English (英语) |

Old Forests, Old Peoples

How effective is an advertising campaign like the one for Sarawak where the island of Borneo is romanticised as untamed, natural and where every corner of the river is a headhunter waiting to hunt down strangers with his blowpipe aimed at the heart? Well, it certainly filled my daydreams with wild imagination on a panoramic scale! The thought of maneuvering a longboat into the deepest cut into the dense jungle of Borneo gave me sleepless nights. Having read tales of naturalists and explorers of the 20th Century slashing their path through the jungles and braving the crocodiles in the wide rivers of Sarawak, I just had to see that for myself. Following the footsteps of Charles Hose (The Pagan Tribes of Borneo), Tom Harrison (the Barefoot Anthropologist) and Odoardo Beccari (Wanderings in the great forests of Borneo) would make a trip to Mulu complete.. or so I thought.

To Mulu … the short way, long way

We arrived in Miri after a 2 ½ hr flight from Kuala Lumpur. Taking the first flight out at 7-ish a.m. is the best. Early enough to catch the 11.00am express boat to Marudi but unfortunately not early enough to travel all the way into Mulu National Park.

Our trip this time was going to encompass several more places before arriving at Mulu National Park. Granted that this would definitely be more expensive than flying direct from Miri to Mulu but we didn’t really want to miss out on the opportunity to see some of Borneo’s interior.

Not to scare anyone else off, there is an easier way to get to Mulu of course. You can book a seat on flights which take a mere 28min from Miri airport to Mulu airport; granted that it’s not a foggy day in which case it would take a little longer to get there.

But for the intrepid traveller, the planned route was like this: Miri by speedboat to Marudi ; stayover at Marudi ; Marudi by speedboat to Long Lama ; Long Lama by 4WD to Long Bedian ; Long Bedian by 4WD to Tenyok Rimba Resort : Tenyok Rimba Resort by 4WD to Long Terawan : Long Terawan by longboat to Mulu National Park

Our guide, Willie had made arrangements for us to overnight at a small motel in Marudi. The express boat from Kuala Baram jetty (some 45min drive from Miri airport) to Marudi was to be 2 ½ hrs. It turned out to be about 3 ½ hrs as the driver of the boat had slowed down the speed due to rising fuel cost, since not having raised the ticket price of a mere RM20 per person. We chugged upriver in an .. thankfully.. airconditioned boat. The Baram river is wide and steady.. If you’re brave enough, you can stand on the ledge of the boat for a better view. Once in a while, on the muddy banks, a crocodile was seen sunning itself.

Mulu National Park

The park itself spans an area of 217sq miles or 52,000 hectares harbouring at least 15 types of Borneon virgin forests from lowland dipterocarp areas, swampy jungles to montane forests. The National Park was established in 1975 for the purpose of research study and conservation. The Park’s original people are the nomadic Penans who are now settled in a village just outside the park headquarters. The other group whose ancestors have lived in the area for hundreds of years are the Berawan people. These people live in the upper reaches of Tutoh area and their vast hunting ground also included the Mulu area which also provides them with Native Land Rights to the area.

United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization or UNESCO accorded MuluNational Park with the World Heritage Site in November 2000 in the hope that the area will be conserved and preserved for the future. (). With such a listing, Mulu has seen a constant stream of nature enthusiasts visiting this natural wonderment with which has a combination of activities that will satisfy any person wanting to experience a little of Alfred Russel Wallace’s Borneo (more on Wallace, )

Mulu was unknown to the outside world until a 15th month long expedition organised by the Royal Geographic Society explored the area in 1977/1978 and presented their finds to the world. Although they had only 6 cavers present in the group of researchers and scientists, in the 3months there, they managed to chart 42km of the cave system. Then National Geographic Magazine then featured amazing photos captured of the caves and its inhabitants . Mulu was soon thrust into the limelight.

In the early years of exploration, it took 3 days to travel to the HQ at Long Pala. There were neither flights nor logging roads and getting there was simply the old fashioned way – by long boat. Today, it’s a plane hop away…for the hurried, that is. Is it a crime to just slow down the pace a notch?

Around the Mulu Park Headquarters

Where to Stay

The Park HQ is assessable by road from the airport. If you were to take a taxi from the airport to the park, it’ll cost RM5 per person per way and take approximately 10minutes to get there. Most of the accommodations are located around the Park HQ. There are several local homestays ; the upmarket Royal Mulu Resort and also Park lodgings. But because the local homestays are normally run by the Berawan people and they have little or no experience in marketing their accommodation, many visitors opt for either the Park lodgings or the Royal Mulu Resort located across the river from the park HQ.

Where to Eat

Most who stay at the Royal Mulu Resort would opt for the package deal which also includes meals at the resort itself. For those staying at the Park HQ, there’s The Mulu Café serves local and western fare and is open from 7.30am till 9.30pm, last orders at 8.30pm. The restaurant here doesn’t serve alcohol so you will have to BYOB. Alternatively, you can also have your meals at the local restaurants. The one closest to the Park HQ is the Jewel. If you want a cold beer and reasonably priced meals, this is the place to get it. Moreover, it’s a good place to sit and mingle with the locals. If you take the packages that are provided, you will hardly get much opportunity to connect with the local people.

more on Mulu National Park activities...

Accommodation and Holiday Packages to Miri and Surroundings

Malaysia Rainforests, Sanctuaries and Parks

Short Adventure & Nature Trips