You’re no doubt in Borneo to see its natural attractions – the jungles, the rivers, the waterfalls and more. While you’re in Miri, Lambir Hills National Park is the perfect place to head to get out of the city and experience all of those things.
Just 45 minutes drive from the centre, it’s easy to find your way here and enjoy the 6,949 hectares of hilly terrain. It’s a great place to visit for walking trails, waterfalls and to experience a huge amount of biodiversity. It’s home to over 1200 tree species, 247 species of birds, gibbons, tarsiers and clouded leopards. There is a lot to see and experience here.
A visit here also works well if you are short on time – hikes start at just 20 minutes each way to the Latak Waterfall where you can swim, picnic and enjoy. Or take the Summit trail for superb views at 456 metres high.
This place is perfect for a day trip or you can stay overnight with accommodation offered in the park.
Below, you’ll find our full guide to visiting Lambir Hills National Park so you can make a smart decision on whether to fit a visit here into your trip to Miri and how to spend your time if you make it here.
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Lambir Hills National Park
Lambir Hills National Park is known for its biodiversity and is home to a huge amount of flora and fauna, so keep your eyes open when you are visiting here. This national park isn’t just for visitors, there’s also a scientific research centre here.
In addition to the plants and animals, it’s possible to swim in some of the cool pools here so bring a swim suit if that is of interest to you. Leeches can also be a problem so wear your socks over your pants or leech socks and take mosquito repellent. I recommend long trousers regardless of leeches for this park too as the trails can be narrow.
Good hiking shoes are also a must. Paths can be slippery and most have steep sections.
Basically, the hikes are serious here other than the easy walk to Latak Waterfall, so wear proper clothes and shoes.
On arrival, head straight to Park Headquarters, pay your entry fee and check out the maps and any recent advice. You can also ask for advice on where to go, but it is handy to already have a plan.
Walking Trails
There are quite a few different trails here. It’s easy to walk them by yourself, so you don’t need a guide. Keep a look out for the signs that point you in the right direction of where you want to go.
The walking trails are perfect for day visitors and you’ll have time to fit multiple trails into your day. So it more than one sounds good, excellent! Why not do whatever trails sounds interesting. There are easier walks and more challenging ones.
I found the hiking times to be conservative and will allow some rest breaks.
Here’s a brief overview:
| Trail Name | Distance (one way from Park Headquarters) | Time (one way from Park Headquarters) | Notes |
| Main Trail | 835 metres | 15 minutes | This is the start of the trail to a junction where you can keep going to Latak Waterfall or turn left to the Pantu Trail. Don’t just do this trail. At least continue on to Latak Waterfall |
| Latak Waterfall | 1km | 20 minutes | Easiest and fastest walk. More information below |
| Inoue | 1.6km | 45 minutes | This trail connects Pantu Trail/Pantu Waterfall/Bukit Pantu back to Park Headquarters |
| Nibong Waterfall | 2km | 45 minutes | This small waterfall is a small branch off the Pantu Trail. Look for the sign to this waterfall to get the right turn-off. You may have to walk across a small stream depending on water levels |
| Pantu | 2.2km | 1 hour | Found at the end of the Main Trail with the junction to Latak Waterfall. This makes it easy to do this trail in combination with Latak Waterfall. From this trail, you can walk a little further to visit Nibong Waterfall, Pantu Waterfall or Bukit Pantu. Note that there are a lot of stairs |
| Pantu Waterfall | 2.6km | 1 hour 10 minutes | This trail branches from the Pantu Trail. It’s a beautiful spot and less crowded than Latak |
| Oil Well | 3km | 1 hour 40 minutes | Hike to an abandoned oil well. It follows Inoue trail as well. You can easily detour to Pantu Waterfall or Bukit Pantu |
| Bukit Pantu (Pantu Hill) | 3.6km | 1 hour 30 minutes | The closest peak to HQ. This trail branches from the Pantu Trail and has steps and steep sections. There are great views from the top |
| Lepoh Ridan | 4.3km | 1 hour 30 minutes | This trail continues on from where the Pantu and Inoue trails meet taking you towards the remaining trails. It’s not a trail to do by itself but to help you connect |
| Dinding Waterfall | 4.8km | 2 hours | Dindang waterfall is to the right at the end of the Lepoh Ridan trail. It turns off the Summit Trail so is a great place to visit after hiking to the Summit or you can come here and have a swim and not hike to the Summit |
| Tengkorong Waterfall | 5.4km | 2 hours | Tengkorong Waterfall is to the left at the end of the Lepoh Ridan trail and then there is another turn off to this waterfall. This is a good choice (along with Pancur Waterfall) for hikers who want a longer hike but don’t want to hike the Summit Trail |
| Pancur Waterfall | 7.0km | 2 hours 20 minutes | Pancur Waterfall is also to the left at the end of the Lepoh Ridan trail. You keep following the trail and don’t turn off to the Tengkorong Waterfall to get here. You can visit both waterfalls on the one hike |
| Summit | 7.05km | 3 hours 30 minutes | Toughest trail with steep parts climbing to 456 metres. Great views as well as the chance to see dipterocarp and heath forest as well as wild orchids. You can take a dip at the Dinding waterfall on the way down to cool off |
Tracks are colour coded by five different colours. Find out the colour for your track and look for this as you hike. Intersections with other tracks generally have signs though to make sure you don’t get lost.
Not many people walk beyond the Pantu trail, Bukit Pantu and Pantu Waterfall. Venturing beyond this to Dinding Waterfall, Tengkorong Waterfall, the Summit, etc is a great way to get the park to yourself.
The walking trails are in ok condition. Some maintenance work would definitely be great as there are parts where the boardwalk is broken or you have to walk around big holes/puddles in the paths. There are some picnic shelters around the park but not much else. Only the Latak Waterfall and Main Trails are easy. The rest have steep sections and can be slippery.
Latak Waterfall Trail
This is the shortest, easiest and most popular trail in Lambir Hills. On weekends, it can be popular so you may enjoy it more on a weekday.
The trail gently slopes and is an easy walk. There are two small waterfalls on the way as well as a cool suspension bridge. At the end of the trail is Latak Waterfall itself including a large natural pool surrounded by forest.
Latak Waterfall is about 25 metres high, and you can swim in the gorgeous pool at the bottom. Parts of the pool are deep so non-swimmers and children should be careful.
The biggest mistake I made on my visit here was that I didn’t pack my swim suit. I would have loved to swim here. It looked perfect. Don’t make the same mistake!
This is a popular picnic spot and there are some picnic tables here. I had read that there were changing rooms and toilets here, but that is no longer the case.
Half Day Route
You can easily combine Latak Waterfall Trail with Pantu Trail, Nibong Waterfall, Pantu Waterfall, Bukit Pantu and then take Inoue back to Park Headquarters. You could complete this in a half day and see a nice section of Lambir Hills National Park without much back tracking.
You could also spread this out into a day trip by taking your time, having a picnic and a swim along the way.
Lambir Hills National Park Accommodation
It is easy to stay in Miri and day trip here. However, if you want to stay, it’s possible to stay overnight in chalets or at a camp site. To book this, you need to talk to the National Park’s Booking Office in Miri or try the ebooking form here.
Where Is Lambir Hills National Park?
Address: 1-76, Jalan Bintulu – Miri, 98000 Miri, Sarawak
Lambir Hills National Park Sarawak is located 32 kilometres southeast of the centre of Miri.
How To Get To Lambir Hills National Park
It’s easiest to get here from Miri, but it’s also possible from other places in Sarawak.
From Miri, the easiest option is to take a Grab taxi. However, you may struggle to get a Grab taxi back so I recommend you negotiate with a taxi driver to wait for you and drive you back when you are finished.
You can take a bus here from the Terminal Bas Pujut (Pujut Bus Terminal) in Miri. You can take any bus that is heading along AH150 to Batu Niah, Bintulu, Sibu or Kuching. Buy your ticket at the terminal and then make sure your driver knows you want to get off at Lambir Hills National Park.
The bus will then stop at the turn-off to the park. It’s a very short walk from here into the park.
When you have finished, you can also wait here to get a bus back to Miri. The last bus goes by at 5:30pm.
You can also do what I did which is hire a car in Miri and drive here. I found this a great way to explore attractions like Lambir Hill National Park and Niah Caves.
Since it’s by the main highway, it’s easy to find. The parking lot is very close to the highway, and there’s a sign for where to turn.
There were a lot of road works around here when I did this drive, but this didn’t cause any issues.
Click here for rental car prices and options.
Lambir Hills National Park Opening Hours
At the time of publishing, Lambir Hills National Park is open 8am to 3pm daily year round.
You have to leave the park by 3pm so make sure you arrive early.
Lambir Hills National Park Entrance Fee
The Lambir Hills National Park entrance fee is RM20 for adults that are foreigners and RM10 for Malaysians. Children 6-18 years old have a reduced fee of RM7 for foreigners (RM3 for locals) and children under 6 are free.
Final Words
I hope you have found this guide to Lambir Hills National Park useful. This national park is fantastic for visitors looking for an easy hike in a beautiful place or longer, more challenging hikes. It’s ideal for day trippers and, being close to Miri, is easy to visit.
I very much enjoyed visiting here and wandering around. I visited alone and found it safe and easy to get started.
It’s worth coming here even if you only have time for a walk to Latak Waterfall and a swim. So good!
Looking for other things to do in Miri? Find our full guide here. You can also find our full guide to where to stay in Miri here and our full guide to Miri here. Also consider visiting Niah National Park here.
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
