Miri Tourism (2024) - Malaysia > Top Places, Travel Guide

"Ecotourism Hotspot"

Miri Tourism

Miri is the capital of Miri District and a coastal city in Sarawak State on the island of Borneo, Malaysia. The town is recognised as the birthplace for Malaysia’s petroleum industry as the first oil well was drilled in Miri in 1910. Miri is also a gateway to the world-famous UNESCO site of Gunung Mulu National Park. A walk around the main streets of Miri is a great way to feel the local Malaysian vibe.

As Miri is one of the major oil cities of Malaysia, a visit to the Grand Old Lady Miri’s first oil well and Oil Well Museum is a must. Apart from a crucial oil resource center, Miri is well-known for its ecotourism spots of national parks and rich wildlife. It is surrounded by five national parks and forests. You can plan a visit to Lambir National Park, Niah National Park, Miri Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park, Loagan Bunut National Park and Gunung Mulu National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All of them are located within the Miri district and near the city of Miri.

Hikers would love to go for hiking to Canada Hill. The view of the city and the beaches from Canada Hill is breathtaking and worth the hike. There is also a place for diving in Miri, the most renowned resorts and divers being COCO Dive and Hoopa Diving. They provide you with diving lessons and a PADI license. Miri is also home to Taoist’s largest temple in South East Asia, San Ching Tian Temple. If you want to spend the day by a beach, Miri has Tamara Selera Beach and Esplanade Beach with crystal clean waters and white sand.

Another highlighting feature of Miri is the Miri May Festival which is an annual month long festival that takes place in the month of May. It started in 1989 and consists of several cultural festivals and events open to local and international participation. Saberkas Weekend Night Market is perfect to try local Malay food in Miri. Do try their special local rice wine called Tuak. It is widely available especially around the harvesting period of Ibans.

1. Saberkas Weekend Market

Located at the Saberkas Commercial Centre, the weekend market is set up in the evenings from Thursday to Sunday. The vibrant market hosts over 170 stalls selling household items, fresh vegetables and (Read More)fruits, local handicrafts, etc. The market is bustling on weekends with good music and plenty of appealing food stalls selling drinks and classic delicacies like BBQ chicken wings, satay, grilled fish, etc.

2. Miri City Fan

Located in the city centre, this recreational park in Miri is widely spread out across 10 acres of land with beautiful green trees, vibrant flowers and a beautiful promenade. The place has a large pon (Read More)d to feed fishes and a botanical garden of vision with a civic centre, amphitheatre, and public swimming pool. Each corner of the park is a symbolic representation of races, like Chinese and Islamic, that settled in the area. The park is well-decorated and brightly lit at night to experience the peaceful setting.

3. Petroleum Museum Miri

Miri is known as one of the first settlements that started business in the oil and gas industry. The Petroleum Museum located on Canada hill allows people to educate themselves about the initial invol (Read More)vement of Miri in this field. The museum has a showcase of artifacts and a display explaining the history and discovery of oil in Malaysia and how they began trading it. The top of this place offers breathtaking sunset views and fantastic views of the town.

4. San Ching Tian Temple

Constructed in the 2000s, the San Ching Tian Temple located in Krokop, about 3km from Miri, is one of the largest taoist temples in Malaysia. The temple has a splendid Chinese architecture with (Read More)classic double decker red roofs and pleasing wind chimes along with intricate artwork on the building. It is spread across 1.5 acres of land with a large open space courtyard.

5. Imperial Mall Miri

The Imperial Mall is a large shopping complex in Miri that has an older wing and a new Boulevard market along with the Imperial Hotel. It has several popular branded shops offering a wide range o (Read More)f products from clothes, accessories and shoes. The mall has a huge collection of cafes and restaurants serving western cuisine and local Malay delicacies.

6. Bintang Plaza

One of the popular shopping centres in Bintang, this 5 storeyed complex is an all-inclusive shopping mall for visitors to experience shopping, entertainment and dining under a single roof. The retail (Read More)centre has several famous brands to shop from like Levi’s, Miniso and H&M along with some known food and beverage options like Mc’Donalds, Subway and Starbucks. The widespread mall also boasts of a bowling alley and a movie theatre for entertainment purposes.