Niah National Park in Sarawak is unique because it houses one of the world’s largest caves, Niah Caves which is about 3,140 hectares. Then, the oldest human burial sites, dating 40,000 years ever found in Southeast Asia were discoverd in the Niah Caves in 1958.

The huge Niah Caves consists of one big cave with the name of (The Great Cave) and several smaller caves including the popular Painted Cave and The Large Chamber or Padang.

The Great Cave is easy to access as there are plank walks built for tourists to walk on. While walking all the way into the Great Cave, different species of trees and plants with beautiful tropical rainforest are to be seen around you. Other wildlife also spotted there are lizards, butterflies, various kinds of birds. After you went deep into the Great Cave, you can hear swiftlets chirping and see the bird nests above the corner of the caves.

After a back passage of the Great Cave, you lead yourself to The Painted Cave. In the Painted Cave, there are paintings carved all over on the wall of the caves and the ancient burial site of the 'death ship' is in the cave. The 'death ship' is the boat - like coffins that were used to contain the bodies of the dead back in those years. The 'death ship' has been transferred to Sarawak Museum and so what is left to see there is the burial ground of the coffins.

The passage at the back of the Great cave leads to the large chamber known as 'Padang' where shafts of sunlight stream down from the large holes in the cave roof to illuminate the bizzarre rock formations in the Burnt Cave. After the Padang, the cave passage becomes pitch black and it is here that you will need the flashlight, not only to find your way along the plank walk but to view the extraordinary shapes and weathering effects found in the Moon Cave.

For more information, visit www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-niah.html