Exploring the Borneo Cultures Museum, Kuching
I visited the Borneo Cultures Museum as part of my tour around Kuching (the City of Cats). At the time I didn’t realize how BIG the museum was, so I only managed to see two floors before I had to leave and go to my next activity. Still, I really liked my visit to this museum and I wanted to share my experience there, and hopefully encourage you to go visit it as well!
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Borneo Cultures Museum Info
- Address: Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, 93400 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
- Plus code: H84R+5X Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
- Phone #: +6082548215
- Entry (CASH ONLY)
- For foreign visitors: Adults RM50, Children (12 and under) RM20, Teens (13-17) RM25, Senior citizens (61+) RM25
- For Malaysian Sarawakians (e.g. locals): Adults RM10, Children (12 and under) FREE, Teens (13-17) RM5, Senior citizens (61+) RM5
- For Malaysians non-Sarawakians: Adults RM20, Children (12 and under) RMFREE, Teens (13-17) RM5, Senior citizens (61+) RM10
- Open: Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:45pm, Saturday-Sunday 9:30am-4:30pm
- Closed on public holidays
- Also: Visit the museum’s homepage to check out current exhibitions and events.
Borneo Cultures Museum Visit Experience
If you want to see the entire museum, I recommend coming as soon as it opens and plan to stay the whole day. The Borneo Cultures Museum is the LARGEST museum in Malaysia and the second largest in Southeast Asia! There’s a LOT to see. Here’s a photo of the museum floor directory to give you an idea:
It was very busy when I went because it was free entry day! But getting the ticket and up to the exhibits was very easy and quick.
I only had a few hours before it closed so I focused on two exhibits: In Harmony With Nature (3rd floor) and Objects of Desire (5th floor).
In Harmony With Nature (Permanent Gallery)
This gallery shows the relationship between Borneo’s people and the land they live on. It’s divided into the three main ecosystems on Borneo: Coastal, Rainforest and Highlands. Each ecosystem had their own space on the floor and it was filled with amazing treasures: clothes, pottery, wooden carvings, jewelry, plus video clips of interviews with locals talking about their history and little interactive things showcasing the animals living in the ecosystems.
I especially liked the pottery and the wooden figure carvings. They were mostly behind plexiglass so photos were a bit difficult but here’s some of my favorites:
Carvings
Pottery
Woven Items
Clothing
Klirieng (Burial Poles)
Objects of Desire (Permanent Gallery)
This is a very interesting floor: it’s about desirable objects, like jewelry, fancy pottery, imported goods that people paid a lot for, etc. plus beautiful works of local art and handicrafts.
Once again they were all behind plexiglass so it was a little difficult getting good photos, but I managed to get some decent ones:
Beaded Works
Clothing
Pottery
Carvings
Woven Items
Tattoos
Museum Restaurant
Between exhibits I took a break and got lunch at the on-site restaurant, which had just opened recently. It’s a huge, beautiful dining area with lots of natural light, and the food is pretty darned good! I got a crab burger with sweet potato fries:
Final Thoughts: Borneo Cultures Museum
It’s really a wonderful museum, and the way they’ve set up the exhibits makes it easy to wander around and look at things. They have a good collection of local artifacts, and the placards that explain each thing are well-written and informative. If you’re interested in learning more about the local culture on Borneo, I recommend stopping by the Borneo Cultures Museum!
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