ADVENTURE I NATURE
ADVENTURE I NATURE ICelebrating 20 years World Heritage statusMulu underlines legacy from the past, being lived today, set to bepassed-on to future generationsIn November 2020, Mulu National Parkcelebrates the 20 th anniversary of its beingnamed one of only 20 World Heritage sitesin the world that qualify for a total of fourkey world heritage criteria. Mulu boastssuperlative beauty – mountains, combinedwith huge river systems, a tropicalrainforest and huge caves. The earth’shistory and geo features are evident in thegigantic caves and the Pinnacles. Visitorsappreciate the biodiversity and ecologicalprocesses when adventure trekking or juststrolling along the botany trails.© 2018 Jorg SundermannMelinau river sunsetat Mulu Marriott ResortDeer Cave, MuluNational Park“REVEALED” IN THE 1970’SThe mystery and magicof Borneo has lured thecream of the scientificworld since it was firstdiscovered. In 1978,the Royal GeographicalSociety launched oneof the biggest multidisciplinaryexpeditionsto Mulu. Prior to this, theSarawak Government,recognising the specialqualities of Mulu, hadgazetted it a National Parkin 1974. The magic caughton in 2000, and Muluwas declared an iconicUNESCO World HeritageArea, and at 55,000hectares, also the state’sbiggest National Park.Gunung Mulu NationalPark is now the mostintensively studied areaof tropical karst in theworld. Dominated byGunung Mulu, a 2,377msandstone pinnacle(the second highestmountain in Sarawak),the area is exceptionallyscenic, with rainforestcoveredmountains,wild rivers in deeplyincisedcanyons, sheerlimestone pinnacles, longunderground passagesand immense caves.CAVES: THE WORLD’S BIGGESTIn terms of total volume, Muluboasts having the biggest cavesystem in the world. At least 295km of explored caves includethe Sarawak Chamber - thelargest known cave chamberin the world at 600 m by 415 mand 80 m high. With a volumeof 12 million cubic meters andan unsupported roof span of300 m, this chamber dwarfsany other large chamber sofar discovered. Deer Cave at120 to 150 m in diameter isthe largest cave passage in theworld known at the presenttime and the ClearwaterCave System holds the worldrecord as the longest cave inAsia at 110 km of mapped andexplored passages. The cavesshow classic undergroundgeomorphological featureswhich reveal an evolutionaryhistory of more than 1.5 millionyears.Both above and below groundthe Park has a wide range ofendemic animals and plants inseventeen vegetation zones.The caves house millionsof swiftlets and bats andprovide outstanding scientificopportunities to study theorigins of cave fauna.14 SMART GUIDE www.sarawaktourism.com
I ADVENTURE I NATUREMEETING THE LOCALS– ORANG ULU, THE UPRIVER PEOPLEFrom the river-based Berawan tribes ofLong Terawan to the now settling Penanin the villages of Batu Bungan and LongIman: these are the Mulu locals andthey play an integral part in the affairsof Mulu National Park. These villagesare also made accessible for touriststo visit, specifically to enjoy the localhandicraft market and of course to trytheir hand at the weapon of choice –the blowpipe! The workforce of the Parkconsists of 96% locals and all are proudSarawakians.River at MuluGUNUNG MULUNATIONAL PARK– PROTECTINGHERITAGEFOR FUTUREGENERATIONSA recent study (2017) by the IUCNWorld Heritage Outlook resulted in a“good” status, with the IUCN stating,“The combination of the remoteness(no public road access), ruggedterrain, legislative basis of protection,existence and implementation ofan Integrated Development andManagement Plan, 5-year plan, veryeffective professional managementand dependence of a valuabletourism industry on the park augurswell contributing to ongoing effectiveprotection and management.”According to the UNESCO WorldHeritage Committee, “GMNPprovides outstanding scientificopportunities to study theories onthe origins of cave faunas. With itsdeeply-incised canyons, wild rivers,rainforest-covered mountains,spectacular limestone pinnacles,cave passages and decorations,Mulu has outstanding scenic values.GMNP also provides significantnatural habitat for a wide range ofplant and animal diversity both aboveand below ground. It is botanicallyrichin species and high in endemism,including one of the richest sites inthe world for palm species.”HIGHLY TRAINED GUIDESWhen a guide leads a group intothe Mulu caves he or she is not onlyan interpreter, allowing people tounderstand the nature, but they alsoact like rangers, ensuring the visitorskeep their litter, and do not harm theenvironment.The park itself employs around 20guides and there are a number offreelance guides working permanentlywith travel agencies, bringing the totalto 60 guides.CANOPY WALKAt 480 metres in total length andbuilt in 2007, Mulu has the longesttree-based walkway in the world.Here, guides help visitors betterunderstand the flora and faunaof the tropical forest.Mulu canopywalkwayJeffrey Simun,Operation Manager,and Bian Rumei,Tourism ServicesManager, Borsamulu –Mulu National Park“Guides have to attend a coursewhich is run by the Sarawak ForestryCorporation for 21 days, and Borsamuluruns a course which lasts around 10days, very specific on the park product,”explains Jeffrey Simun, OperationManager, Borsamulu – Mulu NationalPark. “They learn about the geology ofthe caves, the flora the fauna, and thenthey have to attend an exam. Only oncethey pass the exam can they obtain alicense.”www.sarawaktourism.comSMART GUIDE 15
