Kampung Simuti Tanju: A New Community Viewpoint in Upper Padawan
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The first thing to understand about Kampung Simuti’s new tanju is that it is not a resort dropped into the hills. It is an open-air verandah built by the village, reached as part of a rural Padawan drive where the view and the people who maintain it belong in the same story. The timber platform is the kind of place where I would arrive in daylight, let the greenery do the work, and resist turning a living village into a quick photo stop.
Source: New Sarawak TribuneTanju is the local name for this verandah, known here as KUD Ngerat. It officially opened in 2026 as a community-based tourism product, with a practical purpose beyond a lookout: the platform is intended to host camping, so visitors can stay close to the landscape rather than simply pass through it. That explains the broad, uncluttered deck and the way the structure faces out over the surrounding green rather than toward a commercial attraction.
Source: Majestic PadawanThe more important detail is how it came into being. The initial construction used a RM20,000 government allocation, but the tanju itself was built through gotong-royong by Kampung Simuti villagers. Once fully operational, the village JKKK is meant to manage it and return proceeds to the community. This is not background decoration: the platform is a small experiment in letting a rural settlement earn from its landscape while keeping control of the visitor experience locally.
Source: Majestic PadawanLook beyond the railing and you can read the older layer of the place. Public trail and visitor records already identify Kampung Simuti as a Padawan outdoor destination, while older community photographs show the village as a landscape to move through, not a single built attraction. The new tanju changes that relationship: it gives the scenery a place to pause, and gives the village a clearer reason to receive visitors. A second development phase has been announced for toilets, changing rooms and an observation tower, so expectations should stay realistic while those additions are unfinished.
Source: Majestic PadawanI would combine this with a daytime Upper Padawan route, allowing time for the road, village etiquette and whatever local arrangements the JKKK has confirmed. It suits travellers who want a quiet community-led stop, a camping possibility and a closer look at how rural tourism is assembled. It may disappoint anyone expecting a staffed visitor centre, guaranteed food service, fixed ticket counter or a polished all-day attraction. The tanju is newly opened, and facilities are still developing; check access and camping arrangements with the village before setting out.
Kampung Simuti, Upper Padawan, Kuching, Sarawak
️ Google Maps: Kampung Simuti, PadawanWould you make this a slow Padawan stop, or stay overnight if the village camping arrangements suit your route?
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