Borneo, Gunung Mulu National Park: It's a jungle out there...

...full of caves and bats and things that go "wot" in the night.

It took 3 flights to get from Sandakan to Mulu (taking the total for the trip so far to 8). First to Kota Kinabalu where we switched onto another plane to Miri, where we got off and before we could even buy refreshments at the shop we were herded back onto the same plane for the flight to Mulu. There were no more than 10 of us on this last flight which landed at around 3pm.

(Frank had wisely booked accommodation in advance of our arrival as we knew it was limited. We had decided, like Matt and Erin had done four years previously, to boycott the Royal Mulu Resort and stay in the National Park).

We got Mulu's most bashed up minivan (without air-con) as our taxi to take six of us just over a kilometre from the tiny airport to the National Park Headquarters. This may sound like a short walk but in that heat and humidity MR5 each was well worth it! Our room for our stay here, 5 nights, was one of their newer bungalows (air conditioned). After going to our room and being pleasantly surprised at how modern and clean it was we went back to the desk to book our "tours".

Movement around Gunung Mulu National Park is tightly controlled and for nearly every "attraction" you must be accompanied by a guide. What's more, some of these attractions can only be guided by designated park employed guides - private guides aren't allowed. This meant that our tour of the park was restricted by what the park guides were scheduled for over the next 4 days. We quickly booked items of interest and registered interest for an adventure cave called Racer. This was to be the next day if a second couple confirmed.

Travel Tip: if you are going to Gunung Mulu National Park make sure you book your tours well in advance. While we got to do the things that were on our list we would have liked the option of perhaps doing some of the other offerings. (What Frank really means is that he was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to do the Clearwater Connection caving trip).

Day 1: Racer Cave

While breakfasting the next morning we were told that Racer Cave was on. Racer Cave is classified as an "intermediate" adventure cave and you have to have done this cave to prove your credentials for the more advanced caving trips. To get to Racer Cave there was a short boat trip up river and a short walk to the entrance of the cave. There we donned helmets with head torches and headed off into the dark.

Unlike the "show" caves Racer cave has no ramps or board walks to make the trip easier. The harder climbs and descents are aided with a rope that you can hang onto for balance. We clambered over rocks and through passages with the usual stalagmites and stalactites and a shawl formation that you could beat like a drum. We were also shown why the cave is called Racer - it is named after the Racer Snakes that lie in the small exits bats and swifts use so they can pick them off as they try and leave or return. We also encountered crickets and spiders that never saw daylight - I think they feed on each other.

After an hour of this we came to a large cavern which was the end of the cave. From there we turned around to retreat the way we came in. One of the descents on the way in was down a rock wall aided by a rope with knots as there were very few handholds. It is fair to say that Sylvia and I didn't find much difficulty in the climbs and descents as they were grade 3 moves at worst.  However, to get back up this wall you actually had to pull up on the knots while working your feet up the wall. The other couple we were with were struggling a bit and this section had them flummoxed. Sylvia, using her Cliffhanger days as experience, had to yell at the girl to stand up because she had a good foot hold but her weight was on her arms. If she had stayed there much longer she would have fallen.

On returning to HQ the couple we were with asked the guide if, as they had "successfully" done Racer Cave, they could go to Sarawak Cave - advertised as the biggest cave in the world. We figure they hadn't done any research because, aside from the fact that it is the hardest cave to explore (rated "advanced") and takes 3 hours, it is a 3 to 4 hour walk to get there and 3 to 4 hours to return!

To my surprise when we got back Sylvia was so enthused at the caving experience that she wanted more adventure caving. We went to enquire at the counter but it turns out that there were no guides available for any of the other adventure caves on any of the days we had left - even if we paid extra! (See Travel Tip above!)

Day 2: Canopy Walk, Paku Waterfall and Bats

The next day was a more relaxed walk along the boardwalk to the the treetop canopy walk. We were ably guided by Jenny who is one of the only 2 female guides that work at the park. She is from a nearby village and was brought up "using" the park and consequently is quite passionate about what she does.

The canopy walk is made with ropes and wooden planks that are slung between some of the tallest trees over the river. Each intersection has a well designed platform that is fixed to the tree with wooden blocks and rope. Every year they inspect each of the trees and adjust the ropes so that the tree is not harmed by having the wooden block scar the bark.

Jenny showed us a variety of wildlife (mainly lizards, insects and butterflies) in the treetops and pointed out how the trees have been used for generations for curing various ailments. Sylvia's ears pricked up when Jenny said that the bark of the Pagoda tree was used to treat diarrhoea :)

We turned off the boardwalk partway back to HQ to follow a jungle trail to the Paku Waterfall. Having had experience with jungle trekking (see Kinabatangan in earlier post) we weren't surprised to find ourselves skirting muddy stretches and walking along logs to stay out of the mud. After 30 minutes of walking we came to the waterfall which we had to ourselves. The water was most refreshing and after a few minutes I reckon that was the coolest I had been the whole time we had been in Borneo.

As it had rained late afternoon the previous 2 days we decided that while the weather was clear we should go see the bats. Every night between 5 and 7 (if the weather is fine) around 3 million bats emerge from one of the caves. Right on queue bats appeared in the sky as a stream that went on whirling for the 30 minutes that we were there. Even as we left they were still whirling over the path back to HQ. (For those that have seen Planet Earth, the footage of bats emerging from a cave was filmed here from a platform built above the opening.)

Day 3: Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave

Overnight there had been an incredible thunderstorm. The rain lashed down and the thunder actually shook our bungalow. While we were having breakfast, in the cafe by the river, we noticed that the river had risen a good 2 or 3 metres overnight. We asked how long the river would stay high and were told "a day or two". Sure enough, 24 hours later the river was back to the level it was when we arrived. (By the way, Syria (who you will meet later) said that this was the first time she had experienced a thunderstorm overnight in Gunung Mulu - another first for F'n'S!)

To get to Wind Cave you have the choice of catching a boat or a 3km walk that included going through Moonmilk Cave. We talk the walk option but the overnight rain had left the track under 10cms of water in sections. Also, the wooden and concrete stairs were treacherous as they were already coated in something slimy which was now wet! After ascending 465 (slippery) steps, going through Moonmilk Cave and descending another 450 (even more slippery) steps, we got to Wind Cave in around 1hr 30mins drenched in sweat!

Thankfully, as our guide took us through the cave, we discovered that it was called Wind Cave because there is air movement. This and the occasional "shower" from the ceiling cooled us off a bit. Wind Cave is a large chamber with a range of formations. The light didn't really penetrate all the corners so it was a little difficult to to get a good idea of the dimensions but it was pretty big.

We then walked from Wind Cave to Clearwater Cave - up and down more steps but because these were travelled more often were not anywhere near as treacherous. Clearwater Cave is named for the (supposed) clarity of the water that runs through the cave before emerging through an underwater cave. All the rain the previous night had brought significantly more water, as well as sediment, into the river upstream of the cave somewhere. This meant that the pool where the water emerges from underground was a swirling mass of brown water - we had brought our bathers for nothing!

The cave itself lets you see the underground river. Normally the river meanders gently through the cave but today it was (according to the guide) 3 or 4 metres higher than normal. The end of boardwalk into the cave takes you to an enormous sinkhole that lights up that part of the cave.

Clearwater Cave is actually linked to Wind Cave by this river and one of the intermediate adventure caving tours (Clearwater Connection) takes you from Wind Cave and 2kms down the river into Clearwater Cave. It was this tour that we were hoping to do and would have done it today. Lucky it wasn't available because we would have been so disappointed as it was impassable today!

After the exertion of walking to the caves Sylvia and I took the boat back. A bargain at RM15 each!

Day 4: Garden of Eden Walk

The only 2 show caves we hadn't seen were Deer Cave and Lagang Cave. This is because we would be starting and finishing our tour today in these caves. Our guide was Syria - the other of the 2 female guides. Syria was also born and raised locally and had quite a strong affinity with the park. Part of her training for guiding included survival training. They get dropped off in the middle of the park with a knife and matches and they have to make their own way out. It took her 4 days and included having to stitch her hand up with ants by making them bite down on the closed wound with their their pincers and snapping their heads off. One tough guide! She says that guides get it easy today and don't have anywhere near as tough a training program.

We turned off the boardwalk in Deer Cave and ventured into bat poo territory. After carefully picking our way through the poo we came to an underground stream. We made our way upstream through the water and over rocks, that had thankfully been washed, before we emerged back into sunlight. We were in a collapsed cave and were surrounded on all sides by limestone cliffs.

After walking up (and crossing a few times) this river we turned off into the jungle. Despite going up quite steeply the track wasn't muddy like we had experienced elsewhere. After walking along a ridge for a kilometre or so we had a short descent to a hidden waterfall. This was our lunch spot and a great place to cool off - despite the fright you got when fish nibbled on your toes and fingers.

We reversed our walk back before finishing with a tour of Lagang and Deer Caves. Deer Cave is where the 3 million bats emerge from which explains the mounds of bat poo - and the stench of ammonia.

Syria then took us to Lagang Cave which had some of the best, and most delicate formations, we had seen in any of the caves. It turns out that Syria's uncle "discovered" the cave in the 80s and used to take her in before they were commercialised. She pointed to a particular formation and said that she has a picture of her when she was 8 only half the formations height. This probably explains her love of caving. In 4 weeks she would be in Naracoorte, South Australia, helping to do some research into the cave systems there.

Some more wildlife shots

Oh, and the thing that goes "wot" in the night? It is not a dog like we first thought, we also suspected it was a bird. Turns out it is a very loud frog!