Bidayuh Farm & Food Experience

Itinerary

Learn about local agricultural traditions and enjoy the culinary delights of the Bidayuh tribe with this immersive farm and food tour.  Visit vegetable and fruit farms, forage for edible jungle produce and help cook a tasty lunch of Bidayuh-style dishes and on this authentic ‘farm-to-fork’ experience.

The Bidayuh are one of the main indigenous groups in Sarawak with most of their population living within 40 km of Greater Kuching.  The tribe are famous for their knowledge and use of bamboo. They use it for building materials, water pipes and cooking. The Bidayuh are also known for their expertise in farming, including the cultivation of rice, vegetables and fruits.

0830 hours pick up from your hotel in Kuching and drive (approx. 1 hour) to a Bidayuh village on the outskirts of city. The village is surrounded by a patchwork of rainforest, bamboo groves and fruit and vegetable farms. Upon arrival, meet your hosts at their village homestay and go on a guided walking tour of nearby vegetable farms and fruit orchards, gaining insights into local farming practices. After touring local farms, venture to the forest edge for a hands-on foraging experience. Collect jungle ferns, bamboo shoots or other seasonal jungle produce.

Around 1130 hours return to your hosts’ house in the village. Together with your hosts prepare and cook a lunch featuring farm-fresh Bidayuh-style dishes. If the weather permits, you will prepare lunch on a picturesque pebble beach by the river. Set up an open fire on the riverbank, BBQ and cook a range of local Bidayuh dishes, some in bamboo tubes.

After lunch stroll along the river and learn about the local Tagang system, a  community-based fisheries management system. Indigenous communities in Sarawak use the Tagang system to protect freshwater fisheries. Access to specific areas of a river is limited for periods of time to allow fish populations to recover, resulting in increased fish populations and enhanced food security.

Around 1400 hours say goodbye to your hosts and return to Kuching, arriving back at your hotel around 1500 hours.

Note: In the event of rain, lunch will be prepared in the homestay building instead of on the pebble beach