The long awaited question, what are the theme parks in Sarawak? which has been asked for years, and to date, there are only two which are in operation. One is in Miri while the other is the newly re-launched project called Sarawak Sentosa Theme Park in Kuching. However, you should not get your hopes too high as these are both very small and does not qualify as world class theme parks, but more for the local family getaways.
I am only being honest here as I would not want to deceive readers or visitors heading to Sarawak to be disappointed, therefore I will do my best to highlight them here. In the list are also some of the upcoming theme parks in Sarawak which are scheduled to open in 2017 and 2018, so do look out for them.
Theme Parks in Sarawak
The water park at Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort in Miri
Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort Water Park
Many may not know of this water park, but it has been around for many years now. Located on the way to the Niah National Park is the Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort and inside the resort, there is a mini water park with a racing slide and twist slides, a play pool and a mid sized swimming pool. The water park in Miri is free for guest staying here while visitors need to buy tickets.
This place is very popular with the locals and tends to get busy on the weekends and school holidays. The beauty about this water park is that it is located in a rainforest. Next time you explore Miri, do check this place out as it is a great place to stay at if you are heading to the Niah Caves or national parks here.
Sentosa Theme Park in Kuching, Sarawak (Photo from Facebook)
Sarawak Sentosa Theme Park
Recently re-branded and re-launched on the 26th November 2016 is the Sarawak Sentosa Theme Park is located along Jalan Stakan in Kota Sentosa, Batu 7, Kuching. Well, this theme park in Kuching is more of an "activity park" as the attractions here are not theme park related. They offer the largest indoor skating rink, indoor archery field, a 12,000 square feet Kuso 5D Museum, 9D VR or Augmented Reality Experience, a few types of Go Karts, bubble football, hover boards, electronic darts and a games area. Originally, this was called the Sentosa World Sports Centre and was opened on 15 Jan 2016, but it was re-branded and re-launched under the brand Sentosa Theme Park.
Well, those are most of the attractions offered and generally, it feels more of an activity park than a theme park, but somehow they got the branding Sentosa Theme Park. To be very honest, it is very confusing, especially for the tourist visiting Kuching as the title 'theme park' is very misleading.
For locals, this would be a great place to have your kids go crazy and the fun does not stop as adults too can also participate. Sentosa Theme Park is also open 11.00 AM to 11.00 PM, daily and has a cafe and sports section. Currently, this is the talk of Kuching as the city has never had a theme park and this is the first of its kind, well sort of.
The one month Mobile Water Theme Park at MJC, Batu Kawa in Kuching, Sarawak
Mobile Water Theme Park at MJC Batu Kawa
This interesting concept of a water park made an appearance in MJC Batu Kawa where a massive mobile water theme park was set up for a month in September 2016. This brought locals by the bus loads to experience this fun family concept but after opening it, there was no news of follow up on this mobile water park in Sarawak. Plans were to take this concept to other parts of Sarawak namely Sibu and Miri.
Senadin Water Theme Park in Miri, the scale model (Photo from www.miricitysharing.com)
Senadin Water Theme Park in Miri
The latest theme park in Sarawak which is scheduled to open somewhere in 2017 is no other than the Senadin Uptown Water Theme Park. Rumours had surfaced that the project was abandoned but the developers have stated that this theme park project is still on.
The RM7 million Senadin Water Theme Park will have wave generators, swimming pools, water slides and tubes, and even a water canoe track. There will be a shopping mall, cultural village, hotel, amphitheater and even a planned man-made island in the 36 acre site near Sungai Tujuh, which is very close to Brunei. This massive project is also by the Miri Housing Development Realty Sdn. Bhd. and it was scheduled to be ready by 2016, but judging from the news, it may only be launched in 2018.
Borneo Samariang Resort City Theme Park (Photo from ww.sentoria.com)
Borneo Samariang Resort City Theme Park
Another much talked about theme park project is the Borneo Samariang Resort City at Bandar Baru Samariang, which is a new satellite township rapidly taking shape to the north of Kuching. Plans to incorporate a theme park and water park similar to the sister project, Bukit Gambang Resort City will make this one of the top theme parks in Sarawak.
Once fully developed and launched in 2018, the project will have a world class theme park, a water park and a safari park, There will also be a resort with 2000 rooms, a team building area and also a river cruise. So visitors will have to wait till 2018 before the Borneo Samariang Resort City opens.
Sarawak Theme Parks That Never Made It
There was in fact a one theme park that was planned by never did take off and it was located in Sibu, central Sarawak. The ambitious plan sounded good, but unfortunately never happened. This is highlighted here just to show that there was in fact, plans for theme parks in Sarawak, especially around 2011 and if it did take off, it would have been pretty good.
Hornbill Bay at Pulau Kerto in Sibu, artist impression (Photo from Behance.com)
Pulau Kerto Theme Park in Sibu
An ambitious plan to build a theme park in Pulau Kerto in Sibu got everyone excited, but the project never did take off. It was also called the Rajang Basin Theme Park. The RM50 million project would have been spread over 50 acres of the island would have seen a an iconic gigantic hornbill sculpture standing at 150 feet high which would have made this into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest bird statue in the world.
Rides would have included a river boat cruise, flying fox and a sky lift. A gallery was also planned to showcase Sarawakian historical and cultural artifacts and information of the various tribes of Sarawak. The Pulau Kerto Theme Park project would have put Sibu on the travel map, had this project gone through. It was also called Hornbill Bay, according to another report where the entire bay was shaped like a hornbill head.
The giant hornbill that was supposed to be at the Pulau Kerto Theme Park in Sibu (Photo from Behance.com)
If you have gone through this list, you may have noticed that all of them are water theme parks or water related, as someone once told me that building a water park is much more cheaper than building a full scale theme park. Anyway, since Sarawak is located in the tropical climate, it is only right to have water parks as visitors can head there to cool off and have fun.
For the record, the much talked about and soon to open 20th Century Fox World Theme Park in Genting will be opening in 2017 or 2018, which is the first of its kind in the world and is awaited by the whole world. You can also read this article if you want to know more about Theme Parks in Malaysia as it gives you the complete list.
Overall, these are the few theme parks planned for Sarawak and also those that are currently open and in operation. While Sarawak is more of a nature, culture and heritage place to visit, there are still those wanting theme parks in Sarawak as for most locals, they have to head to Singapore or Peninsular Malaysia to enjoy it.