world reviewer
Sarawak's Niah Caves are among the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. A 3 km plankwalk leads through beautiful rainforest to the caves. The Niah Great 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 feet overhead; incredibly, these serve as primitive (and very dangerous) ladders for bird’s nest harvesters. The nearby Painted Cave is named for its well-preserved and highly complex prehistoric cave paintings.
Written by 
Mike Lyvers.
Comments, reviews and questions
The paintings are not in the cave marked as 'Great Cave' but in the 'Painted Cave', an entrance a little further along the hill.
Niah Great Cave
At least fifty spine-tinglingly ancient discoveries have been made in Sarawak’s caves, which are suspected to have been in use by the indigenous human population since the Pleistocene era. The Niah Great Cave is one of the most exciting of all these, since it was the site of the discovery of the oldest human skull ever found in Asia.
Archaeologists have dated it at around forty thousand years old, making it the property of a young gentleman from the Holocene era.
The remains of Neolithic humans, along with fascinating evidence of how their habits and daily lives would have changed over the centuries, are available to view at the Sarawak Museum in Kuching.
The Niah Great Cave is also famous for its incredibly well-preserved cave paintings, some of which depict strange, skeletal longboats bearing their passengers to the land of the dead, and for the ancient Borneo tradition of swallows’ nest-collecting.
Add a comment, review or question
Sponsored ads
Bike Asia - Adventure Cycling
Explore the very best of Asia's beautiful & remote scenery from Mongolia to tropical south east Asia with the adventure cycling specialists.
www.bikeasia.com
Cycle Borneo - Jungle to Mountain
15 day biking & hiking holiday of a lifetime! Grade 2-3 cycling routes, plus a 2 day trek up Mount Kinabalu. From £1395 land only.
www.skedaddle.co.uk
Hotels in Kuala-Lumpur
Design & Boutique Hotels. Great Rates, Reviews, Special Offers & Direct Online Booking !
www.splendia.com
The Ultimate Sandakan Experience
A unique comprehensive tour package for a true Sandakan experience. 5 days incl rainforest, turtle island, and Sandakan city tour.
www.sepilokjungleresort.com
Cultural holidays in Malaysia
Authentic value for money small group tours. Malaysia has it all: wildlife, modern cities & white sand beaches.
www.gapadventures.com
Advertise here
Who's been here
Similar experiences
Cave Diving under the Nullarbor Plain
Lying 90m under the sun scorched red dust of the Nullarbor lie some of the worlds largest underground cave systems, spreading f…
Plura River Cave Diving
The Plura River emerges from a large cave entrance about 30km to the north east of the town of Mo i Rana, Norway. Diving this s…
Zhijin Cave
The Zhijin Cave is like a vast underground palace, complete with a velvety moss around the first ’reception hall’ cave and spar…
What's nearby
Orangutans at Camp Leakey
Set amongst thick tropical rainforest is Camp Leakey, a centre for Orangutan rehabilitation and re-introduction into the wild. …
Kuching Orchid Garden
Go through the gates and be transported to a world of orchids. There are over 60,000 orchids here, comprising 120 species and …
Longhouse Culture of the Iban people in Borneo
Loagan Tasan is an Iban longhouse near to Marudi on the Baram River in Sarawak. In June the Ulu (upriver) tribes or Dayaks all …
