Gunung Mulu National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gunung Mulu National Park | |
| Protected Area | |
 Api Chamber in Whiterock Cave, Gunung Api
|
|
| Country |  Malaysia |
|---|---|
| State |  Sarawak |
| Highest point | |
| - location | Mount Mulu |
| Area | 754 km² (291 sq mi) |
| Geology | Extensive caves including the world's largest cave chamber |
| Plant | Strangler figs, Nepenthes pitcher plants |
| Animal | Orangutans, Sumatran Rhinoceros, gibbons |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Management | Sarawak Forestry |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Name | Gunung Mulu National Park |
| Year | 2000 (#24) |
| Number | 1013 |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
| Criteria | vii, viii, ix, x |
Gunung Mulu National Park near Miri, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its caves and the expeditions that have been mounted to explore them and their surrounding rainforest, most notably the Royal Geographical Society Expedition of 1977 - 1978, which saw over 100 scientists in the field for 15 months.
Gunung Mulu National Park has the largest known natural chamber or room - Sarawak chamber, found in Gua Nasib Bagus. It is 2,300 feet (700 m) long, 1,300 feet (396 m) wide and at least 230 feet (70 m) high; according to the guides it is big enough to fit St. Peter's Basilica or several jumbojets inside. Other notable caves are Benarat Cavern, Deer Cave, Wind Cave, and Clearwater Cave, which exposes parts of a long underground river going through the park.
In April 2009, a newly-discovered cave in Vietnam overtook Deer Cave as the largest cave passage. The Son Doong Cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam was found by British cave scientists of the British Cave Research Association, it is now regarded as the largest cave passage in the world. The biggest passage of Son Doong is over five kilometers in length, 200 meters high and 150 meters wide. [1].
Today Mulu continues to retain the sense of adventure associated with its original exploration through the provision of adventure caving and other adventure activities. The primary focus however has shifted to the promotion of an awareness of the significance of the park and its environment through the provision of ecotourism activities that foster understanding and appreciation of the parks values. Accommodation is available at the five star luxury resort Royal Mulu Resort, the tropical-style boutique hotel Matumau Lodge, or there are cheaper lodgings across the river. The park HQ also has limited accommodation.
Mulu is a very inaccessible area; the only practical way of getting to and from it is by air, mainly from Miri airport. It is possible to travel to the area by riverboat, but it requires a chartered long boat for the last part - and the whole trip by river would take around 12 hours to complete from Miri, while the flight takes only 30 minutes. Prior to the opening of the airport, and the opening of a helipad in 1991, this was the only way to reach the national park.
The national park is named after Mount Mulu, the second highest mountain in Sarawak.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Explorers find world's largest cave in Vietnam, http://vietnewsonline.vn/News/Society/5914/Explorers-find-worlds-largest-cave-in-Vietnam.htm
[edit] External links
- Mulu Caves Project
- Database & Bibliography of the Caves of East Malaysia
- Mulu National Park official website
- Gunung Mulu Information Centre
- Benarat Caving Expedition 2005
- Caves of Mulu 2007 Expedition
- The Matumau Lodge - tropical style boutique hotel
- Gunung Mulu National Park travel guide from Wikitravel
