Borneo - staying a few days in a longhouse in Sarawak

Hi everyone, We’re heading to Malaysia in June 2026 and will be making a short trip to Sarawak. After reading various reports and blogs online about the Iban communities and others, we’d love to visit a longhouse and spend 3 days and 2 nights there. I’ve found some options online, but always through an agency. So, I’d love to hear if any of you have had this kind of experience and could give us some advice. Thanks

hi there, if you want to spend a few days in a longhouse, you’ve got to head to Bario from Miri and up into the Kelabit Highlands

Hi there

I was in Borneo in September 25, I didn’t sleep in a longhouse but there are homestays in several villages. In Annah Rais in the Kuching region in Bidayuh country, I drank and ate at a homestay—no problem staying there, there weren’t any tourists.

But I think the most beautiful longhouses are in Iban country further east of Kuching: - In Batang Ai there’s a resort (!!) in a longhouse, but that village is probably very touristy. - In Lemanak there’s a real homestay—it should be possible to book.

Thanks for the info

Hi! As I mentioned in my first post, you can find longhouses in the communities around Bario. To get to Bario, you just need to take a short flight from Miri, and once you arrive in Bario—a village in the middle of nowhere—find a vehicle heading to villages like Pa Remudu or Pa Dali. If I get a chance next year, I’ll put together a travel journal after the holidays. The round-trip flight from Miri only costs $200 USD. That said, getting there is a bit of an adventure.

Hi Mathews, Thanks for the info, but we won’t have time to take a domestic flight since we’re only in Kuching for 6 days.