Sarawak's
massive limestone outcroppings are honeycombed with caves,
carved over millions of years by the run off from tropical
downpours. The world's most extensive cave system so far
discovered is in the Mulu National Park. So far, 310 kilometres
of passages have been surveyed and this is thought to be
only one third of the passages that exist. Exploration is
continuing. Mulu is not the only extensive cave system.
The huge cave at Niah was home to prehistoric humans 40,000
years ago. Although the mouth of the cave has been explored
by archeologists the deep interior still awaits a survey
by experienced speleologists. |
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Such
a team, from America, recently explored an extensive cave system
at Gunung Buda in the northeast of Mulu National Park. It is not
known just how extensive the Buda system is. Near Kuching, the
picturesque limestone outcroppings at the gold-mining centre of
Bau hold great promise of an extensive cave system. The well-lit
and plank-walked Wind and Fairy Caves are popular with visitors
but no serious deep exploration has been done of other limestone
formations. While most of the caves are for serious and well-equipped
cavers only, sections of the more accessible passages have been
equipped with lights and marked paths for tourists. |
