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Sarawak’s second city is located on the north coast and is the center of the Malaysian petroleum industry.

Miri has grown phenomenally since oil was first discovered in the early 1900s, burgeoning into a modern and dynamic business, commercial and educational center.

The city has a couple of good accommodation options and spending some time here allows the traveler to gain an insight into modern day life.

For most, it is simply a stopover en route to the world-famous Gunung Mulu National Park, Lambir Hills and Niah Caves, the Kelabit Highlands or the exotic coral reefs just offshore.

Archaeological remains in the Niah Caves

Located on the Niah River 110 kilometers southwest of Miri, the Niah Caves are one of the most important archaeological sites in the region, with human remains dating back 40,000 years, advanced rock art and a wealth of flora and fauna.

The human remains discovered here are the oldest in Southeast Asia, and in the Painted Cave anthropological figures have been drawn in red hematite, watching over a gravesite where the bodies of the dead were each laid in their own boat-shaped coffins.

The caves today, surrounded by lowland forest, are home to bats, swiftlets and other species specially adapted to life in this environment.