14/10

We took the early flight from Miri to Mulu national park. With just 20 minutes in the air, there was barely time to write an email or drink the carton of drink they provide you with.
 
As we flew, we passed by significant areas of palm oil plantations, which from the air, show, just how extensive the deforestation problem in the area actually is. There are many patches where logging can be seen from the sky too.
 
At the hostel we got chatting to a local guide about the pinnacles trek, the one that everyone says is very hard and which we had concluded we would miss due to my knee injury. However he didn't seem phased by my ailment, and instead responded positively to the possibility of us joining the small group he would be taking the following day. Of course I couldn't resist the opportunity to tag along on the 3 day/2 night adventure...
 
Fast Track Cave
 
To ease ourselves in we ventured to the fast track cave for the afternoon. This turned out to be fairly easy, with a short walk to and from the 1.5km cave area that we walked through via the well maintained board walk.
The trail is accessible by a short boat ride upriver, passing by the local Penan homes along the route. It was easy to spot people bathing or washing in the river and going about their lives.
 
15/10

3 days/2 nights to the Pinnacles  
 
We headed out to the park this morning not really knowing what we were doing or where to go. Our guide wasn't very forthcoming with information, so I have 3 litres of water, a change of clothes, my swimming stuff, my camera and a torch. Very little else would fit into my bag.
 
After getting a cash advance from the park headquarters, as we hadn't planned on doing the Pinnacles trek, so hadn't brought enough cash with us, we headed to the jetty for a longboat.
 
We had a quick stop at the Penan village. This semi-nomadic tribe has a small handicraft market where you can purchase some authentic souvenirs made by them and have a go at a blow pipe. I shot the monkey in the knee on my first go, it was much easier than I thought it would be.
 
The Wind and Clearwater caves
 
Much like the Fast Track cave, the trail is flat and mostly consists of board walks or pebble paths. So you don't really feel like you're in the middle of a national park that is not accessible by road.
 
We reached the Wind cave and headed inside to enjoy the 1.5km walk. Most of the cave is lit up enough to not require a torch, although one is recommended.
The name 'Wind cave', relates to the wind blowing through certain areas of the cave system. The majority of the time it's quite warm in there. 
 
There are sections where the walls of the cave are bubbly with a white wash effect called Moon Milk. Although it is not exactly known how this milky effect is created, it must be linked to the wind as the patches occur where the air currents are.
 
Within the Wind Cave are many areas that are restricted to adventure cavers, so we kept to the board walks and enjoyed the superficial lighting that creates some lovely effects on the stalactites and stalagmites. There are numerous column effects throughout the cave and a lot of it remains alive and still growing, so drips onto the floor making it slippery in places.
 
After emerging from the cave we headed on to the clearwater cave which is actually connected to the Wind Cave, although we had to access it via a boardwalk hanging from the cliff face. The connection was only discovered about a year ago resulting in the cave sustem doubling in size, totalling approx 180km in length.
 
The 'clearwater' runs through the cave, sometimes below significant caverns. There is a fair amount of climbing up and down wooden steps inside the cave, but all very enjoyable.
 
There is a refreshing pool where you can swim in the clearwater, just outside the cave. However, I opted for an early lunch whilst admiring the Rajah Brooke butterflies and to rest ahead of the 8km hike that would follow.
 
Camp   5
 
The 8km hike to Camp 5 is pretty easy going and mostly flat. However, due to recent rainfall there was a lot of mud to contend with, particularly near the small streams and river areas. 
 
Just before the halfway point, there's a second river crossing over a swinging bridge, shortly followed by a slight uphill climb through an area with significant tree roots. After that it becomes flat and muddy again as you wander into camp.
 
Another swimming opportunity awaits, with a fast flowing icy cold river, at the camp site. Unexpectedly there is running water and shower facilities on site. In fact the camp site is much more advanced than I expected. There's a large, well equipped kitchen and the rooms have raised areas with sleeping mats. I was only expecting a small hut where it would be pot luck if you could find a spot to rest your head, so this was luxury.
 
16/10

Disappointment
 
I awoke to a earth shattering crack of thunder... to find the clock showing 23:35. I'd only been asleep for an hour or so! The rain must have followed a couple of hours later and with it the temperature dropped. I wiggled under the blanket that I had been using as a sheet to avoid sticking to the plastic mat, trying to get warm.
 
My body clock woke me again at 05:30, to the pitter patter of rain on the tin roof above. My heart sank... I already knew this meant that the pinnacles trek, that morning, would be cancelled. I extracted myself from bed and headed to the shower anyway, trying to be positive, but knowing this was going to be another cross on my bucket list.
 
After breakfast, we were informed that the hike would indeed be cancelled, and that we could go a little way up to the "Mini Pinnacles" instead. But we would have to wait until 10am for the slippery track to dry a bit before being able to head out. 
 
Watching the rain, within half an hour it eased off... But we still couldn't go anywhere. It was just a case off sitting it out and hoping the rain would hold off long enough to allow us to see something, after coming all this way and paying all that money.
 
Just after 10am, with sandwiches and water, we headed off into the jungle for our consolation trek to the Mini Pinnacles, which is just 900m from camp. The first couple of hundred metres is flat... But then it gets tough. Starting with an almost vertical ascent of about 15 metres, and then followed by root infested jungle terrain at about a 45/60 degree angle. Within minutes I was dripping with sweat. After 600 metres, my knee was starting to hold me back, at times I was on all fours scrambling up the pathway.
 
The whole time I was just thinking about coming back down, and in particular, how I was actually going to achieve that. The terrain was not what I had expected. I knew it would be tough but I'm not sure I would have made it to the first checkpoint if the full climb hadn't been cancelled.
 
By the time I reached the top, ie the Mini Pinnacles, I was in quite a lot of pain, both my knees were throbbing as one was compensating the other. A couple of tuna sandwiches fixed me up enough to face the descent back to camp... but it still took me about 2 hours to stumble back.
 
17/10

Back to HQ
 
We were quite speedy returning the 8/9km from Camp 5 to the jetty, for the boat back to the park HQ. Despite having tired legs, we booked onto the canopy walk for the afternoon, and also completed the 3km walk down to the Deer Cave, where we then sat to wait for the bat exodus at sunset.
 
The thousands of bats that live in the cave leave around sunset each night, to look for food. They head out in a long line clustered together and spiralling as they fly. This helps to reduce the chance of them being picked off by hawks. It's quite a sight, although I was expecting them all to come out at the same time, rather than in the dribs and drabs that we witnessed.
 
The highlight at Mulu national park, for me, was the garden of Eden valley walk via the Lang and Deer caves. It was quite an adventure so has a separate blog post here: hiking to the garden of Eden valley
 The park is certainly worth a visit. Everything is laid out for tourists to pick and choose what they want to do, although most things require a guide and have an additional cost associated with them. It's run separately from the other national parks in Sarawak and this is evident from the website, sign boards and general upkeep standards. 
 
It is worth noting that the park owners have created a few issues in the local area, by not employing the local people and enforcing expensive licences onto those who provide tours independently. Those employed by the park are not required to obtain the same licence and many of them come from elsewhere in Malaysia, rather than the local tribes. 

If you are heading to Mulu for the caves, but not the more adventurous activities, it's worth considering Niah national park as a cheaper alternative. Read more about my visit to Niah here:.Niah national park