Caves

Early morning transfer to Kuching airport for a 50 minutes' flight to Miri. On arrival transfer to a car or coach for a 110 km drive to Batu Niah passing oil palm plantation and secondary forest. Lunch at Batu Niah, a small inland town, before crossing the Niah River by longboat to Pangkalan Lobang. Continue the jouney by foot, walking on a series of raised boardwalks, for a distance of 4 km to the Great Caves (the west mouth). The Niah National Park encompasses 3,102 hectares (7,756 acres) of virgin rainforest with limestone outcrops millions of years old. Archaeological excavations carried out by the Sarawak Museum beginning in 1954 have un-earthed human and food remains and stone age implements dating back 40,000 years. Other interesting features of the caves include the millions of swiftlets and bats which live in the caves . The nests of these swiftlets are a highly priced delicacy served in Chinese restaurants all over the world. The Painted Cave with human figures drawn in red haemitite is possibly the only surviving cave-painting discovered in Sarawak and remains of wooden canoes used in ancient burial ceremonies are finds that prompted the authorities to gazette it as a national historical monument. Return to Miri in the afternoon to catch the flight back to Kuching.

NB. An optional extension can be arranged with overnight stay at the Park's hostel which is equipped with modern toilets and cooking facilities.