Bario and the Kelabit Highlands

The Kelabit Highlands sit at around a thousand metres in the far north-east interior of Sarawak against the Kalimantan border, and Bario is the main settlement - reached by a nineteen-seat Twin Otter from Miri that flies when the weather in the mountains allows, or by a punishing day or more on logging roads. The plateau grows Bario rice, a small fragrant highland grain that sells at a premium across Malaysia, in wet terraces worked by the Kelabit, and produces mountain salt boiled from brine springs in bamboo tubes. Trekking between longhouse communities - Pa Lungan, Pa Umor, Ba'kelalan over the ridge - is the main activity, with guides from the villages. Megalithic stones, carved rock and burial jars are scattered through the landscape.

What's there

• Bario rice terraces - the small fragrant highland grain grown on the plateau.
• Mountain salt springs - brine boiled in bamboo at the village salt houses.
• Longhouse treks - routes between Pa Lungan, Pa Umor and beyond.
• Megalithic remains - standing stones, carvings and burial jars in the landscape.

When to go

All year; drier March to September. Four days, allowing for flight delays.

Things to know

Flights are small, weather-dependent and cancelled often - build in slack at both ends. There is no bank, limited power and patchy phone signal. Accommodation is village homestays. Bring cash.

Nearby

Ba'kelalan is over the ridge; Miri is the gateway on the coast.