Siniawan Night Bazaar

Siniawan Night Bazaar – every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday from 6pm.

The village of Siniawan is located 26 kms from Kuching, a half hour drive. The Old Bazaar is a food market situated in the main street of the village and decorated with lots of red Chinese lanterns to create a festival atmosphere. The shop houses have retained their original facades and as you wander through the array of Chinese, Malay, and indigenous food stalls you will be tempted by a huge assortment of traditional delicacies.

Siniawan is an historical town. The first White Rajah James Brooke built his first fort at Siniawan to protect the villagers from the headhunting pirates, the Sea Dayaks (Ibans). He also built a bungalow on top of the nearby Mt Serembu so he could watch the traffic on the river to keep the area at peace. In 1854 Alfred Wallace stayed at this bungalow, as did many other infamous travellers of that era. Eventually Siniawan became reknowned for its inter-racial harmony between the Chinese, Dayaks, Bidayuh, and Malays. However, in 1857 the Chinese gold miners rebelled against Brooke’s opium taxes and many lives were lost. They retreated in the face of defeat, over the border to Kalimantan, not returning until the late 1800s when they then established the Siniawan Bazaar.

Duration: 3 hours Departure from your hotel at 5pm. Return transportation included.