MY · Sarawak · 4.00°N 115.62°E

ba'kelalan

Lun Bawang highland villages, paddies of Adan rice and salt boiled from mountain springs.

Best time
March to September has the most dry spells for walking and flying. The paddies are planted around August and September and harvested from January, so they're green late in the year and golden around harvest.
How long
3–4 days
Getting there
Fly from KL to Miri (about 2 hours 15 minutes), then take the small plane to Ba'kelalan, which stops in Lawas and flies only a few days a week. The other way in is by 4WD from Lawas, about 5–6 hours on an old logging road that gets bad after rain.
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MY · Sarawakba'kelalan4.00°N 115.62°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Lun Bawang highland villages, paddies of Adan rice and salt boiled from mountain springs.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBa'kelalanMY, Sarawak
KLba'kelalan
≈ 1,549 km from KL, as the crow flies
White-browed scimitar babbler in Ba'kelalan, Sarawak, Malaysia

Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Nine Lun Bawang villages in a valley at about 900 metres, close to the Kalimantan border. Days are for walking between the villages and rice fields and watching salt being boiled from spring water; evenings are with your homestay family. It's cool, green and very quiet.

Makan

  1. Adan riceThe fragrant highland rice grown in the valley, served at every meal and sold by the bag.Map ↗
  2. Mountain saltBuy a packet to take home. It's sold around Sarawak, but it's better bought where it's made.Map ↗
  3. Nuba layaSoft mashed rice wrapped in leaves, the Lun Bawang staple.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. The salt springsAt Buduk Bui and Punang Kelalan, villagers boil salty spring water over wood fires to make mountain salt. Ask your host when a batch is on.Map ↗
  2. Paddy walksWalk the irrigated fields of Adan rice around Buduk Bui and Long Langai.Map ↗
  3. Buduk NurThe main village and the start of most walks, with hills rising behind the houses.Map ↗
  4. Pulong Tau and Mount MurudBa'kelalan is the way into Pulong Tau National Park and Sarawak's highest peak, a multi-day trek with a guide.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Book your homestay first, then the flight. The Twin Otter has few seats and they fill up.
  • Bring a jacket and rain gear; nights are cool at this height.
  • The apple orchards that once made Ba'kelalan famous have largely gone, so don't plan around them.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.