Traveling Solo To Attend Wedding In Mukah, Malaysian Borneo (Personal Recap)
& How To Do Mukah in Malaysia Solo!
It was four years ago – as per the date stated in my photo gallery, that I first ventured on a wedding by myself, solo!
The bride was the sister of my good friend’s. Her wedding then was scheduled to take place in Mukah, a remote coastal township in Malaysia’s Sarawak state.
I had never been to Mukah at that time, so I took this invitation to experience the wedding, meet new people, and maybe get the chance to as an opportunity to explore the home of the Melanau tribe (my paternal tribe)!
The Melanau are one of the ethnic tribes who are early settlers in Sarawak state of Malaysia. They usually live in coastal settlements like Mukah, Rajang, Dalat, Oya of Sarawak.
More about the tribes of Sarawak in Borneo Cultures Museum article here.
Here are some faint personal recounts of the experience four years ago….
Featuring a crazy twin otter ride, a short excursion in Mukah markets, the barakah culture of helping people in need (which extends to weddings too!), and some tips if you’re planning to venture here independently!
Travel Solo with Twin Otter For The First Time from Kuching to Mukah
Referring to the map above, you’ll see that the Melanau are the original settlers on the coasts of Sarawak. Mukah, is its homeland.
By plane from Sarawak’s capital city of Kuching, Mukah is only an hour’s flight with the twin otter. Or if you’re up for the road trip adventure, be ready to traverse the mixture of highlands and coastal roads for a good six hours from Kuching.
In my experience, I wanted to experience the twin otter so bad! Plus, the flight was faster compared to a self-drive adventure.
Twin otters, are known for their short take-offs and rugged construction that are made for travels to remote environments.
Prior to this trip, I’ve heard many people telling me that the airport folks will weigh you and your bag at the tiny, open-air Mukah airport. So, luggage’s out, backpack’s in!
Book Economy Flex or Go Elevated with Malaysia Airlines
Unlimited Free Date Change, Baggage Allowance from 35kg & MORE!
Attending a Local Sarawak Malay Wedding
A Malay wedding done in intimate townships, or villages, are nothing like the ones in the cities. These days, it has become common for city folks to do receptions in halls, like any other wedding in the world.
The best part of a traditional Malay wedding is seeing the spirit of ‘gotong-royong’.
Gotong-royong is a Malay phrase that means ‘helping each other out’. In today’s Modern world, it is rare to see people helplessly extending their hands out without expecting something in return.
Hence, my weekend experience in Mukah made me see what it’s like to engage with the whole villagers and town folks to make this wedding, a successful one.
From Ramly Burger’s supper session to packing for door gifts, and helping my friend buy last-minute stuff (such as batteries and pins) for her sister, these tiny memorable experiences helped me feel involved in the wedding celebration!
Side Excursion to Mukah Fish Market & Riverside Villages
Mukah is an intimate township that you can easily finish from one end to another end within a 30-minute drive.
While I didn’t manage to see all of the town’s highlights, I managed to see the Sago Factory Chimney located at the riverside.
This 20-meter historical brickwork monument is a reminder of how important Sago is as a local delicacy, and main food source for the Melanau folks, till today.
- Directions to Sago Factory Chimney here
How to eat sago like a Melanau:
- Eat it just like that as a snack or something to help you feel full! The starch will give you energy like how rice/potato does.
- Dip it with bananas.
Related Sarawak, Malaysia posts
The Best Time To Visit Mukah – When Pesta Kaul is Happening!
If you happen to visit Sarawak, Malaysia one day, the best time to be here is when the Kaul Festival is happening annually in April! During this time you can see flotilla of boats, mass processions, and try your skills at the Tibow (giant swing).
- More on annual Kaul Festival updates on Sarawak Tourism Board’s event page
- Directions to Pesta Kaul Square here
Solo Time at Medan Selera Setia Raja (Food Court) & Talking With The Locals!
Whilst helping prepare for the wedding, there were some free time. I managed to take this opportunity for some mini solo time at Medan Selera (Food Court) Setia Raja.
How I did this was by asking the female members to drop me off at so-and-so time and pick me back up at so-and-so time. This is a great small start if you’re still new to solo traveling!
The distance between the wedding venue to the food court was less than a 10-minute drive, so you can imagine how easy it is to explore here!
If I remember correctly, I ate Satay (meat skewers) at the food court as only a few hawkers were opened at 4 pm in the evening.
Since Mukah is such a small town, everybody knows everyone. So making small talk with the hawkers there was unavoidable and immediately, they knew I was a visitor.
MST Tip: Get suggestions from the locals, they know best!
Regardless, the vendors at the food court were kind and they gave me suggestions to eat Mee Udang Oya (about 30-minute drive away from Mukah) if I had extra time – unfortunately, at that time I did not!
Solo Travel in Mukah, as a Muslimah – Concerns & Reality-wise
If you’re keen to explore Mukah as a Muslimah Solo Traveler one day, It’s not difficult at all considering how tiny and easily accessible the town is. The town is fairly safe too considering the size, its no-traffic environment, and how everybody pretty much knows everyone.
The only concern would be:
- Internet coverage in some spots as it is a remote town. If you want to venture within, make sure you have a map, or get the contact of a local guide, or a local who can help assist you explore.
- English might be a problem if you don’t speak Malay as the community in Mukah are very tight-knit and local. By that, we mean, they speak mostly in Melanau Mukah dialect. While most speak local Malay, you can get by in the major shops, markets, and food courts with basic English too as Sarawak, Malaysia was once colonized by the British empire.
Our recommendations for hassle-free and safe travel in Mukah:
- Stay in the city center of Mukah (around Setia Raja Boulevard) to make it easy to navigate around.
3-stars Hotels to Consider in Mukah
Kingwood Hotel
LiHua Hotel
More Mukah Hotels- Have cash ready for easier transactions with the locals
- Rent a car or hire a reputable tour guide/operator for certain days as Grab e-hailing services are limited 👇
#BarakahCulture – My Tiny Help in Mukah Four Years Ago Extended To My Own Nikah Two Weeks Ago!
Disclaimer: While the following paragraphs are TMI, at MST we love hearing stories of #barakahculture and believe that it should be spread out even more!
Recently for my nikah #alhamdullilah (stay tuned in the community if you want to be invited to a Melanau Sarawak Wedding Reception at the end of this year while getting the opportunity to travel solo to Kuching), the sister of the bride asked me if I needed some hantaran (Malay wedding gifts) boxes, immediately I said “yes please, why not?”
And voila, the hantaran boxes initially meant for her sister’s wedding in 2020 ended helping me save time and money #barakah in preparing for my hantaran within a limited time for my nikah in 2024! #mashallah
The display of hantaran boxes can be covered, or shown, according to the preferences of the bride and groom and their families. The amount of the hantaran boxes varies, but is always in odd numbers, and the bride would always reply more. Eg: If the groom gives the bride three hantaran, the bride will reply by giving five hantaran to the groom. Likewise nine hantaran to bride, then eleven hantaran to the groom.
Hantaran are wedding gifts in Old Malay Culture that is still practiced today for weddings. 
It was only after the nikah, while unpacking these hantaran gifts that I remembered, “oh, I helped my friend’s sister last time! Maybe that’s why I got these boxes #alhamdullilah,”
Barakah Culture Extends Everywhere.
Your story might help another #MuslimahSoloTraveler when you post one in our Community Group, and it will be returned to you in the most unexpected ways one day in sha Allah!
Final Recap of the Wedding Experience in Mukah, Malaysia as a Muslimah Solo Traveler
While I went to the wedding solo in February 2020, throughout my time in Mukah I was accompanied by female family members of the bride.
In between their busy time preparing for the wedding, they took me to the riverside villages, dropped me off at town so I could have my solo time, and every one of the bride’s family gave me warm hospitality and made me feel like I was part of the family.
I also managed to experience the home of the Melanau tribe, and it was truly an experience that I will remember forever in my lifetime.
Have you traveled solo for a wedding? Share with us ⤵️
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