Niah National Park
Niah National Park
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An_adventure_diary
Kuala Belait, Brunei Darussalam164 contributions
Oct 2024 • Couples
We had a lovely day exploring Niah National park.
you can park at the HQ for free. It costs 20 MR for adult foreigners to enter, then 1 MR to cross the river on the boat at the jetty.
There are toilets located at the entrance of the park and just before you enter the cave system.
There’s a cafe at the entrance and some ladies selling souvenirs and snacks and cold drinks just before you enter the caves.
The walk is through the jungle, with beautiful views of the caves and the chance to see lots of wildlife. The board walk to the caves is largely flat but there are quite a few steps as you approach the caves.
The caves themselves are fascinating, and vast! you can explore deep into the main cave, but you need a torch because its pitch black and the wooden board walk can be slippy and uneven.
we walked all the way to the painted caves, it was not busy to visit so felt like an absolute hidden gem. a great day of walking!
you can park at the HQ for free. It costs 20 MR for adult foreigners to enter, then 1 MR to cross the river on the boat at the jetty.
There are toilets located at the entrance of the park and just before you enter the cave system.
There’s a cafe at the entrance and some ladies selling souvenirs and snacks and cold drinks just before you enter the caves.
The walk is through the jungle, with beautiful views of the caves and the chance to see lots of wildlife. The board walk to the caves is largely flat but there are quite a few steps as you approach the caves.
The caves themselves are fascinating, and vast! you can explore deep into the main cave, but you need a torch because its pitch black and the wooden board walk can be slippy and uneven.
we walked all the way to the painted caves, it was not busy to visit so felt like an absolute hidden gem. a great day of walking!
Written October 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shaun G
Miri, Malaysia31 contributions
Jun 2019
A national park, it provides amenities for the solo to the group traveler and visitor. Walk through the forest to the many caves within. Explore the multiple caves available with an easy walk through the forest on its boardwalk or you can get a guide to get you on the trails. With mini falls and event views from peaks. There is even a river boat ride to travel down. Get to know people and if your lucky, visit a village that is link by the river.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
norikoal
10 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
The walk inside the cave is a bit challenging due to the uneven terrain and lack of natural light. Make sure to bring torch and wear suitable shoes. Overall great experience for us family ranging from 12-76
Written June 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Snook87
Bristol, UK30 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
The caves are massive and well worth a visit when you are in the area. I m going to focus the review more on the practicalities of a visit rather than the caves themselves as we were a bit confused when planning our trip.
Getting there: based on past reviews we tried getting an uber/grab car but the driver wanted 150rm for one way or 250rm return. We decided against it and took the bus. We paid 5rm to get to pujut bus station from our hotel. We didn't know when the bus would leave but we were lucky and were just in time for the 7:45am bus which cost 12rm per person (this was on a Sunday so weekday schedule might vary...if there is a schedule that is). Any bus in the direction of bintulu or sibu will get you there. The bus took just under 2h and was pleasant enough. You need to get off at batu niah junction which is an official resting point for the bus anyway. It's pretty big and there are food courts on either side of the street. Ok restrooms are available too. I recommend having a quick lunch here as the selection is a lot better than at the national park canteen. You then have to take a taxi to the national park which takes about 15min. The usual rate seems to be 30rm. Taxi drivers might not speak amazing english but they will know where you want to go. We were approached by a few when we got out of the bus, no problem at all.
As previous reviews mention if you are more than two people it would probably work out cheapest if you can hire a car for the day.
The national park itself: once you are there you will need to register at the park headquarters. Entrance is 20rm for foreigners. To get into the park you will need to take a little boat across a river. This is 1rm per person per journey so try to have a few 1rm notes ready. The river is tiny and I don't see why they couldn't just build a bridge. The boat journey takes about 30 seconds. Guess a boat keeps the boatmen busy at least. There is a note that states that the journey is 1rm during normal operating hours and 1.50rm from 5.30 to 7pm onwards and to speak with the boatman if you wanted to return during those ours. As we had planned to watch the bats leave the cave in the evening we asked the boatman if we cluld come back later. His reply was that if we are not back by 5:30 we're not gonna get back. (However the next day I heard the receptionist advise other visitors that the latest the boat runs was to 7pm- so at your own risk!). Once on the other side there is a museum.
It takes about 45min to 1h to get to the caves depending on walking speed and how often you stop for pictures etc. The way is along a boardwalk and a concrete path. All I can say is that my hiking boots were utterly useless on it. Everything was really wet and slippery and covered in leaves and I slipped several times. Apart from that the boardwalk is well maintained. The walk itself is easy and pleasant.
Once at the caves we saw some archeological excavation going on and the archeologists were kind enough to explain what it is they were doing even though they must be asked all the time. For entering the cave a torch is a must. It's not just getting a bit dark, it will be pitch black. From a rational point of view the caves are a health and safety nightmare, from an adventurous point of view they are good fun. The boardwalks continue through the cave though at some points they decided that railings are not necessary...the boardwalk is covered in bat and swiftlet droppings and water is dripping on it so it is very slippery. Where there are railings they are often covered also in droppings so if you have a problem with that bring some gloves. There is also a strong smell of the swiftlets and bats in the cave. Once you reach all the way to the end you will arrive at the painted cave where there are old cave paintings - they are behind a fence to protect them and they are a bit hard to see as they are quite faded...but hey what would you expect from cave paintings. You then go back the same way you came. The whole circuit took us about 4h but we really took our time. If you have problems with climbing stairs this might not be the best place for you, also if you are afraid of the dark and of big insects as there are quite a few massive cave crickets wandering about.
Overall experience: if you come to this cave expecting a jungle adventure you will be disappointed. The place is popular with local tourists (and us going on a sunday probably didn't help). We wanted to look out for birds and monkeys and any other animals on the way to the caves but any chances of seeing anything were ruined by locals shouting, laughing and having loud conversations. The weirdest behaviour we came across was that quite a lot of them carry loud speakers in their backpacks and they keep playing loud music. So while we were in the painted cave we had to listen to some really bad asian rock music - not quite what I had hoped for. It literally erased all of the noise from the forest. All I can say is go there during the week and try to go as early as you can.
Accommodation. There are various accommodation options available on site that can be booked online. We had a 4 bed room in the hostel (even though we were two people) which cost 40rm for the room. This had a basic but decent private bathroom attached. It does not have air con but a fan. It was quite Ok. There is a canteen that is open till 10pm that offers hot food. Prices were from 5rm upwards - it wasn't the tasties meal ever but it is better than nothing after a long day.
Trekking - this is not really a good destination for trekking. There are only three routes: the ones to and through the caves. Then one that goes to a longhouse villages which is just a continuation of the boardwalk leading to the caves (we did it after the caves, it was interesting but only added maybe half an hour or 45min to our day). Then there is a trek to bukit (=hill) kasut this branches off from the main path to the caves. The sign said it takes 2.5h one way. We attempted this the next day. The first half an hour or so was really pleasant - off the boardwalk and on the forest floor. We could hear many birds (ever only got a glimpse of them), saw some gliding squirrels and some kind of deer that ran off. The forest is very pretty here. However, after a while you start walking next to a river and everything got quite boggy and muddy which wouldn't have been a problem if it hadn't been for the millions of mosquitos that were very excited about our arrival. We carried on as long ad we could but eventually had to turn around as while our deet kept them off us we were just walking through clouds of them which was really not fun. We never got to the point where you would start climbing the hill so I don't know how challenging this would have been.
Getting back: the reception can call a taxi back to bukit niah (again 30rm). From there just hop on any bus that says Miri - you can pay the bus driver directly. Buses seemed to be quite frequent - they can stop on both sides of the street so worth to keep that in mind. We had lunch and when we were finished a bus just arrived - very easy.
Overall a very cool experience.
Getting there: based on past reviews we tried getting an uber/grab car but the driver wanted 150rm for one way or 250rm return. We decided against it and took the bus. We paid 5rm to get to pujut bus station from our hotel. We didn't know when the bus would leave but we were lucky and were just in time for the 7:45am bus which cost 12rm per person (this was on a Sunday so weekday schedule might vary...if there is a schedule that is). Any bus in the direction of bintulu or sibu will get you there. The bus took just under 2h and was pleasant enough. You need to get off at batu niah junction which is an official resting point for the bus anyway. It's pretty big and there are food courts on either side of the street. Ok restrooms are available too. I recommend having a quick lunch here as the selection is a lot better than at the national park canteen. You then have to take a taxi to the national park which takes about 15min. The usual rate seems to be 30rm. Taxi drivers might not speak amazing english but they will know where you want to go. We were approached by a few when we got out of the bus, no problem at all.
As previous reviews mention if you are more than two people it would probably work out cheapest if you can hire a car for the day.
The national park itself: once you are there you will need to register at the park headquarters. Entrance is 20rm for foreigners. To get into the park you will need to take a little boat across a river. This is 1rm per person per journey so try to have a few 1rm notes ready. The river is tiny and I don't see why they couldn't just build a bridge. The boat journey takes about 30 seconds. Guess a boat keeps the boatmen busy at least. There is a note that states that the journey is 1rm during normal operating hours and 1.50rm from 5.30 to 7pm onwards and to speak with the boatman if you wanted to return during those ours. As we had planned to watch the bats leave the cave in the evening we asked the boatman if we cluld come back later. His reply was that if we are not back by 5:30 we're not gonna get back. (However the next day I heard the receptionist advise other visitors that the latest the boat runs was to 7pm- so at your own risk!). Once on the other side there is a museum.
It takes about 45min to 1h to get to the caves depending on walking speed and how often you stop for pictures etc. The way is along a boardwalk and a concrete path. All I can say is that my hiking boots were utterly useless on it. Everything was really wet and slippery and covered in leaves and I slipped several times. Apart from that the boardwalk is well maintained. The walk itself is easy and pleasant.
Once at the caves we saw some archeological excavation going on and the archeologists were kind enough to explain what it is they were doing even though they must be asked all the time. For entering the cave a torch is a must. It's not just getting a bit dark, it will be pitch black. From a rational point of view the caves are a health and safety nightmare, from an adventurous point of view they are good fun. The boardwalks continue through the cave though at some points they decided that railings are not necessary...the boardwalk is covered in bat and swiftlet droppings and water is dripping on it so it is very slippery. Where there are railings they are often covered also in droppings so if you have a problem with that bring some gloves. There is also a strong smell of the swiftlets and bats in the cave. Once you reach all the way to the end you will arrive at the painted cave where there are old cave paintings - they are behind a fence to protect them and they are a bit hard to see as they are quite faded...but hey what would you expect from cave paintings. You then go back the same way you came. The whole circuit took us about 4h but we really took our time. If you have problems with climbing stairs this might not be the best place for you, also if you are afraid of the dark and of big insects as there are quite a few massive cave crickets wandering about.
Overall experience: if you come to this cave expecting a jungle adventure you will be disappointed. The place is popular with local tourists (and us going on a sunday probably didn't help). We wanted to look out for birds and monkeys and any other animals on the way to the caves but any chances of seeing anything were ruined by locals shouting, laughing and having loud conversations. The weirdest behaviour we came across was that quite a lot of them carry loud speakers in their backpacks and they keep playing loud music. So while we were in the painted cave we had to listen to some really bad asian rock music - not quite what I had hoped for. It literally erased all of the noise from the forest. All I can say is go there during the week and try to go as early as you can.
Accommodation. There are various accommodation options available on site that can be booked online. We had a 4 bed room in the hostel (even though we were two people) which cost 40rm for the room. This had a basic but decent private bathroom attached. It does not have air con but a fan. It was quite Ok. There is a canteen that is open till 10pm that offers hot food. Prices were from 5rm upwards - it wasn't the tasties meal ever but it is better than nothing after a long day.
Trekking - this is not really a good destination for trekking. There are only three routes: the ones to and through the caves. Then one that goes to a longhouse villages which is just a continuation of the boardwalk leading to the caves (we did it after the caves, it was interesting but only added maybe half an hour or 45min to our day). Then there is a trek to bukit (=hill) kasut this branches off from the main path to the caves. The sign said it takes 2.5h one way. We attempted this the next day. The first half an hour or so was really pleasant - off the boardwalk and on the forest floor. We could hear many birds (ever only got a glimpse of them), saw some gliding squirrels and some kind of deer that ran off. The forest is very pretty here. However, after a while you start walking next to a river and everything got quite boggy and muddy which wouldn't have been a problem if it hadn't been for the millions of mosquitos that were very excited about our arrival. We carried on as long ad we could but eventually had to turn around as while our deet kept them off us we were just walking through clouds of them which was really not fun. We never got to the point where you would start climbing the hill so I don't know how challenging this would have been.
Getting back: the reception can call a taxi back to bukit niah (again 30rm). From there just hop on any bus that says Miri - you can pay the bus driver directly. Buses seemed to be quite frequent - they can stop on both sides of the street so worth to keep that in mind. We had lunch and when we were finished a bus just arrived - very easy.
Overall a very cool experience.
Written November 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rlgm007
San Antonio, TX141 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
Once you enter the Niah National Park and purchase a ticket remember to take water (there are vendors selling water midway), a head light (an absolute must), rain poncho, and binoculars (if you like birds). You must cross on a small boat for 1 ringet then you walk on a wooden boardwalk for 4.5 km to get to the caves. The caves are fantastic and grand. You can even see pictographs in the painted cave.
If you book in the Longhouse Patrick Libau beware of Josman as he doesn't answer his phone, doesn't respond to text messages and/or emails. I tried contacting him for over a week just to reconfirm my stay and he never responded. I booked in June and at that time he was very responsive. He even told me to take the bus to the Kosa Junction where he would pick me up. Well, I'd still be there waiting for him. Fortunately I rented a car and could easily move around. The longhouse is impossible to find and the Waze and Google Maps sent me to an area where no one knew Josman. I booked through AirBnB who won't refund my complete payment (NEVER WILL I BOOK ANYTHING THROUGH AIRBNB - THE WORST). Because the caves are in the middle of no where there are no hotels nearby so I had to book another hotel in Miri... an hour and half away. I have yet to hear from the Longhouse Patrick Libau....
If you book in the Longhouse Patrick Libau beware of Josman as he doesn't answer his phone, doesn't respond to text messages and/or emails. I tried contacting him for over a week just to reconfirm my stay and he never responded. I booked in June and at that time he was very responsive. He even told me to take the bus to the Kosa Junction where he would pick me up. Well, I'd still be there waiting for him. Fortunately I rented a car and could easily move around. The longhouse is impossible to find and the Waze and Google Maps sent me to an area where no one knew Josman. I booked through AirBnB who won't refund my complete payment (NEVER WILL I BOOK ANYTHING THROUGH AIRBNB - THE WORST). Because the caves are in the middle of no where there are no hotels nearby so I had to book another hotel in Miri... an hour and half away. I have yet to hear from the Longhouse Patrick Libau....
Written September 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dorothy S
14 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
.....light hike or trekking
.....Nature
.....sweating
.....caves and dark caves
.....birds and its nestings
.....bats and its guano
.....histories and museums
Then, there’s nothing not to love...
.....Nature
.....sweating
.....caves and dark caves
.....birds and its nestings
.....bats and its guano
.....histories and museums
Then, there’s nothing not to love...
Written May 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
team-sox
34 contributions
It is a bit of a hassle to get to the national park. We came from bintulu and got a bus (20 rm) to batu Niah junction. From there you either need to organise a taxi to the national park (15 km away) or if you're lucky there's people at the junction who will offer a ride to it. In any case it's 30 rm to get to the national park HQ.
We decided to stay overnight at the park as to get the most of it. What I didn't like was that on the sarawakforestry-website as well as the park's website it is advertised that you can rent a single bed in the hostel for 15 rm if you don't want to rent the whole room for 42. Since we're backpackers on a small budget we thought we'd save a bit of money and book 2 beds in the dorm. In any case they told us we can't book single beds and had to pay for the whole room. Although I was a bit gutted about that I have to say that 42 rm was nevertheless reasonable, even if I would have preferred not to do it this way.
The room itself was nice and ok, but the bathroom and showers were quite dirty and mouldy. But it was ok for one night.
The national park itself is great, the great cave is very impressive and I loved the trek through the dark cave (the stronger your torch is the better!). The painted cave is interesting too with its ancient cave paintings, I liked the fact that the info signs tell you quite a lot about both caves. Really enjoyed the caves and absolutely recommend it!
Apart from seeing the 2 caves you can visit the museum, go and see the village with 2 longhouses and there's another trek. Unfortunately that trek was a bit flooded at the time that we went.
The fact that you have to pay to get a boat across from the HQ to the actual park is a bit annoying. Although it is not much (rm 1 until 5:30 pm, after that rm 1,50) but if you stay overnight and go back and forth on both days it easily adds up... I simply think it should be included in the ticket price, or they should just build a bridge since it's not even 10 meters.
All in all I recommend staying over night in the park if you arrive In the afternoon and want to take your time and do maybe more than the trek to both caves, otherwise if you arrive in the morning it is perfect to just do it on a day trip!
We decided to stay overnight at the park as to get the most of it. What I didn't like was that on the sarawakforestry-website as well as the park's website it is advertised that you can rent a single bed in the hostel for 15 rm if you don't want to rent the whole room for 42. Since we're backpackers on a small budget we thought we'd save a bit of money and book 2 beds in the dorm. In any case they told us we can't book single beds and had to pay for the whole room. Although I was a bit gutted about that I have to say that 42 rm was nevertheless reasonable, even if I would have preferred not to do it this way.
The room itself was nice and ok, but the bathroom and showers were quite dirty and mouldy. But it was ok for one night.
The national park itself is great, the great cave is very impressive and I loved the trek through the dark cave (the stronger your torch is the better!). The painted cave is interesting too with its ancient cave paintings, I liked the fact that the info signs tell you quite a lot about both caves. Really enjoyed the caves and absolutely recommend it!
Apart from seeing the 2 caves you can visit the museum, go and see the village with 2 longhouses and there's another trek. Unfortunately that trek was a bit flooded at the time that we went.
The fact that you have to pay to get a boat across from the HQ to the actual park is a bit annoying. Although it is not much (rm 1 until 5:30 pm, after that rm 1,50) but if you stay overnight and go back and forth on both days it easily adds up... I simply think it should be included in the ticket price, or they should just build a bridge since it's not even 10 meters.
All in all I recommend staying over night in the park if you arrive In the afternoon and want to take your time and do maybe more than the trek to both caves, otherwise if you arrive in the morning it is perfect to just do it on a day trip!
Written January 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
akfa
Shah Alam, Malaysia147 contributions
Nov 2016 • Friends
First of all, be very clear - there are a FEW caves here! So you can decided if you need to turn back at any of the caves if necessary for whatever reasons (time, stamina etc).
We arrived at the National Park office from Bintulu at 9am. The admission fee is RM10/pax. There are multiple here so make sure you use them - behind the ticketing counter, at the cafeteria (kantin) at the far back - it is much less crowded here so go here if the other toilets are full, especially during school holidays. Another one located at the hostels. Once you have entered the park entrance where they validate the tickets, at the boat ride counter you will find the LAST toilets. No more toilets here onwards, for hours! So make sure you use them! Here you will find a map (attached below) of the park so make sure you take a picture with your handphone for reference purposes. We did not get any map/pamphlet of the park so we assume that either they ran out of it or it is not provided. Please also be aware that the map is to to scale.
Pay RM2/pax to the boatmen for the 45 seconds ride (!!!) across the river. If you want to go the the Bukit Kasut (please google for the pics), there is a crossroad after the museum. Do not miss the junction! It will take you 2.5hours (one way) there so do plan accordingly if you wish to go there. Otherwise go straight to the caves. There are 3 caves - the Traders Cave, the Great Cave and the Painted Cave. It is totally dark once your passed the Great Cave, towards the Painted Caves (no artificial lighting) so use your handphones or bring your own torchlights or rent them at the ticketing counter (unfortunately we were not informed about this..)
We went all the way to the Painted Cave and end up not having enough time to visit Bukit Kasut (due to our tight time schedule). If you have limited time, I'd advise for you to go up to the Great cave and immediately turn back and head for Bukit Kasut instead. Or better still, go to Bukit Kasut first then go to the caves. That way you can time your walk and turn back at any point necessary.
We arrived at the National Park office from Bintulu at 9am. The admission fee is RM10/pax. There are multiple here so make sure you use them - behind the ticketing counter, at the cafeteria (kantin) at the far back - it is much less crowded here so go here if the other toilets are full, especially during school holidays. Another one located at the hostels. Once you have entered the park entrance where they validate the tickets, at the boat ride counter you will find the LAST toilets. No more toilets here onwards, for hours! So make sure you use them! Here you will find a map (attached below) of the park so make sure you take a picture with your handphone for reference purposes. We did not get any map/pamphlet of the park so we assume that either they ran out of it or it is not provided. Please also be aware that the map is to to scale.
Pay RM2/pax to the boatmen for the 45 seconds ride (!!!) across the river. If you want to go the the Bukit Kasut (please google for the pics), there is a crossroad after the museum. Do not miss the junction! It will take you 2.5hours (one way) there so do plan accordingly if you wish to go there. Otherwise go straight to the caves. There are 3 caves - the Traders Cave, the Great Cave and the Painted Cave. It is totally dark once your passed the Great Cave, towards the Painted Caves (no artificial lighting) so use your handphones or bring your own torchlights or rent them at the ticketing counter (unfortunately we were not informed about this..)
We went all the way to the Painted Cave and end up not having enough time to visit Bukit Kasut (due to our tight time schedule). If you have limited time, I'd advise for you to go up to the Great cave and immediately turn back and head for Bukit Kasut instead. Or better still, go to Bukit Kasut first then go to the caves. That way you can time your walk and turn back at any point necessary.
Written November 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HPLIM
JOHOR BAHRU747 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
We arrived at Miri Airport at 9.10 am. Our pre-booked car-rental driver was at the airport to deliver the car to us. [RM 150 per day] Immediately we drove to Niah National Park which is about 84 km away. Of course you can also book transport through tour agency where you will get a tour guide. The road was bumpy but traffic was not heavy. On the way, we stopped at Kg Salap Lada Kelulit Sibuti to buy some local bananas and oranges. Then we proceeded to Kg Niah for lunch. We had some authentic Sarawak laksa. Then we continued our journey to Niah National Park. We arrived at around 12.00 pm. We purchased the entrance ticket. It’s RM 5.00 for senior citizen.[RM 10 for Malaysian adult; RM 20 for foreigner ] We were provided with a small map and a short briefing on the route to Niah Cave.
To go to Niah Cave, you need to cross a river and the boat ride only takes 30 seconds! It must be the shortest boat ride I have ever had! Know what? There’s a sign board alerting the travellers to be aware of crocodiles! You just pray hard that the reptiles do not appear in this short 30s! At the other side of the river is a museum. We didn’t go in first. We continued our walking. The trail to the cave wasn’t tough at all. The first part is concrete paved walkway followed by wooden planks. The walkway could be very slippery especially after raining. It is very shady as there are plenty of trees along the way. The air is fresh and there must be a lot of negative ions at the park. After walking about 2.9 km, there’s a public toilet and some stalls set up by the natives selling cold drinks, snacks, souvenirs and raw bird nest. After walking about 3.2 km we finally reached the Traders Cave. Near to Traders Cave, there’s an info board about the Niah Cave. It was here that I slipped and fell. Luckily I just got some bruises on my knee. Actually, the info board shouldn’t be displayed at this point as immediately there is step going down. If you are interested in botany and where to sight macaques and the history of the cave, then engaging a guide will be a good choice. In fact I managed to spot a small snake slithering away!
From Traders Cave, you just need to continue walking for another 300m to reach the Great Cave. As it was a weekday, there weren’t many visitors. This National Park is home to bats, macaques, mouse deer, horn bills flying lizards, some variety of insects and also reptiles. Upon entering the Great Cave which 40,000 year old, it was completely pitch dark. There are wooden plank walkways but the trail was tough as it goes up and down. You need to be careful with your steps. Here headlamps and torches come handy. Gloves are also required as you need to hold on to the railings in order not to slip and the steps and railings were full of bat and bird poops! This cave really offers thrill seekers and nature lovers a gateway to cave adventures. There are some stalactites and stalagmite but they are not as beautiful as some of the caves in other part of the world. It is almost naturally untouched unlike some other caves which a lot of shrines or temples are built inside. Of course you need to endure the stench of the poops! There are bamboo poles indicating that some bird nest harvesting is on-going. We managed to chance upon a native collecting guano at the cave. We went round the loop and were back to the entrance again. We didn’t go to the Painted Cave which is another hour walk as we were a bit tired. On the way, we also stopped at Tusan Beach. Altogether you need to spend at least 7 hours inclusive of the journey from Miri town.
To go to Niah Cave, you need to cross a river and the boat ride only takes 30 seconds! It must be the shortest boat ride I have ever had! Know what? There’s a sign board alerting the travellers to be aware of crocodiles! You just pray hard that the reptiles do not appear in this short 30s! At the other side of the river is a museum. We didn’t go in first. We continued our walking. The trail to the cave wasn’t tough at all. The first part is concrete paved walkway followed by wooden planks. The walkway could be very slippery especially after raining. It is very shady as there are plenty of trees along the way. The air is fresh and there must be a lot of negative ions at the park. After walking about 2.9 km, there’s a public toilet and some stalls set up by the natives selling cold drinks, snacks, souvenirs and raw bird nest. After walking about 3.2 km we finally reached the Traders Cave. Near to Traders Cave, there’s an info board about the Niah Cave. It was here that I slipped and fell. Luckily I just got some bruises on my knee. Actually, the info board shouldn’t be displayed at this point as immediately there is step going down. If you are interested in botany and where to sight macaques and the history of the cave, then engaging a guide will be a good choice. In fact I managed to spot a small snake slithering away!
From Traders Cave, you just need to continue walking for another 300m to reach the Great Cave. As it was a weekday, there weren’t many visitors. This National Park is home to bats, macaques, mouse deer, horn bills flying lizards, some variety of insects and also reptiles. Upon entering the Great Cave which 40,000 year old, it was completely pitch dark. There are wooden plank walkways but the trail was tough as it goes up and down. You need to be careful with your steps. Here headlamps and torches come handy. Gloves are also required as you need to hold on to the railings in order not to slip and the steps and railings were full of bat and bird poops! This cave really offers thrill seekers and nature lovers a gateway to cave adventures. There are some stalactites and stalagmite but they are not as beautiful as some of the caves in other part of the world. It is almost naturally untouched unlike some other caves which a lot of shrines or temples are built inside. Of course you need to endure the stench of the poops! There are bamboo poles indicating that some bird nest harvesting is on-going. We managed to chance upon a native collecting guano at the cave. We went round the loop and were back to the entrance again. We didn’t go to the Painted Cave which is another hour walk as we were a bit tired. On the way, we also stopped at Tusan Beach. Altogether you need to spend at least 7 hours inclusive of the journey from Miri town.
Written July 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly C
50 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
We were blown away by the size and beauty of the caves. Definitely worth visiting if you're in Bintulu or Miri. It was fascinating to see the painted caves and imagine how long people have lived in this area. You NEED a torch.
Getting there is a bit tough if you're on a budget. The Sarawak Forestry website said there was a bus from Miri to Batu Niah but we didn't find it. Instead we took a bus from the long distance terminal heading towards Bintulu and got off at Niah Truck Stop (RM10). From there you can take a taxi to the park (RM30). Instead we hitch hiked to Batu Niah and walked the 3km along the river (well signposted) to the Niah Caves. This is a pleasant walk with lots of locals to say hello to. Otherwise we were quoted RM240 to get a taxi all the way from Miri.
The trails require a good deal of fitness. We estimate it's a 10km round trip to the painted caves. Given that we had already walked from Batu Niah we were exhausted when we finished the trail. Luckily we were staying the night there.
The accomodation was ok. Sparse and the beds were awfully short but nothing to complain about. If you stay in the hostel you have to turn on the water in the kitchen. I wouldn't recommend the canteen as meals are ridiculously overpriced at RM 10 and bottled water is RM4. It was altoghether a bizarre experience as we were the only guests and the food was average at best.
Getting there is a bit tough if you're on a budget. The Sarawak Forestry website said there was a bus from Miri to Batu Niah but we didn't find it. Instead we took a bus from the long distance terminal heading towards Bintulu and got off at Niah Truck Stop (RM10). From there you can take a taxi to the park (RM30). Instead we hitch hiked to Batu Niah and walked the 3km along the river (well signposted) to the Niah Caves. This is a pleasant walk with lots of locals to say hello to. Otherwise we were quoted RM240 to get a taxi all the way from Miri.
The trails require a good deal of fitness. We estimate it's a 10km round trip to the painted caves. Given that we had already walked from Batu Niah we were exhausted when we finished the trail. Luckily we were staying the night there.
The accomodation was ok. Sparse and the beds were awfully short but nothing to complain about. If you stay in the hostel you have to turn on the water in the kitchen. I wouldn't recommend the canteen as meals are ridiculously overpriced at RM 10 and bottled water is RM4. It was altoghether a bizarre experience as we were the only guests and the food was average at best.
Written October 19, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is the park/trail safe for toddler? I have a 2 year old with me this trip. He cant walk for long and I intend to keep him in my baby carrier. From what I read, the grounds seems to be slippery and my only fear is that I slip while my Iittle one is in the carrier.
Appreciate some advise please.
Written July 23, 2019
How long does it take from down town Miri to Niah National Park? Should I join a local tour? Thx
Written December 24, 2017
It takes around one hour to drive to Niah National Park. Local tour guides are a great option but you can easily explore the caves on your own. Just take water and a torch!
Written December 25, 2017
Redouan G
Antwerp, Belgium
Hallo iedereen,
Kan iemand me wegwijs maken van hoe ik daar moet geraken met openbaar vervoer vanuit Miri en waar ik moet zijn?
Ik ben van plan om Borneo te verkennen op eind Augustus en zal ook in Miri zijn.
Is dit ook goed te doen met een 7 jarig kind?
Is het beter om een gids te nemen, wat is jullie ervaring?
Wat zijn de kosten waar ik rekening mee moet houden?
Alvast bedankt voor jullie reactie
Hi everyone,
Can anyone tell me of how I need to get there by public transport from Miri and where I need to be?
I am planning a visit to Borneo to explore nature, at the end of August and will be also in Miri.
Is this also doable with a 7 year old child?
Is it better to take a guide, what is your experience?
How much will it cost me to make this excursion?
I am talking about public transport, guide and entrance and so.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Written April 23, 2015
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