Damai Beach is situated on the Santubong Peninsula around 35 km from Kuching. Damai is dominated by the rainforest-clad slopes of Mount Santubong. The Santubong area has long been settled by small fishing communities and was once a trading centre.
Today the Santubong Peninsula, especially Damai Beach, is Sarawak’s main beach resort destination. However, the area’s best attractions are away from the beach.
Damai Beach offers a range of nature-based tours and activities centred on the coastline and the protected forest at Mount Santubong National Park. There are a number of trekking trails in the park, including the trek to the summit.
The mangrove forests of the nearby Kuching Wetlands National Park are a short boat ride from Damai beach. The mangroves are best explored on a Santubong Wildlife Cruise.
The Santubong and Salak estuaries are home to the rare Irrawaddy dolphin and finless porpoise. Dolphin watching tours depart daily from Damai Beach and the Santubong boat club, with pick-up from your hotel in Damai or Kuching.
Satang Island is visible from Damai Beach. This small forested island is part of the Talang Satang Marine Park and a nesting ground for green turtles. Day trips to the island operate during the dry season months from March to October.
The Sarawak Cultural Village is also located at Damai Beach and nearby Buntal Village is famed for its seafood restaurants perched on stilts above the sandflats.
For details of the tours we offer in Damai & Santubong see our Kuching section.
Accommodation
The main resort hotels are Damai Beach Hotel, Damai Puri Resort & Spa and Permai Rainforest Resort. There are also a number of guest houses, small hotels and homestays located at Damai. The pick of the bunch is Nanga Damai Homestay.
Getting There
The Damai Shuttle bus service departs from the Grand Margherita Hotel in Kuching at 9.15 am, 10.15 am, 12.15 pm and 2.15 pm. The return service from Damai to Kuching leaves from the Sarawak Cultural Village at 11.15 am, 1.15 pm, 3.15 pm and 5.15 pm.
The one-way fare is RM 20 (adult) and RM 10 (child 2-12 years).