Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
MUSEUM
Niah Archaeology Museum
(motor launch per person 7.30am-5.30pm RM1, 5.30-7.30pm RM1.50, after 7.30pm RM3
by prearrangement; 9am-4.30pm, closed Mon)
Across the river from park HQ, this
museum has rather old-fashioned displays on Niah's geology, ecology and prehistoric ar-
chaeology, including an original burial canoe that's at least 1200 years old, a reproduction
of the Painted Cave, a case featuring swiftlets' nests, and a replica of the 40,000-year-old
'Deep Skull'.
To get to the museum from HQ, cross the Sungai Niah by motor launch.
If you don't have your own, torches/flashlights (RM5; make sure the one you get is
working) - extremely useful if you want to go any distance into the caves - can be rented
at the ferry terminal and the museum.
Great Cave & Painted Cave
From the museum, a raised boardwalk leads 3.1km (3½ to four hours return) through
swampy, old-growth rainforest to the mouth of the Great Cave, a vast cavern approxim-
ately 2km long, up to 250m across and up to 60m high. To make it back by nightfall, start
your stroll by about 2pm.
As you walk, stop and stand silently every once in a while - you'll hear lots of birds
and, if you're lucky, may hear or even see macaques, especially early in the morning or in
the evening.
Just before the cave entrance, the boardwalk forks. The right fork leads to the cave,
while the left fork goes to Rumah Patrick Libau, an Iban longhouse hamlet. Villagers usu-
ally sit at the junction selling cold drinks and souvenirs.
Inside the Great Cave, the trail splits to go around a massive central pillar, but both
branches finish at the same point so it's impossible to get lost if you stick to the board-
walk. The stairs and handrails are usually covered with dirt or guano, and can get very
slippery in places. The rock formations are spectacular and ominous by turns, and as you
slip in and out of the gloom you may find yourself thinking of Jules Verne's
Journey to
the Centre of the Earth
. When the sun hits certain overhead vents, the cave is penetrated
by dramatic rays of other-worldly light. When you're halfway through the dark passage
known as
Gan Kira
(Moon Cave), try turning off your flashlight to enjoy the experience
of pure, soupy blackness.
CAVE
