Every three years, Marudi celebrates the historic Baram Regatta, where native tribes from across the state gather to pitch their rowing skills. Boat races are held over the three days with a host of other cultural activities. Food and craft stalls at the town centre add to the festivities of the regatta.
Miri and the Northeast
Just over the border from Brunei, the oil boomtown of Miri is the ideal spot from which to head for the magnificent Mulu caves, or make a visit to a Sarawakian longhouse.
Main Attractions
Located on the northwest coast near the Brunei border, Miri 6 [map] became Sarawak’s original “oil town” with the establishment of the state’s first oil rig on Canada Hill in 1919. This oil rig finally ceased production in 1970, but remains as a landmark atop the ridge overlooking the city, with a new Petroleum Science Museum adjacent.
Today Miri serves as an overnight stop for travellers en route to Lambir Hills, Niah Caves, Gunung Mulu National Park and the Bario Highlands.
A boardwalk through tropical rainforest in Gunung Mulu National Park.
Chris Mattison/FLPA
In and around Miri
Take a stroll around the heart of the old (and essentially Chinese) town close to the river. Be sure to check out the lively local market known as Taman Muhibbah located opposite the very helpful Visitors’ Information Centre (tel: 085-434 181; Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat–Sun and public holidays 9am–3pm) where the vendors are as colourful as their produce.
The Miri Handicraft Centre, on Jalan Raja (daily 9am–6pm; free) gives locals a chance to market their handmade goods and imports from Indonesian Borneo. Good buys here include beautifully woven rattan bags and mats.
Miri has some excellent food, especially Chinese and Muslim cuisines, plus plenty of cafés serving basic Western dishes. Don’t miss the fresh and relatively inexpensive seafood, best enjoyed along the Miri river or at the coastal restaurants in Brighton beach and Luak Bay.
A bat colony emerging from a cave at dusk in Gunung Mulu National Park.
Chien Lee/Minden Pictures/FLPA RM
For a change from land-based activities, try scuba-diving around the reefs close to Miri. If you have time, however, take a live-aboard trip to the reefs.
The highway heading north towards the sultanate of Brunei crosses the Baram river at the Asean Bridge, upriver from Kuala Baram. From there, a ferry can take you to the duty-free island of Labuan. A road also heads up the northern side of the Baram river to the trading town of Marudi 7 [map].
FACT
While most visitors stop just long enough to catch the next express boat on their rush upriver to Mulu for a taste of outback Sarawak, Marudi is worth a day or two of exploration by itself. One of the older of the Brookes’ fort posts and the main supply centre or “bazaar” for the Baram region, Marudi is a fast-spreading town which retains the atmosphere of a trading post. Upriver Iban, Kenyah, Kayan and Penan tribal folk come to sell their wares to the Chinese traders of the town. A lively daily market makes a pleasant diversion, and the provision shops stock everything an uplander could need – from chainsaws to chicken feed, plastic buckets to pullovers and even handicrafts. A day can be very pleasantly spent wandering about the town, or sitting in a local coffee shop near the express-boat jetty to watch the passing parade of people and produce as boats come and go.
FACT
Gunung Mulu’s primary jungle contains astonishing biodiversity; every scientific expedition that has visited its forests has encountered plant and animal species previously unknown to man.
A visit to Rajah Brooke’s Fort Hose is almost mandatory. Erected in 1901 and overlooking the Baram river, the fort was built to control migrations (and wars) up- and downriver. The fort burnt down in the early 1990s, but has been faithfully reconstructed and turned into an interesting little museum.
From Marudi, there are flights to Bario, in the cool Kelabit Highlands, but book well in advance as seats are scarce.
A native hornbill.
James Tye/Apa Publications
Mulu – a World Heritage Site
A trip to Gunung Mulu National Park 8 [map] (tel: 085-792 300; www.mulupark.com; charge), together with a visit to a longhouse, are two of Sarawak’s most memorable experiences. If the trip to or from Mulu follows the old Headhunter’s Trail, using forest paths and longboats, it becomes unforgettable. With the advent of twice-daily flights to Mulu, getting to the park became much faster and more efficient, but not necessarily more pleasurable, and those with time and a love for travel still prefer to go by boat from Kuala Baram. Flying over part of the park, however, does give you a good idea of its vastness and of the variety of the terrain.
TIP
Visitors who are not on a package tour (which includes a guide) are obliged to hire a park guide, which can easily be arranged at park headquarters. These independent travellers also pay a high price for transport by boat within the park, unless they join forces with others. Even though a trip to this World Heritage Site is not necessarily cheap, it is worth every penny.
Covering 53,000 hectares (130,600 acres), Mulu is Sarawak’s largest park. Gazetted in 1974, it is home to a great variety of flora, ranging from flowers and orchids, fungi, mosses and ferns, as well as 10 species of pitcher plants. Ten species of hornbill flourish within the vast park.
The luxurious Royal Mulu Resort has been undergoing renovation to rebrand itself as the Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa, with work due to be completed in 2013. The ideal place to stay, however, is within the park itself, where there are comfortable chalets, longhouse rooms and a dormitory. Try to book your accommodation early. It also has a café serving tasty meals. At 7pm, you can join a pre-booked 2km (1.2-mile) guided walk, but if it is cancelled because of inclement weather, you can wait until the rain stops and explore the park around park headquarters on your own. Move your torchlight beam up and down trees or sweep it across the foliage. If there’s any wildlife, you can detect the glint of their eyes. Spotting wildlife is a hit-and-miss event, but assuredly you can find quite a lot of insects and frogs that appear out of the blue on the boardwalk.
The giant caves of Gunung Mulu National Park.
AWL Images
Exploring Mulu’s caves
For many visitors, the centre of attraction is the magnificent caves. While over 150km (100 miles) of caves have already been surveyed, specialists estimate that only 20 to 30 percent of this massive system has been documented. The caves are accessible by short longboat rides between the park headquarters and the various sites, and jungle plankwalks make walking easy, freeing your eyes from watching your step and giving you a chance to enjoy the surroundings.
FACT
Subterranean animals that inhabit the Mulu Caves include poisonous cave scorpions, huntsman spiders, albino crabs and snakes which dine on swiftlets and bats.
The sheer scale of these caves will please even the most discerning statistician; within their dank confines lies the world’s largest natural cave chamber, allegedly big enough to hold 16 football fields or 40 jumbo jets and to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Clearwater Cave, at 75km (47 miles), is the longest cave in Southeast Asia. Only four of the 25 caves so far explored are open to public viewing, but this is plenty to gain an idea of the immensity and complexity of this cave system. Most often visited is the Deer Cave A [map], named after long-vanished deer. The site is accessible by a 3km (2-mile) plankwalk from the Park HQ B [map], passing through a peat swamp forest where orchids thrive and there is an ancient Penan burial site. This massive hall is 2,160 metres (7,090ft) long and 220 metres (720ft) deep. The plankwalk cuts a path over the mounds of guano – a tonne of which is made each day – and leads through to the Garden of Eden, an enclosed valley where the vegetation has existed undisturbed for millennia.
Trekking in Gunung Mulu National Park.
AWL Images
Near the entrance to Deer Cave, you can enjoy one of the most spectacular sights of Mulu – the nightly bats’ exodus. Around 5.30pm, as the lowering sun turns the limestone walls to gold, the first flutterings can be seen, followed by an ever-increasing number of bats – up to 3.5 million – circling their way out of the cave, up and over the trees on their nightly forage for food. The dramatic spectacle (which unfortunately does not take place during rainy weather) lasts for a good 20 minutes. Bring a pair of binoculars for a closer look; sometimes lurking near the cave’s entrance or flying overhead are bat-hawks waiting for an easy meal.
Close by Deer Cave is Lang Cave C [map], whose well-lit stalactites and stalagmites make it one of the most beautiful of all the caves.
Clearwater Cave D [map] on the way to Camp 5 is located off the main river, a 30-minute boat ride from Park HQ. The 355-metre (1,165ft) deep cavern is very dark inside, but with a strong torch you’ll be able to see the marvellous limestone formations, and creatures including scorpions, frogs and centipedes. An exquisitely clear river flows out of the cave from under a sheer rock face, providing a popular spot for bathing. Keep an eye out for beautiful butterflies, including the iridescent green and black Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing.
Just a few minutes away, and accessible via a cliff-hugging walkway, is the dramatic Wind Cave E [map], far smaller but filled with limestone stalactites and stalagmites with plankwalks passing the most spectacular examples.
Sarawak Chamber F [map], reputedly the largest cave in the world, is only accessible to scientists, museum experts and special adventure groups, much of it being extremely dangerous. Gaining access to the cavern involves a four-hour trek through the jungle from the nearest river point, to the small entrance from where you slide into the dank, inky blackness. An exciting excursion, but definitely not for the faint of heart.
Mulu activities
It’s a whole different world up here – from the plants and mosses that cover the tree barks to birds and insects that are airborne. The 480-metre (1,574ft) long Canopy Skywalk G [map] at Mulu is between 15 and 25 metres (49 and 82ft) off the forest floor, offering good views of the surrounding forests. Group size for the return two-hour guided trip is limited to seven people, so bookings are essential.
If you prefer to sit in one spot and watch for wildlife, there is the 30-metre (98ft) tall tower and bird hide to consider. Just a 10-minute walk from the park’s office, the tower is free to use; just book a time slot and pay a deposit for the key. For a fee, birdwatchers can also reserve the tower between 5am–8am and from 5pm–8pm to birdwatch in solitude.
Apart from pleasant walks along jungle trails, there are two peaks to be conquered – Mount Mulu H [map] (Gunung Mulu) at 2,377 metres (7,800ft) and Mount Api I [map] (Gunung Api), which at 1,750 metres (5,600ft) is Malaysia’s highest limestone mountain. The stiff ascent of both these mountains is only recommended for very experienced (and very fit) climbers.
The Pinnacles
The strange limestone spikes known as The Pinnacles, on an alternative path on Mount Api, can be tackled by anyone of reasonable fitness in about two to three days. The razor-sharp peaks, some standing 45 metres (150ft) high, make a magnificent sight, almost worth the effort of ascending the mountain. The journey there begins with a satisfying longboat trip upriver from the National Park HQ, and a short stop-off to visit the Clearwater Cave. A 4km (2.5-mile) walk through lowland forest brings you to the Melinau river gorge J [map] and Camp 5 – a simple hut shelter and campsite overlooking the Melinau river, and the overnight base camp for the climb to The Pinnacles.
TIP
It is recommended that you wear gloves, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers when climbing The Pinnacles; the sharp rocks can cut easily.
The steep climb, which takes three to six hours depending on fitness level, starts early morning. This allows enough time to reach the viewpoint by lunch, and to make the descent before dark. The ascent is only to be attempted with experienced guides, as the limestone pinnacles are razor-sharp. The rough trail passes through mossy forest where dwarfed trees are festooned with hanging moss and numerous pitcher plants, in an often misty environment.
Headhunter’s Trail
The trip to Mulu can be combined with the Headhunter’s Trail, either starting or finishing at Limbang. The trail, used by Kayan headhunters in the 19th century, is a five- or six-day journey through the backwoods, either entering or exiting by Camp 5, although leaving from Mulu is the easier option. You’ll need a tour company or, at the very least, a guide to arrange the boat transport and longhouse accommodation along the way from Limbang.
Birds’ Nest Collectors
The Penan rediscovered the caves in the 19th century and found them to be unbelievably rich in the edible nests of the millions of swiftlets that inhabit the bowels of the Niah Caves. The glutinous saliva with which they build the nests is believed to be medicinal, and makes the nests the most expensive Chinese delicacy in Borneo. In the markets of Hong Kong and Singapore, the nests can fetch over US$1,000 per kg (2.2lbs).
The astronomical cost is almost understandable when you learn the way in which the nests are collected. A typical day’s work might entail scurrying up 60 metres (200ft) on a slender rattan ladder, scraping the nests off rock ceilings and from within deep crevices – and keeping one’s balance, as any fall could be fatal. You could say that the high cost of nests takes a man’s life insurance into consideration.
Naturally, nest collectors guard their trade jealously, and pass their inherited territory on only to their sons. The hundreds of chambers, chimneys and sub-caves where the tiny swiftlets nest are divided into sectors, each privately owned. Some yield but a few hundred nests, others several thousand. The cave owners live in villages and longhouses situated in the park area, and during harvesting – normally two or three times a year, sometimes more – they bring the entire family along to help gather up the riches.
Lambir Hills
Back in Miri, there are a couple of side-trips which are the main attractions that draw most travellers to Sarawak. Lambir Hills National Park 9 [map] (tel: 085-434 184; www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-lambir.html; park headquarters Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, closed public holidays; charge), which is just south of Miri, is one of the world’s most ecologically diverse parks. It makes a pleasant day trip, although chalets are available for longer stays. The park’s highlights are waterfalls with natural swimming pools, as well as a climb up Bukit Lambir.
Much more famous, and with more to offer, is Niah Caves National Park [map] (tel: 085-434 184; www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-niah.html; park headquarters Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, closed public holidays; charge), which, while less dramatic than Mulu, offers visitors freedom to explore on their own; guides are also available.
The limestone caves and their past inhabitants are the attraction here. In the 1950s the Sarawak Museum heard of the caves being an archaeologist’s gold mine. Sure enough, when the curator dug down 5 metres (16ft), he found the skull of a young Homo sapiens who had lived here probably around 40,000 years ago. The Deep Skull, as it was known, was what remained of the earliest known community of modern people in the east.
Other discoveries revealed that people living here worked with instruments made from bone and shell, made pottery, cut stone adzes and carved wooden coffins or burial boats. More recent objects, canoe-shaped coffins and paintings found in the cave known as the Painted Cave, date from only 1,000 years ago.
Then in 1400, they appear to have entered a tropical Dark Age, which forced them to desert the caves. They then vanished from history.
To get to the Niah Caves, you must drive or take a bus or a taxi from either Miri or Bintulu, the former being much closer. From Batu Niah village, a short trip along the river brings you to the Niah Caves Visitor Centre.
Inside Niah Cave.
Mark Newman/FLPA
Niah’s caves
The plankwalk to the caves begins from Pangkalan Lubang, just across the river from the park accommodation. A museum is located right at the beginning of the walk – entry is free and the information available is useful. The 3km (2-mile) long path is built of the mighty belian or ironwood, a timber so dense that it will not float. You should get to the caves in about 45 minutes if the planks are dry. Sensible shoes are preferable to sandals both for the plankwalk and the caves. Other necessities include a strong torch (with spare batteries), some waterproof clothing and a water bottle.
TIP
There are several small hotels at Batu Niah, but you’ll have to backtrack down the river after you visit the caves – a pleasant boat trip or a 45-minute walk. It is much more convenient to stay at the government-run hostels right in the park if you plan to spend time there. The hostels are friendly and relaxed, providing cooking facilities on request, bedding, toilets and showers with hot water, and electricity.
It is well worth stopping during the walk to absorb the atmosphere of the forest and to listen to the jungle chorus. Down one of the forks in the plankwalk, you can visit a collectors’ longhouse, although they may charge you to have a look around their home. At the end of the plankwalk you will arrive at a series of steps and the Trader’s Cave, and a heap of forlorn bamboo scaffoldings where once the traders set up camp during the collecting season. The Great Cave is the main area for birds’-nest collection – and also for another interesting substance. Besides the three species of swiftlets of which there are said to be around 4 million, there are 12 species of bats, also countable in the millions. The strong-smelling guano lines the cave floor and is collected almost as avidly as the birds’ nests – for it is a rich fertiliser. In fact, you may encounter guano collectors on the plankwalk up to the caves, lugging heavy sacks on their backs on their way to Pangkalan Lubang, where it is weighed and then sent downriver to Batu Niah and to the markets beyond.
The limestone formation of Niah Caves in Niah National Park.
Christian Ziegler/Minden Pictures/FLPA
With a strong torch you will be able to pick out the creatures that inhabit the caves. Only two of the caves are open to visitors without a guide, and the second, the Painted Cave, can only be entered with a permit issued by the National Park Office in Kuching.
FACT
Twelve species of bat live in the Niah Caves. Most common are the horseshoe and fruit bats, but other rare residents include the Bearded tomb bat and Cantor’s roundleaf horseshoe bat.
The most spectacular sight of all at Niah makes it worth taking camping equipment along. At 6pm, the swiftlets return into the caves to sleep in their nests, while the bats, being nocturnal animals, sweep past them out of the entrance of the cave into the night. While far less spectacular than the great Mulu exodus, it is quite an experience sitting at the cave mouth, surrounded by dense, green jungle, watching the show. The reverse “shift” takes place at daybreak. It is a sight that humans must have watched and wondered at even 40,000 years ago.
Kelabit Highlands
Several other interesting day or overnight trips can be arranged from Miri. Bario ! [map] is the sleepy “capital” of Kelabit country, in the midst of the Bario Highlands. A small airstrip, one of a series across the highlands, provides daily access – when the weather is right. Bario used to be remote and cool, but logging in the area has made Bario warmer and accessible. The 300km (186-mile) logging road from Miri into the heart of Bario is still a 13-hour journey overland. The Kelabit Highlands are the perfect place for trekking, stopping at longhouses along the way. One of the best treks is from Bario to Ba’Kelalan, a three- to four-day walk. If in season, be sure to try Ba’Kelalan’s famous apples. This is the only place in Malaysia that grows apples – including Granny Smith, Apple Anna and Lady William varieties. Enquire at the Miri Visitors’ Information Centre (tel: 085-434 181; Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat–Sun and public holidays 9am–3pm).
Climbing Mount Murud
While the culture of the Kelabits has long since given way to the mores of a fundamentalist Christianity, the Kelabits are the kindest and most hospitable people you are ever likely to encounter. The Kelabit community is split across the border between Sarawak and Kalimantan, and are little troubled with the formalities of immigration checkpoints. Visitors are taken to an immigration checkpoint, and the simple formalities are generally ironed out with ease (or a few dollars). From Bario, and with the help of Kelabit guides, it is possible to climb Mount Murud (Gunung Murud). At 2,423 metres (7,949ft), this is the highest peak in Sarawak, and you need five clear days to ascend and descend the mountain, starting from Bario – a memorable experience. Kelabit guides and porters will also take you on a six-day walk back to Long Lellang, from where you can fly back to the other, hectic and more hurried world. For the fit and adventurous, one of these expeditions is definitely worth experiencing.
Lawas and Limbang are the two forgotten parts of Sarawak, two fingers that are interspersed with the sultanate of Brunei. Limbang is the starting point (or finishing point) for those following the Headhunter’s Trail to Mulu.
TIP
A hilltop chalet, Mutiara Hostel (mobile tel: 011-292 164), has room for 33 guests, and there is also a park hostel that can accommodate 56 visitors. After arriving by car, the journey can be made into a round trip by taking a longboat and returning via the Baram river, and an express boat to Marudi, then beyond to Kuala Baram and Miri.
Two hours’ drive from Miri, on a turn-off before reaching Niah, is Loagan Bunut National Park @ [map] (tel: 082-248 088; www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-loagan.html; park headquarters Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, close public holidays; charge). Gazetted only in 1991, it centres around a mysterious lake that rises and falls with the seasons. In the dry season, the lake disappears completely, leaving a cracked lake bed and an abundant fish population that hides in the mud. The fish are easy to catch, a fact that has not escaped the local population of 32 families who are permitted to fish here, or the vast numbers of birds that visit to capitalise on all that fish.
Brunei
Across Sarawak’s Baram river is a land of golden-domed mosques, resplendent palaces and fine Islamic architecture, and beneath it all lies Brunei’s wealth – oil.
From Miri, most visitors are on tour packages heading to Brunei’s capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) 119km (74 miles) away. Brunei was built with oil, and all buses will stop at the town of Seria, where you will see rows of oil pumps In the city, the Brunei Museum (www.museums.gov.bn/bangunan.htm; Sun–Thur 9am–5pm, Fri 9am–11.30am, 2.30pm–5pm, Sat 9.45am–5pm, fasting month Sun–Thur 9am–3pm and Fri 9am–noon; free) on Jalan Kota Batu offers an interesting introduction to the country. For a snack, stop by the Tamu (opens from 6am) or the open-air market on the banks of the Kianggeh river for either breakfast or lunch. To tour Kampong Ayer, a water village housing more than 25,000 Bruneians, ask to be dropped off first at the Kampong Ayer Cultural & Tourism Gallery for a historical introduction to the “Venice of the East”. Next, meet Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his family in person at his private residence, Istana Nurul Iman. The largest palace in the world is closed to the public except for Hari Raya at the end of the fasting month. Thousands wait to greet the monarch, but once you are in the palace, you are feted with food and drinks until it is your turn to meet him. The palace is a wonderful fusion of modern and traditional Islamic architecture, the latter of which is also a featured on the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. An elevator rides up to the 44-metre (144ft) minaret for a panoramic view of the city, and at sunset (around 6pm) the mosque takes on a magical quality. But it is not as grand as the golden-domed Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque on Jalan Hassan Bolkiah, the country’s largest, with exquisite interiors. When visiting mosques, non-Muslims have special visiting hours (Sat–Wed 8am–noon, and for one hour at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm; free). Southeast of the city, visitors can explore trails and wildlife at the Ulu Temburong National Park, where you might catch sight of that famous, long curved nose of the proboscis monkey. For more information see Brunei Tourism at www.bruneitourism.travel.
Visas and transport
Getting to Brunei’s capital is easy from Miri; excluding the border crossings, it is about three hours’ journey by PHLS Express Bus (tel: 673-223 2519; departs Miri Express Bus Terminal at Pujut Corner, Jalan Padang Kerbau at 8.15am and 3.45pm, departs BSB at 7am and 1pm). Buy your ticket on board; you will be given immigration forms to complete. From Miri, the bus will cross the Asean Bridge to the Malaysian checkpoint at Sungai Tujuh (6am–10pm) and then on to Kuala Belait for border formalities into Brunei, all in all taking about an hour. Try to avoid weekends, and public and school holidays. In BSB, the bus departs for Miri from the PGGMB Building on Jalan Sungai Kianggeh, opposite the tamu (open-air market). You can purchase your ticket on the bus or from Intrepid Tours (www.bruneibay.net/intrepidtours) on the first floor of the PGGMB Building; they also sell bus tickets to Kota Kinabalu (departs from BSB at 8am, arrives at Kota Kinabalu at 4pm; the same times returning to BSB). Tickets purchased in Brunei are generally more expensive than buying the return ticket in Miri. Travel agents usually add a commission fee.
For visa requirements, check www.bruneitourism.travel/info/entry.html. If you need a visa on arrival, note that only Brunei or Singapore dollars are accepted for payment.
The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque at dusk.
Fotolia