The Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia is home to exciting adventures and stunning nature. Not only has it just been honored as a World Heritage Site, it is also home to the longest tree-based canopy walk in the world at 420 meters (1,300 ft) through the trees of the Borneo jungle! In the travel video below we explore the Clearwater Cave, Wind Cave and Canopy Walk at the park. Keep reading for more details about these unique excursions!
Canopy Walk
In the bright morning, my mother-in-law, husband and myself put on our good walking shoes and met our tour guide. He showed us how to take slow careful steps and how to hold the canopy railings while we walked. After our prep, we started walking on the first canopy of the tour. This one was only about 3 meters (10 ft) high, but little did we know that each canopy would progressively get higher and higher! As we tackled each canopy our confidence grew and after our two hour tour we trekked our last canopy, which suspended 25 meters (82 ft) high! You can tell in the video that we don't even look nervous while mastering these great feats!
Clearwater & Winds Tour
On our second morning at the Gunung Mulu National Park, we packed into a longboat with ten other travelers and took a leisurely ride down the Melinau River. This was the transport to our first activity of the tour which was visiting the off-grid Batu Bungan village.
When we parked our boat we were greeted with friendly faces and stunning mountain views. We got to speak with the people of this village. We learned that this group is referred to as the Penan people and they have their own language called Punan-Nibong. In the video, Cedric learned some common Punan-Nibong phrases from a Penan woman:
Good Morning: Jian ngivum
Goodbye & Thank you: Jian kenin
At the village we also practiced shooting a blow dart, a weapon that the Penan people use to hunt animals such as deers and birds. I got a bullseye on my first try! Probably because we already learned how to use these weapons at the Mari Mari Cultural Village.
Next we trekked through our first cave, the Cave of Winds. This Cave is known for its skylight opening which creates windy breezes throughout the narrow underground passageways. When the cave was first discovered by locals in the 1800s, they refused to explore it because the winds inside were thought to be ghosts!
Our next mission was hiking up 200 steps to the cave opening of the Clearwater Cave. Which featured gorgeous Monophilia Pendula plants which are endemic to the Mulu area. The Clearwater Cave system (which the Cave of Winds is also a part of) is one of the biggest cave systems in the world, measuring over 220 km (136 mi) in length! This cave is known for its subterranean river. The locals believe this river's water is a fountain of youth and has great anti-aging benefits for skin. Cedric took advantage of this and splashed the cave water on his face and hands. I was too scared that a sea creature would emerge from the pitch black surroundings!
Our day ended with a delicious Malaysian lunch and a swim at a jungle-submerged lagoon. The waters were clear and the forest was spectacular. Cedric and I had a private swim all to ourselves as we were the only ones on the tour prepared with bathing suits!
Overall, all of our adventures at the Gunung Mulu National Park featured in the Clearwater & Winds Video and the Deer & Lang Video were out of this world! If you are going to Malaysia, I would say that the private plane ride and the lodging costs are 100% worth it for all the activities you can experience there!
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Find more information about these tours and the park below:
Canopy Walk
2021 Price: $10 per person
Duration: 2 hours
Note: Children must be above 6 years old to participate
Clearwater & Winds Tour
2021 Price: $16 USD per person
Duration: 4 Hours
Activities: Melinau River Ride, Batu Bungan Village, Wind Cave, Clearwater Cave & Lagoon Swim
Gunung Mulu National Park
Website: https://mulupark.com/
Address: Gunung Mulu National Park, No 11, Mulu National Park, Pekan Mulu, 98070, Miri
