Malaysia’s Natural Treasure: Gunung Mulu National Park

Today, we journey to Borneo Island, the largest island in Asia, to explore a spectacular site – “Malaysia’s Natural Treasure: Gunung Mulu National Park.” Situated at the northeastern corner of Borneo Island, Gunung Mulu National Park lies on Malaysian lands, adjacent to Brunei. An equatorial rainforest haven, Gunung Mulu National Park is a rare combination of magnificent geographical features and exceptional biodiversity. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, under natural criteria, in the year 2000. The Gunung Mulu National Park region has been uniquely formed over approximately 60 million years. It has many geographical features which enchant its visitors, including its disappearing rivers, sinkholes, springs, and pinnacles. The park’s diverse equatorial rainforest covers 530 square kilometers (205 square miles) and hosts a range of precious wildlife. Within the rich assortment of tropical biodiversity, there are 17 distinct vegetation zones that are home to thousands of rare plants, particularly native palm varieties, as well as many other native species of flora. The centerpiece of Gunung Mulu National Park is the 2,376-meter-high sandstone pinnacle from which it derived its name, Mount Mulu, or Gunung Mulu in Malay. Halfway up the slopes of Mount Api, the Pinnacles are a popular tourist attraction. Gunung Mulu National Park’s unique geographical terrain also includes a vast system of caves. At least 295 kilometers (800 miles) of these caves have been explored, but this is believed to be only a portion of the actual total. The Melinau limestone is particularly strong, allowing the caverns of Gunung Mulu National Park to be exceptionally large. Deer Cave is the world’s largest-known cave passage, while Clearwater Cave is the largest cave explored in Southeast Asia. Good Luck Cave encompasses the largest-known cave chamber in the world, Sarawak Chamber.