Introduction
I Location
Map I The
Show Caves I Adventure
Caving I Mulu
Summit I The
Pinnacles I The
Headhunter's Trail I
Rivers &
Gorges I Flora
& Fauna I
People and
Settlement I
Bat Flights
Mulu,s four Show Caves were selected for their uniqueness or sheer
beauty. They can all be visited as day trips from the park HQ and
are accessible by plankwalks and well-lit concrete paths. Strategically
positioned spotlights highlight the unique features of the individual
caves. A plankwalk leads through the forest to Deer Cave and Lang's
Cave whilst Clearwater Cave and Wind Cave are reached by taking
a longboat up the Melinau River, or by following a 4 km nature trail.
Deer Cave & Lang's Cave
Deer Cave is reached by following a three kilometre plankwalk which
passes through peat swamp, alluvial flats and limestone outcrops.
There is much to see on the way to the cave, including some superb
rainforest, jungle streams and an ancient Penan burial cave.
When you reach the cave entrance you are left in no doubt that you
are about to enter the largest cave passage in the world. Deer Cave
is samply huge - it is just over 2 kilometres in length and never
less than 90 metres high and wide. The main chamber, which is partially
lit by sunlight, is 174 metres wide and 122 metres high. This is
the area where deer used to shelter so the local Penan and Berawan
people named the cave Gua Payau or Gua Rusa (Deer Cave).
A path leads into the cave and winds its way around, following the
natural contours of the cave floor. Although the path is lit, a
flashlight is useful for examining the guano-covered cave floor
and its population of insects. The path eventually leads to the
"Garden of Eden" where a hole in the cave roof lets in a shaft of
light which allows the rich green vegetation to thrive. Another
feature is the famous profile of Abraham Lincoln, which guards the
southern entrance of the cave.
Not surprisingly, Deer Cave is home to many species of bats. Between
5 and 7 pm, if the weather is fine, visitors may be treated to thr
spectacular sight of a black cloud of free-tailed bats emerging
from the entrance of the cave to go in search of food. Originally,
this cloud was thought to contain hundreds of thousands of bats
but a recent study suggests that the figure is well over a million.
A visit to Deer Cave is usually combined with one to Lang's Cave,
whose entrance is a short distance away from that of Deer Cave.
Lang's Cave is the smallest of the show caves but its rock formations
are well worth seeing. These are made all the more attractive by
the strategically positioned spotlights which highlight stalactites
and stalagmites. As the cave is relatively small and well-lit, it
offers good opportunities to see some of its inhabitants such as
bats, swiftlets and even cave-dwelling snakes.
