Our trip from Miri to Gua Niah started as early as 6am. For those who are not very familiar of Eash Malaysia, the sun will raise at about 5am there. Therefore, 6am would be all brighten already.
Getting there
From Kuala Lumpur (KL)
[Flight] Travel to Miri/Bintulu can only be reached by air. There is frequent flight of more than 6 times per day to travel into by Malaysia Airlines (MAS)/AirAsia (AA). The flight would take about 2 and the half hours with about 855 miles from Kuala Lumpur. If you are taking MAS flight please note that you flight will be departing from KLIA (main terminal). If you are taking AA flight please note that your flight will be from LCCT / KLIA 2 (beginning from Q3 '14 - pending). Do a little research before deciding which flight to take.
From Miri to Niah National Park:
[Car] Car can be rented from booth during arrival to Miri. Best if please book a car prior to arriving in Miri to avoid any disappointment. Driving from Miri to Niah National Park would take about 2 hours with beautiful beach view all the way there.
[Bus] Take a bus from Miri Bus Station to Batu Niah. From Batu Niah, take taxi (chartered on a daily basis) or self-drive car to the Niah National Park.
From Bintulu to Niah National Park:
[Car] Car can be rented from booth during arrival to Bintulu. Best if please book a car prior to arriving in Bintulu to avoid any disappointment. Driving from Bintulu to Niah National Park would take about 3 hours with beautiful beach view all the way there.
[Bus] Take a bus from Bintulu Bus Station to Batu Niah. From Batu Niah, take taxi (chartered on a daily basis) or self-drive car to the Niah National Park.
Description
Known for the site where a 40,000 year old human remains were discovered, Niah National Park offers jungle walk, Iban longhouse and cave experiences.
Niah National Park provides some interesting and impressive sights. The area was a major centre of human settlement as early as 40,000 years ago, and features one of the world’s largest cave entrances, Palaeolithic and Neolithic burial sites and iron-age cave paintings.
The nearby Painted Cave houses wall-paintings depicting the boat journey of the dead into the afterlife, along with remnants of “death-ships” on the cave floor - boat-shaped coffins (its contents have been transferred to the Sarawak Museum).
Visitors leaving its Great Cave around sunset will see two great black clouds intermingling - the nightly ‘changing of the guard’ as hundreds of thousands of swiftlets return to their nests, whilst an approximately equal number of bats fly out to forage in the forest. A variety of luminous fungi can be clearly seen from the plankwalk at night.
The surrounding area is covered in dense primary rain forest and is home to many species of plants and wildlife.Even today, the caves remain important for local communities, with birds nest and guano collection providing valuable employment and income. The national park runs a swiflet conservation programme in 'Gua Perintah'.
Niah Caves is a very pleasant place to spend a few days, although most of the major attractions are accessible to the day visitor. An Iban longhouse - Rumah (house) Patrick Libau - homestay experience can be had and it is accessible through the national park.
The park has a visitor centre and good accommodation, and is very easy to get around, thanks to an extensive network of plankwalks.
A flashlight and good walking shoes are absolutely essential - the caves are unlit, and the plankwalk can become slippery from the constant dripping of water and bat guano from the ceiling of the cave. A wide-brimmed hat is desirable, for obvious reasons.
The Park is located on the Sungai Niah, about 3 km from the small town of Batu Niah, 110 km south-west of Miri.
At Niah National Park also has provide chalet for visitor to stay. Below is the type of lodging and their prices that you can choose according to your budget.
Forest lodge type 2 ( VIP chalet)
3 rooms: Rate per unit: RM 525.00; Rate per room: RM 250.00; Forest lodge type 4 (Class 2 chalet)
2 rooms, 4 beds & air-con: Rate per unit: RM 236.25; Rate per room: RM 157.50; Forest lodge type 4 ( Class 3 chalet)
2 rooms, 4 beds & fan: Rate per unit: RM 157.50; Rate per room: RM 105.00; Forest lodge type 7 (Hostel)
4 rooms with 4 beds each: Rate per unit: RM 168.00; Rate per room: RM 42.00
Things to bring:
- Suitable clothing. Comfortable clothes and suitable shoes. Avoid wear out shoes, because some of the paths are quite slippery.
- Torchlight or headlamp. There are not much light in the cave, so make sure to bring your own torchlight/headlamp. This would be rented at RM 2 each also
- Enough drinking water. You will have to walk a few hours to the cave, and then walk a few hours back to the headquarters. Bring enough water to avoid dehydration.
- Some snacks. Snacks can keep you energized while exploring in the forest or the cave. Best to note if have things like energy bar or chocolate
- A camera. To capture the views and scenery, sometimes forest creatures that you see during your trip. Who knows, you might capture something amazing!
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