We have just completed our roadtrip, from Sibu to Mukah using Sarawak Coastal Road, and had passed through the several small towns like Tanjung Manis, Daro, Matu, Kampung Igan, Oya, and Dalat. This roadtrip was made possible, upon the completion of Sarawak Coastal Road, around two years ago. With the wide distribution of rivers branching through the land, we went through many bridges and 3 ferries that connect the places, which some of them, never before been connected to civilization through land. Tanjung Manis is the first stop of our roadtrip with our family members.
Some of these places are so seclusive that they are not even shown in Google Maps. The green lines indicate the route for our roadtrip (of course, the road won't be so straight), which are not yet been indicated in Google Map. To go to Tanjung Manis from Sibu, we need to cross Igan Bridge. Then, follow the signs and we won't get lost. From Mukah back to Sibu, we followed the road indicated in Google Maps (orange curves).
Most of the area are not populated, as what we could see out of the window. Houses and people are rare here, and most of the time, we travelled with zero connection for our handphones.
From Sibu, our first stop was Tanjung Manis. In one hour time, we travelled 80 km by crossing 7 major bridges- Igan Bridge, Lebaan Bridge, Lengan Bridge, Setubah Bridge, Serdeng Bridge, Loba Pulau Bridge, and Belawai Bridge. These bridges were built with great engineering skills, cutting through the swarmpy area at the delta of two great rivers- Rejang River and Igan River. The second bridge, Lebaan Bridge with a total length of 1.24 km, is the longest river-crossing bridge in Malaysia.
Lebaan Bridge from a distance away.
Upper row shows the condition of the bridges. A scene at the highest point of Lebaan Bridge (lower left), high above Lebaan River. Nipah trees are common at the banks of the rivers.
Tanjung Manis is emerging as an important place in Sarawak, which might turn out to become next modern industrial hub in Sarawak. Now, the construction across the area is in full swing. Airport had been built (One trip per day on Mas Wing), seaport building is in progress, and power supply will be backed by Bakun Dam. Everything is done based on Sarawak Government Master plan, to turn the area from a small settlement into mega halal food industrial hub, which is a part of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).
Kompleks Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM) is the landmark for Tanjung Manis. Maybe, not for long.
Nice quarters for the workers at Tanjung Manis.
Harbour of Tanjung Manis, serves as the transportation terminal for the locals (upper row). The express boats are the major river transports for the locals (lower left). We can see many of these express boats at Sibu harbour too. The terminal is ready with open space waiting rooms equipped with ample chairs (lower right).
A souvenir shop and a cafe is available in the terminal (upper row). Hard wood furniture and some of the local handicrafts available for sale (lower row). Anyway, due to the low supply and low demand, the price of the items on sell is higher than other places. For food, there are several cafes and coffee shops just a few hundred steps away from the terminal, serving more variety of food and drinks.
Some of the locals are fishing at the harbour. They are friendly and talkative.
Panorama view of the shops from the terminal of Tanjung Manis.
The shops at Tanjung Manis. Many of the shops have been converted into swallow houses.
Airport of Tanjung Manis at Belawai, is around 15 minutes away from the harbour.
The development plan for Tanjung Manis is displayed at the airport. Better plan are available at hdcglobal.com.
What to expect in Tanjung Manis?
- A simple small town with very few people.
- Several shoplots have been converted into shallow houses, with loud shallow luring sound.
- Lorries and trucks for constructions.
- The most attractive buildings are the small harbour, the airport, and the complex of Malaysian Fishery Board (LKIM).
Our trip continued with our next stop at Daro.
Take a look on our sharing about other places in Sarawak:
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ReplyDeleteyes, there hv one...google urself on named of METRO HOTEL Tg Manis
ReplyDeleteThank you for your information! It is helpful for the visitors to Tg. Manis.
Deletehii...how about taxi service ?
DeleteI'll be staying at Sibu & will be going to Tg.Manis on business but not sure if I can get a taxi cab back to Sibu.
Very good question, Azmi. We didn't see any taxi during our visit to Tanjung Manis. However, there are some websites showing the service is available.
DeleteHowever, to be safe, we would recommend you to pre-book the return taxi upon departure from Sibu.