Caves and features to visit in Sarawak's Mulu National Park

The Pinnacles in Mulu National Park comprise spires that can reach up to 100m in height. Their sharp edges and vertical aspect have in recent years become an attraction for extreme climbers and hikers. — ANDY EAVIS

While parts of the Mulu Caves remain closed to the public due to ongoing research and conservation, some caves and attractions of the Gunung Mulu National Park are accessible to visitors.

The area was gazetted as a national park in 1974 by the Sarawak government and was opened to the public in 1985.

British caver Andrew James Eavis says that, currently, there are four caves in Mulu that have been designated “tourist caves”.

And “all four are of world class standard, ” he assures.

Clearwater Cave

Clearwater Three in the Clearwater Cave System. — ANDY EAVIS

Situated in the Gunung Api section of the Melinau Limestone Formation, the Clearwater Cave System is believed to be one of the largest interconnected cave systems in the world by volume.

Recent estimates put its length at 224km – that’s longer even than the journey between Penang and Tapah in Perak on the North-South Expressway – making it the ninth longest cave in the world.

It is named for the crystal clear water that flows for over 200km through the system.

“Clearwater is one of the most impressive river passages in the world, ” says Eavis, who has said that his expedition’s find of Clearwater is among his proudest achievements.

Clearwater is also where one can find the Monophilia Pendula plant, which is only found in Mulu.

Cave of the Winds

Photo: 123rf.com

So called because of the cooling breeze that blows through the cave, the cave formations offer evidence that there used to be a river flowing through it once. It is the location of the King’s Chamber full of spectacular stalagmites and stalactites and massive columns.

“Cave of the Winds is stunningly beautiful, ” says Eavis.

Deer Cave

Photo: — ANDY EAVIS

Deer Cave is not only the biggest show cave in Mulu but it also has the largest cave passage.

Besides its impressive main entrance, which measures some 152m and contains the famed Abraham Lincoln profile (see right side of photo), its roof provides roosting spots for thousands of swiftlets and an estimated three million bats, whose nightly exodus has become a tourist attraction by itself.

“Deer Cave is in a cross sectional area, (with) the largest known cave passage in the world, short but utterly awe inspiring, ” describes Eavis.

Some 800m into the cave, visitors are greeted by the Garden of Eden, a karst valley, or sinkhole, with its bottom covered in a rainforest.

Known locally as Gua Payau or Gua Rusa, the name is said to have originated from the fact that deer often take shelter in the cave.

Lang Cave

Photo: — 123rf.com

This is the smallest of the four show caves in Mulu, and geological evidence in Lang Cave suggests that it developed from standing water dissolving the limestone wall, rather than being scoured into existence by a river, as most caves are.

It has a magnificent display of stalagmites, stalactites, and rimstone pools as well as other limestone formations.

“Lang Cave is a beautiful scenic experience, ” says Eavis.

The Pinnacles (see main image under headline)

Besides its famous caves, the Mulu National Park is also home to the limestone karst formation commonly known as the Pinnacles.

Located at Gunung Api, the Pinnacles comprise spires that can reach up to 100m in height, and were formed by erosion of soft limestone over millions of years. With their sharp edges and vertical aspect, the Pinnacles have in recent years become an attraction for extreme climbers and hikers.

It is also the site of the Api Chamber, second in size only to the Sarawak Chamber, as well as many endemic pitcher plants.