The application for Kuching to be elevated to city status was made at the behest of the people. The petition was made by the Chairman of the KMC to the Minister responsible for Local Government, who motioned for a resolution pertaining to the matter. Thus on 18 July 1984 the Resolution was passed at the Dewan Undangan Negeri. Both the petition and Resolution were given the assent of the Yang Di–Pertua Negeri in October 1985. Thereafter, they were submitted to the Conference of Rulers for consideration, by the Prime Minister. On 3 July 1986 the Resolution was approved after the Conference of Rulers was satisfied that certain prerequisites were met.

Kuching was officially inaugurated as a city on 1 August 1988 after having met certain procedures and prerequisites. The city of Kuching is divided into 2 areas: north and south. Each of these is administered by a Commissioner for Kuching North and a Mayor for Kuching South.

Kuching City South largely covers the area previously under the Kuching Municipal Council (KMC). As it is still a local government authority, its powers and functions as conferred by the KMC Ordinance are maintained with minor changes.

Kuching City North refers to a significant part of the territory formerly administered by the Kuching Rural District Council (KRDC). It also includes a part of the former KMC area. As it is not a local authority, Kuching City North is placed under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner who is assisted by a Board of Advisors. The Commissioner is a corporate body directly responsible to the State’s Chief Minister. The powers and functions of the Commissioner are contained in the Kuching City North Ordinance, which is closely modelled on that of Kuching City South.

The city’s twin administration was born out of the need for an efficient system which would allow for a balanced development and population distribution for the two territories. It will also ensure that Kuching City South will not be hampered by the added responsibilities of developing Kuching City North, which had been under the Kuching Rural District Council jurisdiction.

Two prominent sons of Sarawak, Yusoff Hanifah and Song Swee Guan, were accorded the distinguished honour of being appointed by the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri as the first Commissioner of Kuching City North and the first Mayor of Kuching City South, respectively.

If you ever wanted to visit an old Chinese temple, this is it. Sitting on a foothill and commanding the view over the river and Main Bazaar, the ornately decorated Tua Pek Kong Temple, which was one of the few buildings that survived the 1884 Great Fire of Kuching, is said to have the best Feng Shui location in the city. It is believed to date back to 1843 and has been on official records since 1876. Various traditional festivals are held here every year, including the famous Wang Kang Festival to commemorate the dead.

Opened in late 2017 to link the northern and southern parts of Kuching, the city's spectacular new pedestrian bridge (335m) is constructed to resemble the letter 'S' (for Sarawak), and the two towers are designed to look like the hornbill-inspired structures of traditional Bidayuh bamboo bridges. Two spacious viewing decks provide the best locations for taking in sprawling riverfront views.From the northern end of the bridge a new riverfront esplanade continues east past the Sarawak State Assembly to provide pedestrian access to Fort Margherita and its Brooke Gallery.

Sarawak Cultural Village is an award-winning Living Museum that spans across 17-acres of land just across from Damai Beach Resort and Hotels. Experience Sarawak in Half-a-day at Sarawak Cultural Village and learn about the local culture and lifestyles of the various ethnic groups in Sarawak.

Bako National Park is a national park in Kuching Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. Established in 1957, it is the oldest national park in Sarawak. It covers an area of 27.27 square kilometres at the tip of the Muara Tebas peninsula at the mouth of the Bako and Kuching Rivers.

Wind Cave Nature Reserve (also known as Lubang Angin) provides visitors with an authentic, but relatively safe, caving experience in pitch black, bat-infested tunnels. You can also see some of the 6.16 hectares of forest and rivers in the protected reserve surrounding the caves.

Wind Cave is located 5km from the former gold mining settlement of Bau and 48km from Kuching, Sarawak.

It is just a few minutes drive from another show cave, Fairy Cave, and most tourists would combine both on a half-day trip from Kuching. It is worth visiting both since they are very different experiences.Unlike Fairy Cave, which has a light filled cavernous main chamber, Wind Cave is made up of three unlit tubular passages.From here the 1000 metre long plank walk disappears into the gloomy interior of the cave. There is no lighting at all at Wind Cave (to avoid disturbing the bats) so after walking for a minute or two you are completely reliant on your torch, which is indispensible for this cave.

Gunung Gading is home to the world’s largest flower, the rafflesia, which can grow up to one metre in diameter. When in bloom the flower gives off a nasty smell which attracts flies and other insects. The rafflesia has no specific season but the rainy season provides better blooming frequencies. It takes nine months to mature and flowering lasts only 4 or 5 days before dying.

Owing to the rafflesia’s rarity and brief flowering period, timing (and luck) are important. The park staff usually know when a plant is about to bloom. Visitors can check with the park HQ (Tel: +60 82 735144) or the National Parks and Wildlife Booking Office in Kuching (Tel: +60 82 248088) to find out if any plants are about to bloom or already in bloom. Although flowers generally bloom throughout the year, November, December and January can be regarded as the peak flowering season as the frequency of blooms is high.

Seeing a blooming rafflesia is certainly the highlight of a trip to Gunung Gading, but the Park and the whole Lundu area are well worth visiting anyway. The rugged mountain peaks that make up the Park provide a scenic backdrop to the nearby town of Lundu, and the nearby beaches at Pandan and Siar. Gunung Gading also has some enjoyable walks and a challenging jungle trek.