There are only 2 ways to get there - you can either take a bus (or drive up) to Kuala Baram from Miri town followed by a boat ride up Sungai Baram to Mulu, or catch a 20-minute fokker plane ride from Miri airport to Mulu airport. With the new Fly Asian Xpress (FAX) airline, it's really affordable and highly recommended compared to the 4-5 hour bus & boat ride.
Mulu National Park, which is as large as Singapore, is denominated by three main mountains - Gunung Mulu, Gunung Api and Gunung Benarat, covered with green madness. Gunung Mulu is the second highest mountain peak in Sarawak and holds one of the most spectacular limestone cave systems on earth. But I didnt go there for the forest. No, Mulu's main attraction lies deep beneath the surface, hidden in the forested slopes of these mountains.
According to our tour guide, Mulu has the world's largest chamber, with a capacity to hold about 40 Boeing 747s! 4 main caves are open to the public, namely Lang Cave, Deer Cave, Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave.
On our first day, we explored the Lang and Deer Cave. Lang Cave was founded by a Berawan hunter who had gone boar hunting one day back in the 1970-s. There were so many wild boars there that he kept the place a secret for many years, because coming home successfully with a boar each time he went hunting made him look good with the women. After much prodding by the other men, Lang finally revealed the secret spot, and so they named the cave after him, and opened it to public in 1985.
The cave was spacious and well-lit with yellow lights. As we made our way down the cement pathways and plankwood walkways, the chambers looked like it was held up by frozen melting cream pillars.
The Deer Cave was something else. Its vast magnitude caverns makes it the largest cave passage known to man. Standing inside it, you'll feel so tiny and wonder what else there is in those dark corners where no light could reach. As we made our way inside, there is a stretch of walkway that is strewn with a thick layer of "guano" (bat's droppings). The wiff of "guano" embraced us, so we held our breath (or breathed through our hanky or something). At the end of the passageway, we came to the Garden of Eden, where the Shower of Eden lies, allowing rich green vegetation to thrive. We had to be careful as earwig insects (they sting) infested the hand railings deep in this cave, and the bats love them. At the southern entrance of this cave, Abraham Lincoln's profile is etched in the rocks, guarding the entrance. Deer Cave is also the home to many species of bats. Around 5-6pm, they'll circle outside the entrance of the cave before flying off into the skyline in a long black line.
We then had to rush back to the national park ranger house as a storm was on its way. We walked back so fast our legs hurt, but we made back on time. Later, just as we sat in the boat back to our resort, it poured frogs and beasts (since there's no cats nor dogs there!)
The next morning, we visited Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. On our way to these caves, we made a stop at a Penan longhouse settlement. Their living conditions were extremely basic with no proper sanitisation system (but they did have Astro). They laid their colourful handicrafts out for sale on the wooden flooring covered with plastic mats, and their little children with runny noses and tear-streaked faces were running around playfully without a care in the world.
After a 10-15 minutes stop, we made our way to the Wind Cave. By boat, it took us about 15 minutes on the Sungai Melinau to reach the entrance of the Wind Cave, so named because of the cool breeze you feel as you walk along the narrow passageways. Its rock formation was magnificent here.
We then took the boat to the picnic area near to the entrance of the Clearwater Cave. I think I must have climbed close to 200 steps through the forest before we reached the Clearwater Cave's entrance. Reminds me of the steps to the Batu Caves temple back in Selangor! After huffing and puffing, Clearwater Cave proved a worthwhile effort when we witnessed the crystal clear stream flowing out from deep within its walls.
Outside at the picnic area, you may dive into the inviting but icy cold clear pool.
We had a 3.30pm flight to catch back to Miri, so we had to make our way back to the resort quickly to be able to have a "mandi kerbau" before we head to the airport.
All in all, it was a great experience.
