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| Camp 5, Mulu Pinnacles Trail |
Now that you've read my previous post on 8 Reasons why you should see Mulu at least once in your lifetime (if you have not, what are you waiting for?), I guess you're eager to find out which activities suit you and your travel buddies best!
Whether you are travelling solo, or with family or friends, Mulu is definitely for you. Here are some of our suggestions:
If you're travelling with kids/elderly
1. Mulu Show Caves - Deer and Lang Caves
It is usually done in the afternoon, starting at 2.30pm from Park HQ. You will be walking on a paved trail in the cool shady jungle for 45 minutes with a local guide before arriving at Lang Cave. It has the most amazing stalactite formation that we've seen so far! After that, our local guide showed us the way to Deer Cave which is far larger and is home to 12 species of bats with 2.5 to 3.5 million individuals, every one of them waiting for the last ray of sunlight to leave the cave before emerging together into the jungle looking for food. Everyone will definitely enjoy the scene at the bat watching site.
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| Jellyfish stalactite in Lang Cave |
2. Mulu Show Caves - Clearwater and Wind Caves
Head to Mulu Park HQ before 9am the next morning to catch the Clearwater and Wind Caves tour. One of the highlight in this tour is that we get to travel by boat deep into the heart of the jungle to see both the caves. The transferring boat dropped us at one of the Penan Settlement along the river and here we got ourselves some souvenirs handmade by the locals. Do note that there are quite some steps as you ascend to both the Caves (more than 200 steps for Clearwater Cave).
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| The river at the entrance of Clearwater Cave is calling us for a refreshing swim |
3. Canopy Skywalk, Night Walk and other unguided trails in the park are also suitable for those of you who will be travelling with family.
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| Pavement to Clearwater Cave |
If you're a bit more adventurous with your buddies
1. Mulu Pinnacles
The straight-out-of-textbooks sight of Mulu Pinnacles is not to be missed but this is a challenging 3-day-2-night hike. It is quite tough even for active hikers like us. We weren't aware of most of the things before we sign up for the hike so here's a heads up for you:
-It is a dangerous and risky hike - you are required to sign your consent at the Park HQ upon signing up. There has been cases of injury and fatal fall during the hike.
-It is a long and strenuous hike - you will have to walk from Kuala Litut (where your transferring boat drops you off) to Camp 5 (where you will be staying for 2 nights) and that's 9km one way. On the next day, you will be hiking a steep trail of 45° to 90° to reach the viewing point where all of your effort will be rewarded by the iconic scene.
-Prepare your own meals throughout the hike - If you sign up with Park HQ, food is not provided and you need to pack your food for 3 days. There is a kitchen with utensils provided in Camp 5 where you are allowed to cook. However, drinking water is provided.
2. Adventure caving
Mulu offers a number of adventure caving tours, one of it caught our eyes - Clearwater Rivival. To sum it up, it is a package of 6-hour squeezing, rope climbing and swimming in the underground river and it sounded so exciting to us! Unfortunately, December was a rainy season and the river rose above the safe level so our tour was cancelled. Note to self - travel in the dry season (June to September). Visit Mulupark.com for more information about the prices and requirements for each tour to satisfy your hunger for adventure!
3. The Summit
This is perhaps the toughest challenge Mulu has to offer as the hike begins at 40m above sea level rising to 2,377m which will take 4 days and 3 nights to complete. Just like the Pinnacles hike, the Summit hike does not include food, but all campsites are equipped with basic cooking utensils.
We hoped that this post has given you a clearer picture in your mind of what to expect before planning your trips to Mulu! Regardless of which tours you've chosen to take, there will be one thing that is always consistent: they bring you so much closer to Mother Nature than you can ever be!
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| The almost-90° hike |
2. Adventure caving
Mulu offers a number of adventure caving tours, one of it caught our eyes - Clearwater Rivival. To sum it up, it is a package of 6-hour squeezing, rope climbing and swimming in the underground river and it sounded so exciting to us! Unfortunately, December was a rainy season and the river rose above the safe level so our tour was cancelled. Note to self - travel in the dry season (June to September). Visit Mulupark.com for more information about the prices and requirements for each tour to satisfy your hunger for adventure!
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| Narrow bridge on the way to Camp 5, Mulu Pinnacles Trail |
This is perhaps the toughest challenge Mulu has to offer as the hike begins at 40m above sea level rising to 2,377m which will take 4 days and 3 nights to complete. Just like the Pinnacles hike, the Summit hike does not include food, but all campsites are equipped with basic cooking utensils.
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| Up we go to the Pinnacles viewing point! |
We hoped that this post has given you a clearer picture in your mind of what to expect before planning your trips to Mulu! Regardless of which tours you've chosen to take, there will be one thing that is always consistent: they bring you so much closer to Mother Nature than you can ever be!
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| Wind Cave, Mulu National Park |
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