Skywalk, Lang Cave & Deer Cave Mulu National Park (Day 4)

Exhaustion the day before led us to having a good night's sleep. We awoke around 0700 hours to prepare breakfast and some emergency rations for the trek back to Kuala Litut, where our boat was to rendezvous with us. The plan was to get out of the forest by 0900 and reach the meeting point at noon.

After she passed us our bracelets. She made them overnight from the rattan around  Camp 5!

With one of our team. The bridge behind me lead to the Headhunter's Trail, once past the bridge it is the point of no return.

This is the river where icy clear cold water ran, where we buried beer to get it chilled just right and soothed our aching feer

As we looked towards Gunung Api where the Pinnacles could be observed, we did wonder, how did we get there so fast?

The white patch is the Pinnacles

With a heave of our bags, we started on our way. My knees were aching but it was flat ground so that was some reprieve. We started off on a brisk pace for half an hour. Then the group decided to do a little tree hugging.

That brown thing behind them is a trunk of a tree!

Things started proper after hugs with the giant. Minor accidents here and there, e.g. scratches by grass, curious leech (but Mosiguard came to the rescue!) and I broke my toe snail clean in half when I stubbed it against a rock.

We arrived just a little past noon but our boat was not there. The noise of a diesel engine soon reached our ears. We plunged into the icy river and clambered in. I admit, I had a fleeting moment of panic. What if our boat forgot about us? How are we getting back to camp? Do we have to trek back 8.8km? I know, it was paranoia and the pain of a bleeding toe that veered my mind into the realms of all things negative. No reception in the forest either.

We got back a little later than expected so we hurriedly took a shower, washed our muddy laundry, treated our wounds and lunched. With hardly enough time to take a nap, it was time for our second part of our trip, caving!

If you are planning to do a similar itinerary like mine, bringing bottled water is very much needed.

This would be my 2nd time heading to the caves. The first time was 10 years ago and I made the trip to Mulu National Park with my family. This time it is with people who conquered my first mountain with me :)
The objective of the second half of the day was simple. To reach the Bat Exodus outpost by 6pm to watch the bats fly out for feeding time. Before then, we had time to kill. So we went off on a guided tour around the Mulu National Park HQ.

First stop was the 2 hour guided Mulu Canopy Skywalk. I would say that the Skywalk is really quite a distance and quite enjoyable to be high up in the foliage. Unfortunately no wildlife on the forest floor. A wild boar would have been nice.

 The Canopy walk is the longest in the world at 480 metres. With the swaying bridges, it felt longer. Nevertheless, being away from the jungle ground also meant that you get more ventilation away from the humidity that coats the lower levels.

Start of the Canopy walk

The entire 2 hours was on raised platforms that swayed side to side with every step.

 At this stage my knees ached whenever I encountered stairs. Every step threatened to tip me over. Luckily Uncle Chong was always close by and ready to grab my bag to steady me whenever I started to wobble.

After the Skywalk, we took a 3km broadwalk towards Lang Cave. As with all cave exploration, a hat, sensible shoes and a headlamp is a must. Not the ridiculous LV handbags or high heels. Caves are usually wet, slippery and it's residents are bats. This also mean guano aka bat poo. Do you really want to slip on that puddle because your shoe had no traction and you land into a pile of poo? The poo smells.... I mean all poo does, but this is just full with ammonia.

Lang Cave was named after a guide who lead the expedition to the caves in the late 1970s to conduct research. There are boardwalks in the cave and well-placed lights to emphasize the beauty of a process that started thousand of years ago. We were warned not to touch any rocks in caves as residue from our fingers could destroy/ stunt/ change the course the the dripping water onto the stalagmite and stalactites. Some people has tried the water in the caves and said that it felt very refreshing. I did not. Remember bat poo?

Me at Lang Cave

L - R: Entrance to Lang Caves, cave formations

Lang Cave isn't very big so it did not take too long. However the next one is a VIP in the Earth's underbelly.

Meet Deer Cave (Gua Rusa in Malay)

The hole there is Deer Cave

Ok that's the view from the Bat Exodus point. At the real entry, you will be greeted with this instead.


This cave is the world's largest cave passage at 174m wide and 122 m high. It got its name from the practice of local tribes herding deer into this cave before finishing them off. This also means that it will be on the itinerary of any tour group you decide to book your package from. To give you an idea how the gloom will greet you, here is a fuzzy picture from my camera. I only had a point-n-shoot with me so fuzziness is a part of the package when you try to take pictures of nature's wonder. It overwhelms the camera.  

Jokes aside, it is really a place that you want to go at least once. The sheer size of it makes you feel that there are things out there bigger than you are. The eons that it has taken to form, makes your life blanch in comparison. Before you enter the cave, you will notice lots of healthy vegetation compared to Lang. It's from the daily fertilizers. This place is home to millions of bats! Bat cave anyone?

The next thing you will notice is the smell. The guano smell will very pungent. So if you can't take it at the entrance, I forewarn you not to continue inside. It gets worse.  Strap on your headlamp, wear your hat and gloves and make sure your shoes are on tight. It is dark, damp, and slippery (from bat poo and running water). There is a wooden broad-walk with ropes rails. You can hold on to these rails if you have a glove on. Otherwise, try not to. It is full of bat guano and you can get sick from it if it enters your system. Don't look up too long either, a poo may catch you in the eye.

Another thing to look to look out for is the ground. Apart from the slippery boards, there may be snakes coiled nearer to the rail posts. These snakes are the ones who normally cling to the side of the caves, hoping to snatch fast food as it flies past.

The famed profile of Abraham Lincoln. Funny how nature works.

Poor fella probably fell from the ceiling of the cave

 Towards the end of the path in the cave, you will see sunlight hitting the Garden of Eden, a patch of vegetation where the a part of the cave collapsed many years ago. As I stood there, the scene was how I remembered it from 10 years ago. Not a thing has changed. Your mortality is ever more felt.

Garden of Eden within the cave

Tour is not over yet. To get out of the cave, you have to go out the same way you came in. So we trooped out and made our way to the observation deck for the daily (if the bats decides to accommodate the humans) departure of bats. There is a concessions stand at the deck for the hungry and thirsty.

Observation deck.  Everyone stares at the hole willing for the bats to come out.

A puff of bats

The stream that came after the puff

It was a long day and we sat at the observatory long after everyone has left before making our way slowly back through the boardwalks of the rain forest. We stayed back reflecting on our climb, new found friendships and wonders of the Earth.

Another plus if you don't hurry back? Your path will be lit by fireflies :)