Fleewinter

Iban Longhouse Batang Ai - EOK011

A traditional longhouse offering a true homestay experience

3 Bedrooms, Sleeps 6

Homestay
Cultural experience
Accessed by boat

On the shores of the Batang Ai dam are approximately thirty longhouses inhabited by the Iban people. These descendants of headhunters came originally from Indonesia but crossed into Sarawak long ago. They named the region Batang Ai, meaning "main water" as they navigated the many rivers and tributaries in search of fertile lands. Today, headhunting and land battles are distant memories but approximately thirty longhouses remain home to the Iban.

Staying at one of the longhouses provides a true glimpse into rural life. Learn about life in a longhouse where people wake early to tend the rice paddies, young men set off for months or years on a modern-day quest for manhood, and tattoos tell the stories of one's life.

Guests are accommodated in the communal area overnight with a mattress, bedding, and mosquito net. Families within the longhouse rotate hosting guests. You'll take meals in your host family's kitchen, eating on the floor with the family. Each family has a cold water shower and toilet but if you prefer, you may use the additional facilities that have been built outside the longhouse for visitors. A generator provides electricity for a few hours each evening.

The longhouse is reached by boat and your guide knows the way. Our pin on the map is merely there to give you a general sense of the area.