What do you expect of a rainforest? Humid high temperature, birds singing, monkeys sliding from tree to tree, bugs that are perfectly camouflaged in nature because they look like a leave, lianas from the tree, high fig trees, any sorts of trees though, snakes, butterflies in the size of birds, huge spiders …? YES! That is what you can expect and even more!

It is so much you don't know where to watch first. Just standing, watching and listen is amazing! You will hear a noises that you wouldn't guess from what animals this comes from! Barking like a dog apparently comes from a frog, different loud alarms from cicadas, a noise like a door is moving like in horror movies might be from a frog as well and owls. oh man! The jungle is full of life.

Gunung Mulu National Park has the worlds second largest cave passage (Deer Cave with 2km lengths and 174m hight) and the longest cave (Clearwater Cave, 107 km length). It has also very tough hikes to the limestone panicles but I don't feel fit enough for those kind of trip! So I decided to go for some cave and hikes in the jungle.

On the flight from Miri to Mulu I met a travel mate Markus, a guy you wouldn't guess that he is from South Africa - rather than from France or Spain. Together we chose the River Lodge Accommodation which apparently is next to the river, like a dorm, cheap and charming.

We booked two guided cave tours the next day (Deer and Lang Caves and Wind Cave and Clearwater cave). In the morning we zipped along a upland jungle river in a flat-bottomed longboat, where we had to struggle with quite shallow water. The wind cave, named for the nice cool breeze that flows through it - but of course didn't stop me sweating, has several chamber- filled with stalactites and stalagmites. I was very impressed seeing how water with calcium (if I understood right) convert limestone into weird looking figures! Just walking through this cave, a torch on my head and spotting figure that could look like an head, hand, eagle and dick! Sorry.. but every one thought that.

The other very renown cave, Deer Cave, was the most stunning cave I have ever seen. Just its size plus the million of million bat that hang down, shouting and pooing…In the evening around the dusk the spectacle begins: million of bats in spiralling, twirling clouds. I heard they fly together in a spiral to confuse the hawks that tries to hunt them.

In the night we went out in into the junge with 2 torches to search for animals! The sound at this time is quite creepy I can tell! Also if you put out the torch it is 100% dark- you can't see anything (except of glowing mushrooms and fireflies). We spotted a spider which just caught a fly in that second, some beetles, bugs that looks like sticks, a huge bug like 20 cm, heaps of spiders … and much more. There is much life!

I also got to know an old couple in their 70ies who are travelling for 25 years! Still and always hungry to learn more about culture and countries! Very talkative and active people!

Stay: 5 days

Activities:
- Wind Cave walk with a swim in the river afterwards, meeting a village who selling handcrafts
- Deer and Langs Cave
- 2 night walks to spot creepy animals
- Waterfall walk and swim
- Hikes in the jungle

Accommodation:
Riverlodge (usually 35 RM= 8,30 Euro per night)

High points:
so impressed by the Deer Cave, millions of bats and stalagmites, watching long tail monkeys, glowing mushrooms and fire flies in the night

Low points:
I planned to much time for this trip -4 days would have been enough

Message:
If you love nature, don't miss a rainforest (it's amazing for its plants and animals)

Next: Kuching and trips around