Niah National Park

when:	Daily
where:	Niah National Park

With remains dating back 40,000 years, Sarawak's Niah National Park can claim to have the oldest relics of human habitation in South-East Asia. The Great Caves within the park also contain wall paintings estimated to be 1000 years old.

The Niah Caves are home to millions of bats and swifts, and man's reliance on nature is amply illustrated by two types of collections that are still made from the site as they must have been for millennia: the collection of both guano (bird and bat faeces, ideal as natural fertiliser) and bird's nest, edible because they are made out of the glutinous saliva of millions of swifts. Collectors risk their lives in climbing to the caves' ceilings, upwards of 50 metres high.

But the park offers much more than just the Great Caves. Encompassing 3140 hectares, it boasts tropical rainforest trails, a 400-metre high limestone ridge and, on a more human level, a traditional Iban longhouse, near the park's boundary. Visit the Niah Archaeological Museum to see prehistoric artefacts and exhibits about the way the early hominids would have lived thousands of years ago.

Contact Details
Name:	Forest Department Sarawak
Fax:	+60 (0) 6 082 441377
Phone:	+60 (0) 6 082 319102
Phone:	+60 (0) 6 082 319103
Address:	Wisma Sumber Alam, Jalan Stadium, Petra Jaya, 93660, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Venue Information:	Niah National Park
Full Name:	Niah National Park, Batu Niah, Malaysia
Directions:	On the Sungai River, about 3km from the small town of Batu Niah, 300km (190 miles) northeast of state capital Kuching, through Bintulu, and 110km (70 miles) southwest of Miri, itself close to the Brunei border. Accessible by road, about 2 hours from Miri or 3 hours from Bintulu. The Great Caves are about a 45-minute walk along the 3km planked footpath, saving one's feet being soaked by the dense tropical undergrowth.
Other Information:	Niah National Park
Website:	Sarawak Museums Website (for Niah Archaeological Museum)
Website:	Forest Department Sarawak Website (for Niah National Park)

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