"Most of Miri’s guesthouses are happy to organise private transport to area destinations such as Lambir Hills National Park and Niah National Park. Self-drive car rental begins at around RM120 per day. Note that the availability of rental cars can be surprisingly limited and booking ahead is recommended."
At the Bus Terminal Miri
Miri is the second largest city in Sarawak (with a population of about 300,000), located on its northern coast near the border of Brunei. Miri as known by its nickname "Oil Town", is the birthplace of the Malaysian petroleum industry as the city was founded in 1910 when the first oil well was drilled by Royal Dutch Shell and since then, petroleum has continued to drive the city's economy and development ever since. Miri is the main tourist gateway to the Niah Caves, which makes it one of the favourite ecotourism destinations and can be anurgbly called as the "Resort City". So you need the bus to go to the Niah Caves.
Express Bus Terminal also called Pujut bus terminal, is located approx. 4km
north from the city centre. There are frequent city bus service (from 5am to 9pm, takes 20-30 min) to nearby Boulevard Shopping Mall. The bus stop is at the pedestrian overpass and about 5 minutes walk from bus terminal. The taxi will cost RM20-30.
From other Sarawak cities: Numerous bus companies such as Biaramas, Suria Bus Express and Borneo Highway Express link Miri with other Sarawak cities such as Kuching, Sibu and Bintulu. Most express buses depart from the Express Bus Terminal. From Bintulu the bus jouney takes approximately 4 hours and cost MYR 50.
From Brunei: As of late 2016, there are two direct services between Bandar Seri Begawan and Miri. PHLS Express operates a dedicated BSB-Miri service, leaving BSB at 07:00 and 13:00. In Miri buses leave from the long distance bus station at 08:15, and 15:45. Fare is B$20 BSB to Miri. The other service is EVA Express, with buses from BSB to Kuching etc, which pass through Miri. Please note there is no longer local bus service between Miri and Kuala Belait in Burunei. The only bus connection between two cities are above mentioned express services. It makes stop in Kuala Belait and the fare from Miri is B$15, thus it costs more if you take a local bus from BSB and make a connection at Kuala Belait.
To/From Kota Kinabalu, Sabah: Bintang Jaya Express opened a new route from Miri to Kota Kinabalu (KK) and return in November 2008. The route originates from Pontianak in Indonesia to Kuching, Miri, Limbang, Lawas ending in KK Wawasan Bus Terminal. Bus departs Miri at 8.00AM on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. The journey takes approximately 10 hours without changing buses. From KK the bus departs at 7.30AM on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays.
To/From Niah Caves: Bas Suria departs from the Miri Express Bus Terminal to Batu Niah town regularly. The journey takes over an hour. From Batu Niah, you can either take a speedboat or walk to the Niah National Park headquarters at Pengkalan Batu.
The bus journey which takes off from Miri to Brunei is a rather comfortable, cheap and compatible one and with the two bus service providers offering their services thrice in the day, one at 7 45 AM in the morning which is the one from the bus company named Borneo Express and another at 8 15 AM in the morning and 15 45 PM in the afternoon from the bus service providing company PHLS, the tourists have at least a good amount of options to ply back well and comfortably.
The usual departure points for the busses in Miri is the nearby downtown bus station from where a passenger can board the bus and the points at which one can find themselves to be deposited at in Brunei in points such as the Waterfont Bandar Seri Begawan for the ones travelling by PHLS busses and others need to get down at either Temburong or the Kuala Belait points while plying via Borneo Express.
Today Miri is investing a lot in tourism, and while most visitors still use the city primarily as a transport hub and base for the nearby national parks, there’s actually plenty to keep you entertained here, including parks and beaches outside town, an abundance of shops, good restaurants, several nightlife areas and friendly people.
Don’t be afraid to hang around and explore here before heading off on an excursion or to spend some time and unwind when you return.
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Sarawak (also Miri)
Easy Booking Bus Tickets Online: (click)
