Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mix coats the walkway's handrails, so try not to grip them when you (inevitably) slip on
the river o' guano. A 45-minute uphill trek beyond the park office leads to Simud Putih
(White Cave), containing a greater abundance of prized white swiftlets nests. Both trails
are steep and require some sweaty rock climbing.
The majority of visitors to Gomantong come as part of an add-on to their Kinabatangan
tour package. It is possible to visit the caves under one's own steam, though, usually by
private vehicle. The turn-off is located along the road connecting Sukau to the main high-
way and is quite well signposted. Minivans plying the route between Sandakan and Sukau
(RM17) can drop you off at the junction, but you'll have to walk the additional 5km to the
park office.
Bukit Belanda
Bukit Belanda - Dutch Hill - is a 420m hill located behind the village of Bilit. The land is
owned by the citizens of Bilit, who, despite pressures from logging companies, have not
opened the hill to the timber industry, preferring to maintain it as a haven for wildlife. You
can hike to the top in an hour if you're fit, where you'll be rewarded by lovely views of
Sungai Kinabatangan and, if you're lucky, glimpses of local wildlife (at the very least,
you're sure to hear the shrieks of local primates.) It's best to make this trek early in the
morning for purposes of both catching the sunrise and avoiding the heat of the day.
There's no official infrastructure when it comes to visiting the hill; just ask someone in
your lodge or Bilit itself to guide you to the beginning of the ascent path.
HILL
Batu Tulug
( 089-565145; http://museum.sabah.gov.my ; admission RM15; 9am-5pm, closed
Fri) On the road from Sandakan to Lahad Datu you can catch a glimpse of Agop Batu Tu-
lug, a jutting knife of white limestone slicing out of the jungle. This hill, located above the
village of Batu Putih, is studded with caves that house the ancestors of both local Chinese
and the Orang Sungai (People of the River). Because the Kinabatangan has a habit of fre-
quently flooding, the final resting place of the dead has traditionally been located in cave
complexes (a practice that has eroded thanks to Christianity and Islam). Heavy wooden
coffins - it must have been an awful effort lugging them up the sheer rocks - are interred
in the Batu Tulug caves with spears, knives, gongs, bells and Chinese curios. Some
coffins are carved with relatively simple geometric patterns, others in beautiful animal
designs. This trove of artefacts makes the hill one of the most important archaeological
sites in Sabah. Sabah Museums runs the site and has built wooden staircases that snake
up the 40m hill. There are two main caves to explore, but if you climb the stairs to the top,
CAVES
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