Niah Caves

Sarawak's Niah Caves are among the most important archaeological sites in southeast Asia. A 3 km plank walk leads through beautiful rainforest to the caves. The Niah’s cave is the most spectacular; its vast interior has the character of a huge labyrinth, with tremendous shafts opening from the surface through the ceiling far above. Water pours hundreds of feet down, the biggest of these shafts, in a dazzling spectacle. Flocks of swifts swirl overhead, their calls echoing throughout the mighty cavern. The floor is very jagged and every surface is covered with a slimy layer of guano. Small huts, allow guano miners, and bird's nest harvesters refuge from the constant rain of guano. Slender bamboo poles rise vertically to the ceiling, as much as 200 ft overhead. These serve as primitive (and very dangerous) ladders for bird nest harvesters. The nearby Painted Cave is named for its well-preserved and highly complex prehistoric cave paintings.