Just 20 miles west of Mulu National Park, deep into the ancient headhunters territory, lies Tenyoh River and Camp, only recently opened up by road and almost unspoilt by logging or visitors due to its steep terrain.
Travel up-river from Miri on the coast in the traditional manner; 3 hours by river express boat to Marudi which has long been the foremost frontier town of Northern Sarawak, where you stop for lunch and first get a glimpse of the various tribespeople who make up this region - Iban, Murut, Kayan, Kenyah, Berawan and others all mingle in the marketplaces, as do the only "non-headhunters" - the Penan tribe who are the true original nomadic forest dwellers and have only recently started using schools and longhouses due to pressure from the Government. They are rapidly adapting though, as this year many have been seen on motorbikes and even driving 4x4 vehicles!
Your main hosts will be Kayan, who, whilst not being the mad, party-loving types like the Ibans, still enjoy a beer and a game of blow-pipes. They will meet you at Long Lama, another 3 hours up-river from Marudi, and drive you to their longhouses, some reachable only by foot suspension bridge (see picture below).
From Long Bedian it is just a half hour drive into Tenyoh Reserve with its clear river and cascading waterfalls; your accommodation here is longhouse style with electricity generator and home cooked food, so you are free all day to explore the river and falls, where you will see and hear all kinds of wildlife with your trusty Kayan guide . Most walks are only 20 - 40 minutes, although the furthest can take 2 hours. The swimming is cool and refreshing and there is much to learn about the forest if you are interested.....
Two nights at this beautiful spot is the minimum stay and you are bound to want to stay longer ... the return journey from Long Bedian is overland through timber camps, quarries, oil palm estates and across the mighty Baram river by ferry. Four hours later you could be relaxing by the pool at TreeTops Lodge outside Miri, with all creature comforts restored (relatively speaking!) and next day ready for your further adventures in Borneo...
Your first destination - the long established Longhouse of "Long Atip" ("long" means- "at the junction of two rivers", not "long" in English, although this one IS the longest in Sarawak at 98 "doors" (families).
Above is the river and falls at Tenyoh in front of your accommodation; below are the Hornbill Falls, about 2 hours up-river.
