Trip to Niah Caves

My colleague, M*** organised a trip to bring a group of Form 3 students to Niah Caves. Why? Well, it's just because that they had not been there ever before. 31 students signed up for the trip; but because he was the only one teacher-in-charge, M*** started asking around for other teachers to go along. He needed help and support to watch over the students during the trip. I volunteered because I wanted to wanted to trek, P*** went because she had never been before, and I** wanted to bring some friends along. So in the end, there were 4 teachers to 31 students. Joining us on that day was a reporter for See Hua Daily, A****.

Well, it's not my first trip to Niah. I'd stayed 2 nights there for a camp years before. Plus, I'd trekked into the Caves once before this. I remembered enjoying myself tremendously previously, and hence, I did not hesitate to volunteer this time around.

We reached the National Park at around 9.00 a.m., registered ourselves, and bought tickets. Each student paid RM5.00, and us teachers paid RM10.00 per person.

At the park grounds

Besides that, we had to pay for a short boat ride across Sungai Subis. It was RM1.00 per person per trip. We thought it was a rip-off. The ride was took less than a minute! Lol.

Had to get over to the other side to start the trek

Crossing Sungai Subis

On the other side of the river is the Niah Archaelogical Museum. It displays artefacts that pertains to the pre-historic site that is Niah.


After that, the trail begins. The distance to the caves is clearly depicted. We went in about 9 a.m. and came out about 2 p.m. Hence, we were actually quite slow ;p.

Well, the distance looked manageable

Members of our group leading the way ...

Well, it was a hot day, but the thick foliage and the canopy of trees provided adequate shade. I was sure glad as I hated being in the sun.

The first cave that the trail took us to was the Traders' Cave, where birds' nests were traded or sold in the olden days.

Inside Traders' Cave

200 metres later, we reached the Great Cave. Indeed by then, everyone was tired. Lol. We were really unfit!! Some did not want to proceed further to the end of the trail, where the Painted Cave was. However, us teachers made everyone walk - albeit slowly.

The infamous structure at the mouth of the Great Cave

Well, the trail inside caves were pitch dark, and seemed eerie to me. There were so many steps, and I climbed till my legs ached. There were times when I thought my legs would buckle and I would roll into the abyss! Lol. It was also slippery, and many of us almost slipped. Luckily I remembered to bring my torch light. Otherwise, it would not be easy navigating in the darkness.

Anyway, we managed to reach the Painted Cave. After resting for a while, we made our way back.

It's the birds' nest harvesting season, and we witnessed a skilled collector strung mid-air, poking his long bamboo pole at the ceiling of the cave in a bid to scrap the nest off. On the ground, a few men stood by to collect the nests that dropped.

It was a dangerous job indeed, for the man was only strapped to a rope. We were sure that he would lose his life if he fell! M*** said there were rituals to perform before they would climb up. I wouldn't know, but I suppose it was true. I would love to stay longer to watch him do his job, but we had to make our way back to the Park HQ already.

Everyone was glad when we reached the boat jetty as were all really tired. It was sure a fulfilling day though!