The ultimate Borneo Cultures Museum guide

Introduction to the Borneo Cultures Museum

The Borneo Cultures Museum formally opened its doors to the public in March 2022. The museum succeeds the Sarawak State Museum that had its roots in the late 19th century. As previously mentioned, it is the biggest museum in Sarawak and Malaysia and holds the proud position of being the second-largest in all of South-East Asia, following Singapore’s National Museum.

The museum is a modern five-storey building, reflecting Sarawak’s indigenous crafts and deep cultural roots. Each floor of the Borneo Cultures Museum showcases different exhibitions. Further details about these are shared later in this review. To us the appearance of the building looks stunning, with its high peaks and elegant shapes. We dare to say that it is one of the architectural highlights of Kuching.

Practical information for your visit to the Borneo Cultures Museum

Before you decide to visit the Borneo Cultures Museum, we’ve compiled some practical information for your convenience. Such as the museum’s operational hours and entry fees. Please refer to the Borneo Cultures Museum’s official website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Opening hours of the museum and how to get there

As one of the main tourist activities the city of Kuching has to offer, the museum is opened daily as you can see in the table below. Expect a higher visitor count during weekends compared to weekdays.

The Borneo Cultures Museum is located near the waterfront of Kuching on the opposite side of shopping mall Plaza Merdeka. If you are staying in Kuching as a tourist, it is highly likely that you stay near the waterfront already. In this case you should be able to reach the museum within a 20-minute walk. Otherwise you could opt for a Grab ride for around RM 10.00 – 20.00 depending on the traffic and weather conditions. The Grab driver should have no trouble dropping you off right at the museum’s doorstep.

What is the admission fee for the museum?

In this section we tell you how much it costs to visit the Borneo Cultures Museum. Different rates apply for Malaysian citizens (not from Sarawak), Malaysian citizens (from Sarawak) and foreigners (international). Here’s a summary of the entry prices. As you can read, it can be as cheap as RM 5.00 and as expensive as RM 50.00 depending on your cultural background.

How and when to buy your tickets?

You can book your tickets to the Borneo Cultures Museum in two ways. The direct approach is to just walk in and purchase your tickets at the counter. For us, this literally took only 3 minutes as we were second in line as soon as we arrived. If you are short on time however, you could avoid potential queues by booking your tickets online in advance. Do note that you have to have a SarawakID to do so, which may not be available to you as a foreigner. To purchase your ticket online, visit this link to the Sarawak Government website. Please be aware that a ticket purchased online should be used within 90 days from the date it’s been bought.

What can you expect from the museum and its various galleries?

As previously mentioned, the museum is spread out over five different floors. Each floor has been designed with its own themed gallery in mind. In our opinion this is a good way to make the museum more fun and educating. Located on the ground floor are the auditorium, reception, museum shop and restaurant. On the second floor is the Children’s Gallery featuring numerous games, as well as the Crafts Gallery. The third floor expands on various lifestyle aspects with the In Harmony with Nature exhibition. While the fourth floor delves into the history of Sarawak and Malaysia’s formation, the fifth and final floor explores traditional attire and other practices of the local population. You can find out what to expect from each gallery in the following paragraphs.

Ground floor: the auditorium, reception and museum shop

On the ground floor, you will find the auditorium, reception and museum shop. The auditorium serves as a venue for events, contributing to the lively ambiance of the museum. You can approach the reception for your tickets and any other museum-related questions. The museum shop offers a selection of unique local products worth checking out. What comes in handy are the lockers you can use free of charge if say you’re travelling with a backpack like us.

Second floor: the Children’s Gallery & Arts and Crafts Gallery

On the second floor, there is the Children’s Gallery. This gallery tries to put emphasis for the children on the importance of a clean and safe living environment in a playful manner. It discusses pollution, waste recycling and the need for clean drinking water. We could see the kids were having fun with the interactive games (and so did we as our inner child came alive in this gallery).

The Crafts Gallery showcases the handcrafts produced by the local population of Borneo over the centuries. This includes clay work, stonemasonry and metalcraft. You will find examples such as traditional hunting gear and storage pots for food. Not just that, this gallery also explores music and dance throughout the years.

Third floor: the In Harmony with Nature exhibition

The third floor features the gallery called In Harmony with Nature. It is the largest in the whole museum, divided into three sections. It covers various ethnic groups, such as the Iban and the Bidayuh, portraying their life vividly through visual elements.

The first part of the exhibition shares insights about life next to the river – also called the riverlands. Here, you will learn about life in a longhouse, along with its traditions and customs. What we found particularly interesting were the totems/statues for their gods/spirits. Every spirit has its own purpose and can either be good or bad. In the picture you can see the statue of Ba’aw Ulew, which is an air spirit, that if passes by, causes humans to have a headache.

The second part of the gallery is about the wetlands, referring to life in the rainforest. This section explains unique characteristic, pros and cons of living in the rainforest. You will learn how the local population overcame these challenges and adapted to life in the rainforest.

The third segment delves into life in the mountains – the highlands. Borneo is distinct for its various mountains which are well hidden by rainforest. As a result, the highlands population experience challenges in connecting with the outside world. Departing and reaching their village is in itself a challenge. So far, it is easier for people to access these groups by aerial transport rather than by land.

Even today, there are still communities living in the riverlands, wetlands and highlands. Some tribes maintain contact with the outside, civilized world, while others do not. We personally found this gallery quite impressive, particularly considering that some people still live like this.

Fourth floor: historic focus with the Time Changes gallery

The fourth floor covers the history of Sarawak. It starts with the discovery of significant caves and artifacts by showing various cave drawings, among other things. Next, it narrates about trade with vast empires such as China and other trading nations. We had a moment of pride, because at that time Sarawak was also trading with the Dutch VOC company.

The next section is about the pre-modern era, disclosing the connection between Sarawak and Brunei and the role Charles Brooke played in the formation of the Sarawak. He was the second white Rajah of Sarawak and brought Western influences to this region. We also find it super impressive that the creation of modern day Sarawak took place only recently. At this gallery you will find an interactive map which uses a slider to show territorial changes throughout the Brooke era from the year 1841 to the year 1905. A must see during your visit to the museum.

At the end it discusses the most recent developments from the 20th and 21st century. From the end of the Brooke era, to the Japanese invasion during WWII and the aftermath of all the troubles. Just like In Harmony with Nature, Time Changes makes great use of visual elements and interactivity to keep things interesting.

Fifth floor: Objects of Desire gallery

The final gallery explores the attire of local communities more deeply, featuring ceremonial clothing, wedding jewellery and tattoos. It allows visitors to appreciate the artistic beauty of these artifacts, as well as their divine powers and their symbol of status. It is true that the Objects of Desire exhibition reflects skilled craftsmanship from the local populace.

By the time we arrived at the Objects of Desire gallery, we have been walking in the museum for almost 3 hours. As you can imagine our concentration has been tested at this point, but then again this last gallery was also quite impressive. Here we tried out various tattoos of the local populations, by making use of the Augmented Reality (AR) tattoo photobooth. This makes for a fun experience at the end of our visit.

Bonus tip: the Borneo Cultures Museum restaurant

Before or after your museum visit, it is a great idea to stop by the museum’s restaurant. The environment is sophisticated and modern, with ample seating, large tables and beautiful lighting. In our opinion, it’s the ideal spot for a drink or a bite to eat. The menu offers excellent coffee, various smoothies and juices, as well as luxury dining options. Be prepared though, the prices are (slightly) higher than what you find in local restaurants or food courts.

Concluding our review of the Borneo Cultures Museum

We sincerely hope that you found our review and guide of the Borneo Cultures Museum engaging and useful. The chances are you can now make a well-considered decision if the museum is worth the visit to you (we highly recommend it!). If you appreciated this blog post or found it helpful in any way, we would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share if you think we have missed any crucial details in our visitor guide that definitely needs to be included. To finalize this review, we only have one thing left to say: we hope that our review has inspired you to visit the Borneo Cultures Museum.