leave early and the wharf, the Central Market and the night market are within a few blocks. The streets around the market are busiest and cheapest, the hotels facing the Rajang Esplanade are calmer with river views, and the Kingwood is the town's one five-star hotel.
- Central Market blocks
- Tanahmas and similar mid-range hotels; noisy evenings and pickpockets in the crowds
- Rajang Esplanade
- Lihua and other river-facing hotels, a short walk to the express boat wharf
- Kingwood Hotel
- More polish than the riverfront hotels, less street life outside
- Avoid Jalan Pahlawan
- The long-distance terminal sits outside the centre; only worth it before a dawn coach
Getting around
Downtown on foot, yellow-roof taxis beyond
Downtown Sibu is a tight grid between the river and the Central Market, so the express boat terminal, Tua Pek Kong Temple and the night market are minutes apart on foot. Use Grab further out to avoid haggling with unmetered taxis; yellow-roofed taxis near the market run to fixed destinations outside the city.
- On foot
- Boat terminal, Central Market, Tua Pek Kong and Town Square are all close
- Grab
- The easy option for Bukit Aup, about 12 km out, and Sibu Lake Park
- Local buses
- Short-distance terminal near the Central Market; ask at the counter
- Yellow-roofed taxis
- Shared rides to set places outside town, from near the Central Market
Know before you go
What makes Sibu worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Tua Pek Kong's pagoda at sunset, looking down on the meeting of the Rajang and Igan.
- Kampua mee and kompia, the Foochow breakfast the town is proud of.
- The night market, open every evening until midnight.
Good to know
- Watch for pickpockets around the Central Market.
- Taxis are mostly unmetered; agree the fare first or use Grab.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Sibu, month by month
Sibu is wet all year: January brings about 440 mm of rain and July, the driest month, still about 180 mm. Highs reach 31 to 33°C.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Sibu (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
Sibu's Central Market by morning, the Tua Pek Kong pagoda at sunset
Start a day in Sibu with kampua mee and kompia at a kopitiam, then pick up a map at the visitor centre in the Sibu Cultural Heritage Museum. Walk to the Central Market, the largest indoor market in Malaysia, take a Grab 12 km out to Bukit Aup Jubilee Park, and climb the Tua Pek Kong pagoda at sunset.
Walk to the Central Market, the largest indoor market in Malaysia, for dabai and other Sarawak produce, and climb to the first floor for the food stalls and cheap clothes. Watch your bag here; pickpockets work the crowd. Cross Sibu Town Square to the waterfront, where the Rajang and the Igan meet, and look in at the Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum nearby.
Feed the fish in the lake, then hike to the top, the highest point in Sibu, for a view of the Igan and the town. Be back for sunset at Tua Pek Kong Temple, where the history goes back to 1870, and ask for the key to the pagoda tower to watch the light fade over the rivers. Finish at the night market, which runs every evening until midnight, with Chinese and Malay food side by side.
Foochow breakfasts and the Sibu night market
Sibu's food comes from Foochow settlers who arrived from Fujian province over a century ago. Kampua mee, springy noodles tossed with shallot oil, is the anchor dish, kompia buns are the snack, and thin-skinned chai pau make a second breakfast. After dark, the downtown night market takes over.
Pair it with kompia, a small baked bun, sometimes split and stuffed with meat.
Other Foochow dishes reward a second breakfast. Chai pau are thin-skinned buns packed with vegetables, once the cheap fill-up for hawkers and labourers. Diang biang hu is a rice batter cooked on the hot side of a wok, then scraped into a soup. Order a teh C special in any kopitiam: tea, evaporated milk and a layer of pandan or gula apong (nipah palm sugar), poured so the colours stay separate.
The Sungai Merah heritage walk marks the centenary of the Foochow arrival, if you want the history with your meal. In the evening, the night market takes over, the liveliest in Sarawak by local reckoning, with Malay stalls beside the Foochow ones and clothes to bargain for between bites.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Sibu. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Sibu
How we research our Sibu travel guide
Sibu's flight, coach and Rajang express-boat details are rechecked against Tourism Malaysia, the town's official site and the MDAC page, while Wikipedia's Sibu entry covers the Foochow history.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of SibuMalaysia Digital Arrival CardTourism Malaysia
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Sibu
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
No upcoming festivals or events in Sibu are listed right now. Browse all events
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Sibu!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Sibu.
Getting there
Buy one at the counter if you want a taxi, as no bus serves the airport. Grab is the other option and works well in Sibu.
A local bus links the long-distance terminal with the downtown short-distance station during the day, though not often. Grab or a taxi is quicker.
General
Kompia buns, chai pau vegetable buns and diang biang hu, a rice-batter soup cooked on the side of a wok, with a layered teh C special to drink.
Express boats run up the Rajang to Kapit, and Sibu is the main departure point.
They can be, so keep valuables close in the crowds there and at the night market. Grab is also safer than flagging the mostly unmetered taxis.
Take an express bus from the terminal on Jalan Pahlawan; the trip is about seven hours, with day and overnight departures. Flights are the faster option.
Sibu's signature Foochow noodle dish: springy noodles tossed in shallot oil and sauce and served dry, plain or topped with red roast pork.
Bukit Aup Jubilee Park, 12 km out, has a fish lake and a climb to the highest point in Sibu. Sibu Lake Park uptown has paths, a boathouse and a bird sanctuary.
At the visitor information centre inside the Sibu Cultural Heritage Museum on Jalan Central, a short walk from the waterfront.
Downtown Sibu is a tight grid between the river and the Central Market, so the express boat terminal, Tua Pek Kong Temple and the night market are minutes apart on foot. Use Grab further out to avoid haggling with unmetered taxis; yellow-roofed taxis near the market run to fixed destinations outside the city.
Timing & weather
May to September. July is the least wet month at about 180 mm, while December and January each get more than 400 mm.
The best time to visit Sibu is May to Sep. The least rainy months, with July the driest, for river trips and the waterfront.
- Best overall: May - September (Rain drops to about 180 to 240 mm a month, with July the lightest, so boat trips and walks are easier)
- Wet months: November - March (December and January top 400 mm; rivers run high and downpours are long)
April is the warmest month in Sibu, with average highs of 33°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 23°C. January is the wettest month, at about 440 mm of rain; July is the driest. Sibu is wet all year: January brings about 440 mm of rain and July, the driest month, still about 180 mm.
Visa & documents
Citizens of the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit Malaysia visa-free, usually for up to 90 days. All foreign visitors must complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online before arrival. Sabah and Sarawak have their own immigration controls.
Health & safety
Malaysia is generally safe. Bag snatching occurs in cities, and governments advise against non-essential travel to islands off eastern Sabah.
