8 Caves to Visit in Sarawak Sabah Borneo
Deer Cave (Gua Rusa in Malay) at Mulu National Park in Sarawak is one of the places which you must visit if you love cave explorations in Sarawak. The place got it's name from the local tribe people who used to hunt deer in the caves back in the day. It is also here at the famous Bat Observatory where guest can sit and enjoy the view of the millions of bats flying out every evening. It is also here that you will see the famous Abraham Lincoln portrait from an angle inside the cave.
Lang Cave is the smallest caves in the Mulu National Park and was named after a guide who led an expedition in the late 70s to research the caves in Mulu. In the Lang Cave, there is a wooden walkway and concrete one with rails that leads you inside and then out again. The beauty about the Lang Cave is the formation of the limestone for over thousands of years which is highlighted with lights.
Lang Cave in Sarawak
Wind Cave or Cave of the Winds (Gua Angin in Malay) is located just next to the Clearwater Cave off the Melinau River at the Mulu National Park in Sarawak. This cave is usually the first stop before heading over to the next cave system which is a short 5 minute walk via a wooden walkway along the outside of the cave next to the river. The specialty of the Wind Cave is the cool breeze that flows through this cave as you are inside and also the unique formations of stalagmite and stalactites. (The funny long formations you see growing down from he ceiling or coming up from the ground ~ lay man terms)
4. Niah Cave in Sarawak
This cave which is 40,000 years ago once sheltered human life and the oldest human remains in Southeast Asia, along with many other relics of prehistoric man can be found here. Today the Cave is home only to bats, swiftlets and other specially adapted forms of life. The famous Painted Cave is another highlight of the visit to Niah Cave. Here, little human-like figures drawn in red hematite watch over a grave site where the bodies of the dead were each laid in its own boat-shaped coffin. The Great Cave and Painted Cave have been declared as National Historical Monuments.
Wind cave in Sarawak
Clearwater Cave is the same cave system as the Wind Cave. When you enter, the entire place is well lit inside and there are wooden walkways with rails for safety and conservation reasons. You will also encounter cave-dwelling critters such as spiders, bats, cockroaches, centipedes, even swallows who make their homes in the caves. There is also an underwater river running through the Clearwater Cave and your cave guide will lead you to it. A bridge goes over the river to the next part of the cave where you will see huge rock boulders.
One of the unique caves with a huge cavern made from limestone formations and filled with green plant life. The cave offers stalagmites and stalactites which some are over 15 feet tall. There is even a stalactite that resembles the Chinese Goddess of Mercy deeper into the cave and this figure has been attracting the local Chinese people here to pray to the figure for years at this cave which is also known as Gua Kapor in Malay.
Fairy Cave in Sarawak
One of the renown caves for birds nest harvesting and located at Gomantong Hill in the lower Kinabatangan area or Gomantong Rainforest Reserve. Consisting of two cave complexes which are Black Cave (Simud Hitam) and White Cave (Simud Putih), these caves have been harvested for the prized birds nest for many years even till today.
8. Madai Caves in Tawau, Sabah
Madai Caves are another well known caves for harvesting birds nest which comprises a wide network of caves and passages which raises from 250 meters above the forest floor and is one of Sabah's most important archaeological sites. There is a labyrinth of cave passages that can be followed and an underground stream also runs in here.
There are numerous caves located around Malaysia and Borneo where activities include general caving, spelunking, harvesting of birds nest and even cave explorations. There are even caves dedicated to places of worship. To read all my articles on caves, please see Caves in Malaysia. The list above is in no general order and for those who enjoy this area of eco-tourism, I have narrowed down the list to 8 caves to visit in Sarawak and Sabah in Borneo.
18 comments:
Borneo is like an outdoor natural fantasy land with so many adventures! I spent about 2 weeks there and would have loved to spend a year there! Awesome selection of caves.
Thanks Migrationology, A year there would be blissful with all the beautiful Eco! Luckily it's just next to Peninsular Malaysia so time to start packing for another trip there.
David
Hi David,
What will be the cost for traveling to Mulu Cave from KL for 5 days 4 nights? Will be sufficient to explore the area in 5 days time? (I understand that we need to transit from KK to Mulu, right?)
Please advise.
Thanks.
Robo, 5D/4N is perfect for Mulu. Prices vary depending on where you stay. If you choose the standard lodging, it can cost about RM100 (US$30) a night while the Royal Mulu Resort costs around RM300+ (US$100+) a night.
For transit, usually it is done at Miri Airport then it is a 30 minute flight to Mulu Airport.
David
awesome...
Thank you Cath! :) So, how many have you explored?
David
Nice post. I checked the Mulu caves and Niah Caves. Wanted to hit the adventure caves in Mulu, but they didn't have any guides to take me grrrr.
Hi Dustin, you're one serious backpacker exploring all these fantastic places! I admire your RTW style and hoping you will have a fab time in Egypt.
David
In Sabah, the most famous caves are the Gomantong Caves which are known for the birds' nest industry. There are two main caves, Simud Putih and Simud Hitam....Thanks for the nice info....locations espagne
Which cave your preferred the most?
CiM, seriously, I preferred the Deer Cave as it was huge, lots to see and the bats flying out was amazing.
David
of all the caves that I went to, the Wind Cave is the one that I like most. had a great time in Mulu a couple of months ago. I think the Deer Cave is more on the size but nothing much to see. ;-)
Jipp, you're right about Wind Cave, more character there but apparently for the Cave Lovers, if you go deeper into the Deer Cave, there is quite a lot to see there. I hope to go back again to explore the caves in Mulu once more.
David
hi!
i wonder why the bats only fly out in one direction.
are there bats flying behind the mountain that we don't manage to see?
any source on the area?
thanks for sharing.
thiery/singapore
Hello Wong, I am assuming you are talking about the Deer Cave. Yes, they only fly out in one direction in the evenings. If you are very near the caves, you can actually see them circle before they take flight out. Behind the caves, not that I know off as the guides did not mention anything.
David
These are great caves! We have some good ones here in California and I've seen some in Slovenia but these would be interesting to visit.
Thanks Jeremy, hope you make it here for a visit and make sure you spend at least a good week to explore some of these caves in Borneo.
David
Sabah Borneo is a beautiful place to visit and the information is nicely described. The caves seems to be quite good to visit and can spend some quality time.
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