NIAH
NATIONAL PARK
The
Niah National Park is located some 120 km by road to the north of
Bintulu. Some parts of the park is honey-combed with many limestone
caves Niah Caves contain a rich variety of flora and fauna including
thousands of swiftlets which produce edible bird nests. The droppings
form the numerous bats at the caves are an important source of natural
fertilizer known as Guano.
The west mouth of the Niah Caves
is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.
It is significant because of the wide range of stone tools that
have been discovered from the Palaeolithic Period (Old; Stone Age)
to the Neolithic (New Stone Age). The discovery of skull fragments,
considered to be the earliest definite representative; of Homosapiens
in Southeast Asia, adds to the archaeological importance of this
attraction. Prehistoric wall paintings also exist in one of the
caves.
Besides exploring the profusion
of the limestone caves and viewing the prehistoric wall paintings,
visitors can also witness natives perched precariously on tall bamboo
poles collecting edible bird nests.
Nest Collecting is a feat worth
witnessing and occurs only twice a year at six monthly intervals,
usually in January and June. The nests stick on the cave roof and
the collector climbs a perpendicular pole to a height of some 60
metres from where he scrapes off the nests with a long bamboo pole
equipped with a scraper.
The journey to the Niah Caves also involves a 40-metre
walk along a 3-kilometre plankwalk penetrating into a dense tropical
jungle of Borneo. The journey would offer the visitors a wonderful
and exotic experience, viewing the rich varieties of flora and fauna
under the canopy of the virgin jungle.
For more detail on other
sites, please visit http://www.sarawaktourism.com.my
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