SARAWAK PLACES OF INTEREST

GUNUNG MULU AND GUA NIAH

The Niah National Park is world famous for the oldest human remains in South-East Asia found in its Great Caves , one of the largest in the world, dating back some 40,000 years. The archeologists also found fragments of pottery, stone tools, ornaments and a splendid set of wall painting of red-haematite depicting activities of stick-like men with hunting weapons and boats. The work of the unknown artist, estimated to be 1000 years old, still beckon travelers from around the world.

The Niah Cave is accessible by road from Miri of Bintulu. It takes two hours from Miri and three hours from Bintulu of the Park Headquarters at Pangkalan Batu. This is followed by a 45-minute walk along plankwalk of 3 kilometers long to reach the entrance of the Great Caves without getting your feet wet when strolling through the
dense tropical vegetation.

Millions of bats and swiftets made the dark recesses of the Niah Caves their home. Along the way, a common scene is meeting workers collecting guano, the accumulation of bird and bat faeces for use as fertilizer. The caves are also known as a site where edible birds' nests could be gathered. Birds' nests made out of the glutinous saliva of millions of swiftlets are also collected by labourers who risk their life to rich the ceiling of the caves at a height of some 50 metres or higher.

Gunung Mulu National Park

Mulu Caves National Park is home to one of the longest networks of caves in the world. Here lies the worlds largest underground chamber, the Sarawak Chamber, capable of accommodating forty Boeing 747 airplanes.

In Mulu, you will also find one of the worlds biggest cave passage, Deer Cave, which can fit five cathedrals the size of Saint Pauls in London. Another key attraction is Clear Water Cave, the longest cave in Southeast Asia. The massive caves here are home to millions of bats and cave swiftlets that swarm out into the jungle in great clouds every evening at dusk!

The outdoorsy type will be pleasantly surprised by some of the best examples of tropical limestone weathering in the world, including enormous razor-sharp pinnacles, deep-cut canyons, appropriately named The Pinnacles. There are tough but rewarding multi-day hikes available from the resort. A guide and porter are recommended.