Bintulu is a gateway for various places of ecotourism and cultural attraction.
niah national park
The Niah National Park is located some 120 km by road to the north of Bintulu. The faeces of bats at the caves are an important source of natural fertilizer which is known as Guano. The west mouth of the Niah Caves is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. It is significant because of the wide range of stone tools used from the old stone age, discovery of skulls of earliest human in Southeast Asia. Prehistoric wall paintings also exist in one of the caves. To get here, visitor can drive for about 2 hours via Bintulu-Miri road, or Bintulu-Miri coastal road both roads are accessible to Niah to Batu Niah old town. From there, you will be guided with wooden signages to the Niah cave trail. The journey to the Niah Caves involves a 40-metre walk along a 3-kilometre plankwalk. Niah Caves are famous for its luxurious birds' nests.
sungai asap & bakun
Bintulu is also a gateway to the hinterland of Kapit Division. As a matter of fact, although Bakun and Sungai Asap are both in Kapit Division or Belaga District, they are the only place in Kapit where it was accessible from the main trunk road of Pan Borneo Highway. Sungai Asap is a settlement where tourists can opt for a homestay with local Orang Ulu longhouses and learn their culture and lifestyles. Once in 5 years, Sungai Asap will be the place where all villagers from the surrounding area to gather and celebrate Pesta Sungai Asap. Bakun, in other hand, is a bit far from Sungai Asap. It is the site of the largest hydroelectric dam in Malaysia. The electrical supply from this dam was planned to accommodate supply demands in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and neighbouring countries, Indonesia and Brunei. To get to Bakun and Sungai Asap, you may need to drive from Bintulu with travelling time up to 2 hours.
Beware of logging trucks while using Bintulu-Bakun road to Sungai Asap and Bakun. There are lots of them using this road everyday.
sebauh
Sebauh is a small district under Bintulu division. However, it is a centre of trading for people from around Sebauh like Pandan and Ulu Sebauh, and around its area, up to the deepest upriver area of Kuala Kebulu, Tubau and Labang. Like Tatau, Sebauh is popular among fishing freak.
kuala nyalau
Kuala Nyalau is a place where beach with many coral reefs leftovers scattered on its coastline. There is also beautiful waterfall not far from the beach. To get here, you need to drive using Bintulu-Miri coastal road. The travelling time is estimated around 1-2 hours. Once you arrive at the Nyalau junction bear in mind, Nyalau, not Nyabau!, drive another 10km to the sea using parly sealed, partly crusher run stone road. The road is a bit bullish at certain areas due to its hilly terrain.
The road leading to Kuala Nyalau is narrow, hilly, winding and partly bare soil road. Don't dare to drive during heavy rain. Even during sunny day, watch out for opposite vehicles especially lorries. The condition of the road might be sometimes too rough for any visitors to go in.
tatau
Tatau is a small town, which is also a capital district of Tatau. It comprises of different areas such as Kuala Tatau using its own Bintulu-Kuala Tatau road, or using water transport from Tatau using Tatau river, Sangan accessible by road, Ng Sangan, Nanga Tau and Kuala Muput. If you love fishing, you will love Tatau especially when you go cruising along the Tatau river for your freshwater catch or down to the rivermouth for seafood.