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I Love SarawakNews · Culture · Land of the Hornbills
BeachesSantubong Peninsula

Damai Beach

Golden sand at the foot of Mount Santubong, with Damai's resorts and coral just offshore.

By · Editor, I Love Sarawak

Facts checked

A rainbow over the beach and hills at Damai, near Mount Santubong
Photo: Ayu Farhana (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The place

Damai Beach sits on the Santubong Peninsula about 35km from Kuching, in the shadow of Mount Santubong itself. It's the closest proper beach getaway to the city, with a handful of resorts — Damai Beach Resort, Damai Puri Resort & Spa, Damai Lagoon Resort and Permai Rainforest Resort among them — plus smaller guesthouses and homestays for those not after a full resort stay.

Beyond the sand, Damai is also the base for visiting the Sarawak Cultural Village and for anyone tackling the Mount Santubong climb, making the peninsula an easy combined day trip or overnight escape from the city.

Beach and jungle meeting at Damai, Santubong Peninsula
Photo: Bernard Dupont (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The coast at Damai beneath the rainforest
Photo: Bernard Dupont (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Highlights

  1. The closest resort beach to Kuching city
  2. Mount Santubong rising directly behind the coastline
  3. A cluster of resorts from full-service to homestay
  4. Easy pairing with the Sarawak Cultural Village next door

Getting there

Ways to reach Damai Beach, compared
HowFromTakesCosts
DriveKuching cityabout 40 minutes—50 minutes from the airport
GrabKuching—roughly RM45–80 one waycan be scarce for the return trip
ShuttleGrand Margherita Hotel in town——the Damai Shuttle
BusSaujana Bus Station——local bus K15
BusKuching–Damai loop—Freeweekend hydrogen bus — its schedule isn't fully reliable

Damai is about a 40-minute drive from Kuching city (50 minutes from the airport). A Grab costs roughly RM45–80 one way, though they can be scarce for the return trip. The Damai Shuttle runs from the Grand Margherita Hotel in town, and local bus K15 departs from Saujana Bus Station — there's also a free weekend hydrogen bus on the Kuching–Damai loop, though its schedule isn't fully reliable.

Good to know

  • Book a return Grab in advance, or arrange transport through your resort — rides back from Damai are less predictable than rides out
  • Pair a visit with the Sarawak Cultural Village or the Santubong hike for a fuller day

Related places

A rainbow over the beach beneath cloud-capped Mount Santubong

Damai Peninsula

Mount Santubong

Traditional houses around the lake at the Sarawak Cultural Village

Damai, Santubong Peninsula

Sarawak Cultural Village

The forested Santubong peninsula rising behind the Santubong River, seen from the water

Kuching Division

Santubong National Park

Golden Beach at Similajau National Park, where rainforest meets the sea

Bintulu Division

Similajau National Park