The Rejang is Malaysia's longest river, cutting more than 560 kilometres through the heart of Sarawak from the interior highlands out to the South China Sea. Sibu, the river's main port town, grew wealthy on the timber trade that once moved down it by the raft-load, and its waterfront — busy with express boats, cargo barges and the old Chinese temple towers along the wharf — still shows that history.
For upriver communities without road access, the Rejang remains exactly what it has always been: the main road. Express boats leave Sibu daily for towns like Kapit and Song, carrying everyone from longhouse families to traders, since for many settlements along the river a boat ticket is still faster and more reliable than any road ever built out to them.
Sibu itself rewards a wander — the night market for local snacks, the Sibu Heritage Centre for the town's timber and immigration history, and the wharf at dusk when the express boats come in and the whole waterfront briefly comes alive.