Mongkos Bidayuh Longhouse Day Trip

Itinerary

0830 hours pickup from hotel in Kuching and proceed by road to Mongkos Bidayuh village which is located near the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, 103 kilometres from Kuching. Along the way stop at the colourful native market in the small town of Serian (optional) where a variety of jungle produce such as edible ferns, bamboo shoots and tropical fruits are on display. Arrive at Mongkos around 1100 hours. Mongkos is a thriving rural community and home to one of the few remaining traditional Bidayuh longhouses in Sarawak. The Bidayuh or Land Dayak are the second largest Dayak tribe in Sarawak. Traditionally they lived in longhouses but nowadays most Bidayuh settlements consist of individual houses rather than longhouses.

Upon arrival visit the 24-door traditional longhouse which is made of wood and bamboo and was built in the 1950s. Take a short tour and learn about the history of the longhouse, including stories from the ‘Confrontation’, the undeclared war between Malaysia and Indonesia that ran from 1962-1966. See the bullet holes in the wooden walls of the longhouse, the result of an Indonesian attack on Mongkos during the Confrontation. Then enjoy a Bidayuh-style lunch. After lunch take a tour of the village, meet local villagers and learn about the Bidayuh way of life. After touring the village go on a guided walk through nearby farmland. Rice, pepper, rubber, oil palm, rambutan, mango, bananas, jackfruit, durian and a range of local vegetables are all grown in the small farms that surround the village. See local fruits and vegetables and cash crops such as pepper and cocoa (the exact crops will depend on the season). 1530-1600 hours depart the village and return to Kuching arriving back around 1800 hours.