Damai PeninsulaSituated only 40 minutes drive from Kuching,Damai Peninsula is one of the most easilyaccessible beach areas in Sarawak. The headlandis dominated by Mount Santubong, an 810 metrepeak covered in secondary forest. The peninsulawas once the sight of an early trading settlement,but now stretches of its golden sand coastlinehave been developed and a small collection ofhotels have sprung up.DAMAIPURIRESORT& SPA,DAMAIPENINSULAThe Damai Puri Resort & Spa is the bestaccommodation option in this quiet peninsula.The 207 guest rooms and suites are split betweenthe spa wing and the ocean wing. The spa wingrooms all feature individual balconies and views of the South China Sea or the rainforest-coveredfoothills of Mount Santubong. The ocean wingcaters more for families, being closer to the familypool and not having balconies. There are twoswimming pools within the hotel's landscapedgardens and non-motorised water sports fromthe golden sand beach. The Balinese style D'PuriSpa Village offers very good value.www.audleytravel.com/borneo ?01993 838 120 ?Borneo99Lemanak LonghouseSpending a night with one of the Iban tribesin their traditional longhouse provides anexperience unlike any other. You will sleepon the floor in the communal living area witha simple mattress and mosquito net as youronly comforts. There are 'bathrooms', butyou should not expect too much and theymay not have running water. What theaccommodation lacks in facilities is made upfor by the hospitality of the Iban people andthe experience of a way of life that fewpeople today could ever imagine.Some of the more memorable encountersfrom previous Audley clients' stays:"A guide leapt off our longtail boat to catch arare mouse deer crossing the river and thenbattled a hungry tribe as he tried to release itinto a safer area.""An inexperienced Iban youngster joined someolder tribal members on a jungle trek. As hewas showing us the animal traps they use, theelders played a trick on the young lad and heended up being speared by rattan thorns, muchto the others' amusement.""I had a very sore head on the morning afterthe night before when the rice wine had comeout and the language barrier slowly slippedaway to be replaced by the internationallanguage of mime."Iban man fishing in Engkari river, near Batang AiDamai Puri Resort & Spa, Damai peninsulaFamilies gather outside a longhouse in SarawakSarawak longhouseKuching RiverDamai PeninsulaIban tribesman

the steamy heat of the day you can almost hearthe 8,000 species of plants and trees growing asthey edge their way to the distant sky. In thehidden depths of Mulu, you can find the Pinnacles,a series of jagged peaks rising from the forest floor, dominated by Mount Api.ROYALMULURESORT, MULUNATIONALPARKDesigned in the style of ethnic longhouses, RoyalMulu Resort is built on wooden stilts, three metresabove the ground. Linked by a series of woodenwalkways, the resort stands on the banks of theMelinau River, in the midst of a breathtakingnatural splendour. The accommodation is of agood standard considering the isolated location,but still relatively simple. Every room has a veranda or balcony, which offers guests a view ofeither the rich surrounding jungle or the MelinauRiver. The spa is a welcome addition, as is thesmall pool, which is great to cool off in after a day walking through the jungle.Mulu National ParkHidden under a blanket of jungle, this nationalpark's greatest sights are underground: the world'slargest limestone cave systems, overlooked by thetowering Gunung (Mount) Mulu. The area isaccessible only by aircraft, and once in the park,exploration is on foot or by boat. Highlights areto follow the labyrinthine passages of ClearwaterCave, perhaps swimming in its warm pellucidwaters, visit Lang Cave or clamber into DeerCave, the world's largest single undergroundpassage, to watch the bats emerge in theirshadowy hordes at dusk. The landscape has beenestimated to be at least five million years old andwith its soaring peaks and dense jungle, it seemsto defy time. The forest itself may seem peaceful,but the silence is often broken by the sounds ofgibbons, cicadas, hornbills, bats and frogs, while in100Canopy walkway, Mulu National ParkRoyal Mulu ResortDeer Cave, Mulu National ParkThe Pinacles at Mulu National ParkMale Sunda slow loris