How To Go To The Rainforest World Music Festival?


For anyone wanting to know how to go to the Rainforest World Music Festival in Santubong, I have come up with this guide for your convenience. This includes various ways, including self-driving to the Sarawak Cultural Village. 

The Rainforest World Music Festival takes place yearly and is one of the most unique music festivals in the world, held in Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

Often called RWMF in short, this unique music festival in Sarawak tends to attract people worldwide. 

How To Go To The Rainforest World Music Festival?

Taman Budaya Sarawak
The Sarawak Cultural Village, where the music festival will take place

This article applies to those staying in the Kuching or other areas out of Santubong. It takes about 60-90 minutes to travel one way to the Sarawak Cultural Village, where the Rainforest World Music Festival is held. 

In most cases, festival-goers will be taking public transport as it will be the most economical way to travel to the festival from Kuching. Options include a shuttle bus, public taxi or even GRAB, a private car service. 

For the foreigners attending the festival, please note there is no more UBER in Malaysia, ad it was bought over by GRAB, so you need to download the GRAB App on your phone for this. Below are the ways to get to the Rainforest World Music Festival. 

Free Shuttle Bus RWMF
The last Free Shuttle Bus to the Rainforest World Music Festival. Source KuchingBorneo.

1. Free Shuttle Bus to Rainforest World Music Festival

This is a bonus for Rainforest World Music Festival ticket holders, as there is a free shuttle bus service from Kuching to Damai Central Car Park outside the Sarawak Cultural Village. 

The free shuttle bus will depart from several stops around Kuching city, and you need to check with the shuttle bus company or the organisers as it may change locations for pick up each year.

For RWMF 2022, the free shuttle bus is from;
  • The Hills Shopping Centre
  • Plaza Merdeka Shopping Centre

The free shuttle bus service is hourly; hence, you need to wait for the next time if you miss the bus.

Rainforest Music Festival How To Go
The 2022 bus schedule from Kuching to RWMF is from 17-19 June.

All you need to do is show your valid Rainforest World Music Festival ticket to the bus driver or conductor. All shuttle buses will drop off in front of the Sarawak Cultural Village entrance.

The good news is that if there is a considerable demand for passengers, the organisers have extra buses on standby if the need arises. This is for during peak hours and is pending the volume of festival-goers.

Shuttle buses back to Kuching will also start from 12.30 PM on an hourly basis, and the last bus back to Kuching is at 12.30 AM. For more info, WhatsApp - 012 88 33 866 (BusAsia)

2. GRAB 

GRAB Kuching is probably one of the best options to get to the Rainforest World Music Festival, as it is hassle-free and easy.

A usual GRAB ride from Kuching to the Sarawak Cultural Village will cost you RM35.00 one way, and using the code, you can get it for RM25.00.

You can book a GRAB from anywhere around Kuching or other areas around the city. 

Standard taxis in Kuching. Source Wikipedia CC By-SA 3.0

3. Regular Taxi

There are many local taxis available, but please note that in Kuching, the local taxis do not usually run around looking for passengers. IT is the other way around where you need to find a taxi stand where all they are waiting. 

Taxi in Kuching also do not operate on meters; hence you need to ask them how much it will cost for your journey there. I am told that prices may be higher than usual during the music festival. 

In 2017, I took a local taxi from Kuching to the Cultural Village, and it cost me RM40.00 one way. Also, the local taxis only seat four persons by law.

So if you are in a group, you may need two taxis and best to book them together. And it is now 2022, so expect to pay a little more than the last time I took one.

RWMF How to get there
One of the performers during the festival

4. Car Rental or Self Driving

In some cases, visitors rent a car to travel up and down for the festival. This is entirely up to you, but you need to know that all regular vehicles are not allowed to drive directly into the festival. 

When you reach the Rainforest World Music Festival checkpoint at the Damai Gold Club junction, you must park your car or bike there. Parking is free and first-come, first-serve. 

You need to take a van shuttle to the festival grounds from the checkpoint. The price varies from RM7.00 for adults and RM4.00 for children one way.

Not to worry, as there are constant security places at the checkpoint, hence your vehicle will be safe. Take note that driving from Kuching will take you around one hour. 

Malaysia Hitchhiking
Malaysia is not very open to Hitchhiking. Source Wikimedia

5. Hitchhiking 

While this does happen, you should know that in Malaysia, hitchhiking is not accepted due to crime. Throughout Malaysia, hitchhiking is rarely seen on the roads. 

However, a couple of years back, when I attended the Rainforest World Music Festival, I saw a couple hitchhiking along the main road to the festival. 

If you actually plan to do this, be prepared not to be picked up, or if you are lucky, someone may even stop for you. 

2018 RWMF
What the traditional Sarawakian ethnic people look like in full costume

Additional Information

You can walk to the festival for those staying around the Santubong or Damai area. It also depends on how far your hotel or guest house is, but those in the immediate vicinity can easily walk there. 

If you plan to stay longer for the festival, here is a list of what to do around the Rainforest World Music Festival. The list provides places to visit around the cultural village and the Damai Santubong area. 

Many will stay for a week here, and during the day, you may be wondering if there are any places you can visit in Santubong. You can also explore out of Santubong and head to the city, where there are many places to visit in Kuching city.

2018 RWMF
The crowd at the Rainforest World Music Festival

Last Minute Hotels in Kuching

Many will make their way here last minute, or friends may suddenly decide to follow you to the Rainforest World Music Festival on the eleventh hour. Just to let you know, most hotels will be fully booked by then, and it will be a nightmare to look for one. 

I have created a list of accommodations in Kuching, and you can go through them to see if there are any available rooms left. The list provides hotels ranging from five stars to guest houses to suit your budget. 

Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival
Outside the Sarawak Cultural Village, a sign stating the home of the Rainforest World Music Festival.

Conclusion 

The Rainforest World Music Festival takes place annually in Santubong, Sarawak, and is usually held mid-year in June, July, or August. This is Malaysia's most successful music festival and has been running for 24 years, and is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board

For any additional information, you should visit the official RWMF website as it provides you with the ticket prices, dates, performers list and all other information. 

I hope to bump into you for those heading to the festival and, most importantly, have a fantastic time there. So, if you have been wondering how to get to the Rainforest World Music Festival, I hope this information has helped you greatly.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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