Belaga

Belaga is a small town on the Rejang River in Malaysia's province of Sarawak. Whilst the village can be explored in well under an hour, most visitors arrive in Belaga in order to explore the many longhouses as well as the interior of Borneo. There are a few tour operators which are established in the town, however the town is very well connected with the tribes-people and finding a local guide shouldn't be very difficult.

Belaga is one of the best places to do trips to see the longhouses. Indigenous tribes are typically welcoming to tourists and very hospitable. Expect to be shown different styles of villages (old and new), as well as traditional costumes, dances, foods (jungle fern, wild boar), manufacturing methods, local rice farms etc. Most of the children, when not at school are fascinated by Westerners and will tag along for the fun and games. Be prepared to take some gifts for the tribes people (mainly for the children) as a show of appreciation to their hospitality. These should be given to the chieftain who will later distribute them.