Kapit, Sarawak

Kapit is a town in Sarawak. It is the capital of the 15,595 sq km Kapit District within the Kapit Division.

Kapit was founded by Charles Brooke in 1880 as a garrison town. A fort was placed there to prevent the Ibans from going upriver to attack the Orang Ulu settlements. Initially called Fort Kapit, the fort was renamed Fort Sylvia after the wird of Rajah Vyner Brooke. The Hoklo people, a subgroup of the Chinese Hokkien people, came to settle in Kapit in 1880. They were joined by the Ka Chinese in 1906, and the Fuzhou Chinese in 1919.

Kapit was totally destroyed by Allied bombings during the Second World War, and had to be rebuilt following the war. Today it remains a small town with a population of about 60,000.

Getting there

The main way to reach Kapit is to take a boat there from Sibu. The trip takes about 3 hours and costs about RM20 economy class, RM30 first class.

Places of Interest in Kapit

Festivities in Kapit

Kapit is on the map of Towns in Sarawak

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