On October 8 we took a minivan from Mount Kinabalu to Kota Kinabalu. We reached Kota Kinabalu around 1:30pm, checked-in at the hotel and went for lunch. We also did some laundry because all the clothes we were wearing yesterday are still dirty and wet. We spent the afternoon working on the blog and a few things.
On October 9 we flew to Gunung Mulu National Park. This national park is very isolated, only accessible by plane or by boat, it promises to be one of the best places to see wildlife in Borneo. We got to Mulu and Edward, the owner of Mulu River Lodge where we will be staying, was waiting for us at the airport. He drove us to the lodge for check-in.
In the afternoon we went to the park for information about the activities and booked a few things for the next couple of days. We have to say that this place is packed with adventure, cave exploration, hiking and nature!
I am not feeling good at all, my stomach is playing up again… I think I got food poisoning in Mount Kinabalu. Our friend Jan had the same thing the night before we left.
On October 10 we went to the watch tower but could not see much, just a few birds and squirrels. We then headed to the bat exodus where an estimated 2 or 3 million bats come out every night from Deer Cave to feed. It is estimated that they eat around 15 to 20 tons of insects per night. It was quiet the spectacle to see them coming out in their weird formations. This is the second place we see them and it does not get old!
Later that night we went for a guided night walk. During the night walk we had the opportunity to see lots of insects but not mammals or big animals. Unfortunately we were with a family of 5 that were extremely loud.
October 11 bought a lot more excitement to the table… we are going to the Garden of Eden which involves a little bit of everything, cave exploration, caving, river crossing and trekking.
The trip starts by walking 3.5Km from the park headquarters to Deer Cave, one of the largest caves in the world. Passing the cave and exiting through the other side is the Garden of Eden, which formed by the collapse of the roof of the cave and opened up an area for vegetation to grow. The hiking through the cave is challenging, in some places ropes have been installed to assist people to climb up or down. Narrow passages and slippery areas are also part of the fun! Once we passed the cave we walked through the jungle until we reached the waterfalls. We went for a well deserved dip in nice cold water!
We stayed at the waterfalls for about an hour, then headed back through the same path.
On the way back we stopped for a better look at Deer Cave, it is quite impressive because of its size, however not for its formations.
We then stopped at Lang Cave, a small cave connected to Deer Cave, but with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. It takes about half hour to go through Lang Cave but it is beautiful.
We then sat down to wait for the bat exodus… well, we are here already so we might as well see it again!
On October 12 we took another tour to see more caves. This time we took a long boat up the river; about 15 minutes later we stopped by Batu Bungan, a small village along the river. Here we went to the local market where the ladies make souvenirs. We could not resist it and bought a bracelet from the oldest lady in the village… she is the most adorable lady! They speak a different dialect so the communication was through an interpreter.
We visited the Wind Cave, a massive cave with great formations. The infrastructure inside the cave was nicely done without damaging too much the cave; the boardwalks are in excellent shape and it is all very safe.
After the impressive Wind Cave we headed to Clearwater Cave. This last cave is breathtaking; the river that runs inside it is crystal clear and provides a beautiful green colour as it runs through. My only issue was time, unfortunately the tour did not give us enough time to take good photographs inside the caves. After our last cave we had time for a quick dip in the cold crystal clear water from the cave as it comes out of it.
In the afternoon we went back to Deer Cave and Lang Cave. We convinced the park staff to take us back free of charge as Marcela was not feeling well yesterday and had to cut short her visit to these two caves. We had a bit more time to take better photos this time.
October 13 is our last day in Mulu. We signed up for the canopy walk at 8:30am. This is a 480m canopy walk along the tree tops about 25m or 30m above the ground. The swing bridges are well constructed and although they move a lot when you walk on them, they feel very safe!
This concludes our visit to Gunung Mulu National Park, a true testimony of nature, wildlife, preservation and conservation. A place with activities for everybody and where one could spend several days exploring this beautiful area. Of course it is another one of those places where we could have spent more time… but we say the same everywhere we go!
