“Cruise” the Sarawak River in a tambang

Visitors to the Kuching Waterfront, did you know that you can hire a sampan (aka tambang) and have the boatman take you on a leisurely ride along the Sarawak River? Walk along the banks and you’ll surely see a sampan or two waiting for passengers, just yell out to the boatman and tell him you’d like to hire him and his boat.

Be sure to ask about the fare per person and finish all your negotiating before you get into the boat. Normally, the boatmen charge RM10 for an hour long ride and RM5 for a half hour ride.

You’ll then be taken up and down the Sarawak River but always close to the city. You’ll have the opportunity to observe life along the river – there are several kampungs on the northern bank as well as view the city skyline from a different perspective. If you go during the late evenings, you might even get to see a spectacular sunset!

You’ll be taken on a short (or long, depending on your own preference) ride along the Sarawak River, giving you the chance to observe life along the banks (there are a few Malay villages on the northern bank).

There’s a few places where one can board a sampan to go across the river, just walk along the waterfront and if you see an idle boat with a boatman waiting inside, just yell out to him and tell him you’d like to hire his boat.

That building across the river is the new Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building (opened in 2009), better known simply as the “DUN” building.