Adventures in Borneo (Part3) - Gunung Mulu National Park and The Pinnacles

Gunung Mulu National Park is famous for its caves and limestone formations hidden within Borneo’s lush tropical rainforest.  At its heart sits the 2377-meter high sandstone pinnacle, Gunung Mulu.  The park has at least 183 miles of explored caves and several good hiking trails within an area of 529 square kilometers.

Getting to Gunung Mulu isn’t easy.  The fastest way, is to take the 30-40 minute flight from Miri, but if you have the time, you can get there by riverboat and chartered longboat in about 12 hours.  Telling you this may be a disservice.  We have heard complaints of frequent problems and delays when traveling by boat.  It may be the river route is too much of the wrong kind of adventure.   Also, be aware the park and its surroundings have few accommodations, so it’s best if you book a room before you arrive.

We took the first flight out of Miri and spent the rest of day with our Mulu guide touring the open caves. We explored the many limestone formations in Lang’s cave and stood at the center of  the Sarawak Chamber.  At 600 m by 415 m and 80 m high, it is the largest known cave chamber in the world.  That evening, we sat at the bat observatory and waited for the nightly exodus of some 3 million bats, but we were there on one of those rare occasions when it didn’t happen. 

For us, this was a chance to at least see the caves before heading into the park on a three day trek to the Pinnacles.  If you are interested in caving, you can check with Gunung Mulu National Park for rated spelunking
expeditions.

The following day started with a three hour longboat trip upriver.  Then it was a 5 hour hike through leech infested jungle to camp 5, the ranger station where we would spend the night. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived, so we had plenty of time to explore, relax and talk to other hikers.  Everyone we met was passing through on the Headhunter’s trail.  They were  all a little too impressed we were doing the pinnacle climb, which made us worried.

The next morning we started our hike to the Pinnacles at six o’clock.  The terrain was steep.  The trail had a few switchbacks, but it was clear and wide.  About 30 minutes later conditions changed.  The path became a trail of wet jagged rocks.  I immediately slipped and cut the palm of my hand.  The next few hours, we spent rock hopping until finally the trail leveled.  We thought we had made it, but as it turned out, we had just reached the base of the rock formations that cap the mountain.   We still had another one and a half hours of ladders on wet cliff faces, planks over deep chasms and the occasional leap of faith to the next footing.


By eleven o’clock, we had made it.  The sight of hundreds of stone blades towering out of the jungle was inspiring, but short-lived.  After a packed lunch, we needed to head back.  The Pinnacle climb is one of those treks where going down actually takes longer than climbing up and is somewhat more strenuous.  It was a hard slog, but we made it back to camp just as the sun was setting.



If you plan to trek in Gunung Mulu National Park here is some advice:
1. Take along gloves to protect your hands from the sharp rock.
2. Carry as much drinking water as you can.  You will want every drop of it.
3. Everyone you deal with will be expecting a tip. Bring plenty of small bills.