Gunung Mulu National Park, in Malaysia’s state of Sarawak, is well-known for its rich biodiversity and karst structure. Inscribed in year 2000 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 52,864 hectare park is the most studied tropical karst area in the world. It is a must-visit while traveling in Borneo if you love nature or earth’s unique land formation.
Only 4 of Gunung Mulu’s limestone caves are opened to public as show caves. We visited all 4 of them; namely, Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave in the morning, Deer Cave and Lang Cave in the afternoon. The caves can only be visited in these time slots due to effectively implemented regulations protecting over-tourism of these caves and for the eco-system to thrive, a laudable effort.
Access to the caves is only permitted if you are with a Licensed Park Guide. So it’s important to secure a park tour either with the park center or with Marriott Resort (if you are staying there). There are around 20 licensed park guide, so advance booking is especially during peak travel period from June to September.
If you are physically up to a tough challenge, you can consider a trek to the Pinnacles, which is a series of 45 meters high, razor-sharp limestone spikes. But the 3 days 2 nights trek with steep climbs, including some sections of nearly vertical parts, is really tough I heard.
Image credit: Paul White
Sungei Melinau & Kampung Batu Bungan Mulu
To start off our visit in the morning, we took a boat ride to Kampung Batu Bungan Mulu, where we visited the Penan longhouse market.
As our boat moved along Sungei Melinau, we saw mostly forested areas. But at some parts along the river, we also had a glimpse into the local people’s daily life. Mulu has a population of around 5,000 people living in 2 long house settlements. The locals grow some crops, work in the tourism industry (such as boat operators) or gather food for sale (for example wild ferns which we had for dinner). However, most of their food are still imported.
The ladies sell handmade bracelets, bags and keychains in the market. The prices here are steeper than what we saw at Mulu airport. But if you would like to support the locals, buying an item or two will be nice. There was an old lady manning her stall in a corner which no one seems to patronise. We went over to get an item or two from her and was quoted twice as much as the rest was selling. Nevertheless, we bought something from her.
There was also a booth where visitors can try blowpipe shooting at RM1 for 2 darts and information boards on tribes and traditions.
Wind Cave
Of all 4 caves, we visited Wind Cave first. Wind Cave is part of the Clearwater system, and has many impressive stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flow rocks and rock corals.
As we walked along the cave’s 350m long walkway, we saw some interesting formations in the limestone caused by water while others appeared to be growing out of the rock!
So what are stalactites, stalagmites and helictites? Stalactites form as trickling water deposits tiny quantities of dissolved rock over hundreds or thousands of years from the roof of a cave, and look much like an icicle. Stalagmites grow up from the floor of a cave where where lime-laden drips hit the cave floor and accumulate over years. A helictite is a limestone cave formation that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth.
It was information-overload for us, as our knowledgeable guide did his best to explain the various cave formations to us. Some pieces of information stuck with me though, such as the fact that stalactites and stalagmites grow around 1cm in every 80 to 100 years. Looking around me, I was in awe that it must have taken thousands and thousands of years to grow to the height they are now at. Also, never touch any of these as our hands are ‘acidic’ and may ‘damage’ the stalactites and stalagmites. Notice how some protective shields are installed along the walkway to prevent any itchy finger from touching the cave formations.
Also true to its name, we felt a cold draught at a section within the cave. This draught or ‘wind’ we experienced was a result of temperature difference between the outside and inside of the cave. When the external is cold, there will not be any ‘wind’ within the cave.
In Wind Cave’s ‘King’s Room’, the cave section is wide and stalactites, stalagmites and helictites are well-illuminated. Use your imagination here to visualise what these formations resembles. Our guide pointed out an eagle and penguin, mother and child, a frog and camel and an expedition team to us.
Clearwater Cave
Clearwater Cave is Asia’s longest cave, and the 8th largest in the world. The ongoing cave system survey by the Anglo Malaysian Expedition measured 220km in 2017. It has a subterranean river, part of which is accessible by boat.
The turquoise-cloured pool outside Clearwater Cave is beautiful with crystal clear waters coming from the inside of the Cave. Many could not resist taking a dip in the waters.
To get into Clearwater Cave, we got to work up some sweat by climbing up 200 odd steep steps to the entrance. Once we got into the cave, we had to walk downwards before we could see the water source of the cave, which was at a low level for this time of the year. Needless to say, we had to climb up again thereafter and down to the picnic area. It was quite a workout! The toughest of all 4 caves I would say.
We had our lunch at the picnic area just outside Clearwater Cave so did a few other groups. Ours were pre-packed sandwiches from Mulu Marriott with ingredients we had chosen the night before. Don’t be surprised if what you had chosen turned up different. The kitchen may have just ran out of that ingredient. In my case, a smoked salmon sandwich became a chicken ham one.
Lang’s Cave
The route to the caves is all on well-maintained boardwalk or concrete footpath, making the walk easy.
Of the 4 show caves we visited, the Lang Cave is the smallest. Discovered in 1977 by a local Berawan man named Lang Belarek, it is one of the most beautiful cave in the park. As we walked along the 240m walkway through the cave, we saw a variety of stalactites, stalagmites and other cave formations.
Deer Cave
Deer Cave was discovered when the locals followed deers to a cave where they had been licking the salts off the walls. Hence the name Deer Caves. The largest cave passage in the world, Deer Cave is huge at just over 2 kilometers in length and never less than 90 metres high and wide. The main chamber is 174 meters wide and 122 meters high.
A surprising find as we walked into the cave was to see fishes and shrimps in small water puddles along the footpath. Amazing as the water in the cave is from drips from top of the limestone hill, rather than connected to any other water bodies. As we marveled over these aquatic lives, our guide explained that the cave used to be submerged.
There are as many as 2.5 to 3.5 million bats of 12 different species making Deer Cave their home. That was based on statistics 15 years back. According to our guide, the current figure is likely higher due to them having few predators, such as hawks and snakes, in their habitat. As we walked inside the cave, our attention were drawn to dark patches on the ceilings where the bats congregate.
The cave is around 2.2km in length but we can only walk 800m into the cave before taking a circuitous route back. Within the cave, the icky smell of guono (bat droppings) was over-powering and the handrails within the caves were also covered with droppings. Though the stairs are steep at times, we thankfully did not have to grab onto the handrails at any point. If you are still bothered by this, you may wish to bring along a pair of gloves and wet wipes.
The end of Deer and Lang Cave visit is timed to coincide with the bat exodus from Deer Cave. Visitors also have to vacate the Deer Cave at 6pm. Every evening at around 5.30pm to 6pm, millions of bats will leave the cave and fly into the distance in search for food. They can fly more than 50km away from the cave but will return before sunrise and the appearance of one of its predators, the hawk.
The bats flew out in colonies after colonies as we watched in awe at this natural phenomenon from the small amphitheater built for this purpose. My finger’s pointing to the cave opening where the bats fly out. See the orange strap around my wrist? That’s my ticket to the national park. The straps come in different colours to identify the day the ticket is purchased.
From where we were, the bats looked like speckles in the sky. Unfortunately, if it rains, you may not be able to catch the bat exodus.
Gunung Mulu Park Office
To reach Gunung Mulu National Park office, just cross a suspension bridge (over Sungei Melinau) which is a stone throw away from the drop-off point.
Mulu now has an English speaking Batu Bungan Primary School, serving Mulu and the local Penan community. The school’s library are in need of English reading materials suitable for children age 6 to 12. Do pack a book or two to donate at the park office or even at the school. We did.
Getting There
Located about 30mins flight time away from the nearest city Miri, traveling by plane to Mulu is the most direct way of getting there. The route by land is challenging as it involves a combination of traveling by road, boat and foot, which in total takes around 12 hours.
We flew there via MASWings, which operates 2 flights a day from Miri. Our flight was delayed by 30mins so arrival timing at 2.20pm was not ideal. The last departures of the afternoon tours from the hotel and national park are at 2.30pm, so we were not in time to catch them. It will be preferable to take the morning flight if schedule permits. Read more about our flight in Flight from Miri to Mulu.
Other Useful Information
Read more about the rest of our trip in Borneo – Mulu / Brunei Itinerary 2018.
More information on the caves can be found in the following websites:
