Santubong Archaeological Park Three Attractions In One

At the foot of the majestic Mount Santubong lie a number of important historical sites. The Sarawak Museums Department has transformed three of these sites into tourist attractions under the heading Santubong Archaeological Park.

These three sites are all in close proximity in and around Kampung Santubong and can all easily be visited on the same day.

The three sites are:

Sungai Jaong

boulder carved with a spread-eagled human figure

The Batu Gambar is a carving of a human figure with spread-eagled arms and legs.

Sungai Jaong is an ancient industrial site located within a dipterocarp and mangrove forest and includes five carved boulders, the most famous of which is a rock carving called Batu Gambar. They are believed to date back to the 9th to 14th centuries when the Santubong foothills were a centre of iron smelting activities.

A smart new gallery provides background information on the rock carvings and other archaeological discoveries made on this site.

A boulder trail with concrete pathways makes it easy to see the rock art and there is also a short nature trail to explore.

Wallace Centre

In the heart of the village is a small hill overlooking the sea and the mouth of the Santubong River. On the top of the hill stood a humble rest house which is where the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace stayed while writing his paper known as 'The Sarawak Law' in 1855.

The rest house was replaced by a bungalow during the time of Rajah Charles Brooke. After falling into disrepair the bungalow was renovated from 2017 onwards and turned into the Wallace Centre to commemorate the great naturalist and his connections with Sarawak.

Inside is a tasteful gallery providing details of Wallace's background and his work and travels around Sarawak.

stag beetle odontolabis brookeana of the type collected by Alfred Russel Wallace and named after Rajah James Brooke

Some mounted insect specimens are displayed.

About ten years ago I wrote a number of blog posts entitled 'In Search of Wallace' and I visited many of the places mentioned in his book The Malay Archipelago including Simunjan and Bukit Peninjau in Sarawak. You can read about them here.

Bongkissam & Bukit Maras

The third site is known as Bongkissam and Bukit Maras where Hindu-Buddhist finds have been excavated and the remains of a shrine are located. These finds tell of Santubong's early role as a trading port with connections to India and China and bringing Hindu and Buddhist influences to Borneo. The majority of the finds are Buddhist relics from India dating back to the 6th-9th centuries.

Excavation of the shrine revealed a silver ritual box with 142 gold foil figures and hundreds of Chinese ceramics. Most of these artefacts have been transferred to the Borneo Cultures Museum so the actual items on display here are somewhat limited.

Opening Hours & Admission Fee

All 3 Attractions Are Open Daily:

Monday - Friday 9am - 4:45pm
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays 9:30am - 4:30pm

Closed on first day of Chinese New Year, first day of Eid al-Fitr, Labour Day, first day of Gawai Dayak Festival, Merdeka Day, Sarawak Governor's Birthday and Christmas Day.

Free Entrance for all 3 sites.