Things to do in Gunung Mulu National Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Gunung Mulu National Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Shoulder season with relatively drier weather, a good balance of conditions and availability.
Peak season with the best average conditions; rooms, Camp 5 places and guides must be booked well ahead.
Late shoulder month, rain returning, still workable and quieter.
Wettest months: high rivers, cave flooding closures, cancelled climbs and flights, many leeches, fewest visitors.
What's on
- Gawai Dayak 1-2 June
Sarawak's harvest festival and public holiday period; fills domestic flights and Miri hotels, so book Mulu travel around it early.
Best things to do in Gunung Mulu National Park
Deer Cave
One of the largest cave passages in the world, home to millions of bats and the Garden of Eden viewpoint.
Lang Cave
The smallest show cave and the most decorated, with shawls and stalactites at arm's length and bats easy to spot.
Clearwater Cave
A vast river cave in a system surveyed at over 220 km, reached by longboat and about 200 steps.
Cave of the Winds
A breezy, richly decorated cave visited by longboat on the same morning tour as Clearwater Cave.
Bat Observatory
The viewing deck for the bat exodus, when millions of bats stream out of Deer Cave at dusk.
Mulu Canopy Skywalk
A 420 m canopy walkway 25 m above the forest floor, best on the early tours for birds and light.
Garden of Eden
A green, light filled sink inside Deer Cave seen on the show cave tour; the valley walk beyond is not offered.
Batu Bungan
A Penan settlement and handicraft market visited by longboat on the way to Clearwater and Winds caves.
Where to stay in Gunung Mulu National Park
Park HQ
being inside the park, tours on foot
The HQ complex where every tour starts, with the cafe, Discovery Centre and all park lodging.
Melinau Gateway
the resort, lodges and homestays outside the gate
The Melinau River strip by the airport road, minutes from HQ, with the area's only luxury resort and its cheapest rooms.
Miri Access Base
the gateway night, cash, supplies and connections
The access city a 30 minute flight away, where Mulu trips start and end and everything the jungle lacks is available.
Best restaurants in Gunung Mulu National Park
Cafe Mulu
The park cafe at HQ and the default eatery at Mulu, serving local dishes including paku jungle fern.
M Cafe
The Marriott's all day restaurant, the top of the Mulu food tier, with a riverside bar beside it.
Good Luck Cafe
A small village cafe on the airport road, the best known local eatery outside the park gate.
Mulu Diana Homestay Restaurant
A homestay kitchen in Kampung Melinau serving home cooked meals by arrangement, cash only.
Paris Wan Mulu Kitchen
A small cafe kitchen on the Melinau strip serving local food to villagers, guides and travellers.
Outdoor things to do in Gunung Mulu National Park
The Pinnacles
A hard 3 day climb via Camp 5 to limestone spires above the canopy, with ropes and 17 ladders near the top.
Gunung Mulu
The park's toughest trek, 4 days to the 2,377 m summit through mountain huts, for experienced hikers only.
Headhunter's Trail
The historic exit route from Camp 5 to Limbang by forest trail and river, with a longhouse overnight stay.
Night Walk
A guided torchlight walk near HQ for frogs, insects and nocturnal life, and the easiest adventure in the park.
Lagang Cave
The beginner adventure cave, a 1.5 km underground route reached by boat, sold by the park as Fast Lane.
Racer Cave
The intermediate adventure cave with rope sections, used by guides to assess you for the advanced caves.
Clearwater Connection
The advanced through trip linking Wind Cave into Clearwater, ending along the underground river.
Clearwater Spring
The clear spring pool and picnic deck below Clearwater Cave, the swim that ends the morning boat tour.
Best hotels in Gunung Mulu National Park
Deluxe Garden Bungalows
The best rooms inside the park, garden bungalows at HQ where the tours start and the cafe sits.
Rainforest Lodge
Private twin rooms at Park HQ, the mid range default for travellers who book early enough.
Park HQ Longhouse
Longhouse rooms at HQ sleeping four or more, the group and family workhorse inside the park.
Park HQ Hostel
A 14 bed dormitory at HQ with breakfast included, the budget bed inside the park.
Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa
The only luxury option at Mulu, a riverside resort with pool and spa a few minutes from the park gate.
Benarat Lodge
A long established riverside lodge in the gateway strip, popular with groups and Pinnacles trekkers.
Mulu River Lodge
A basic riverside lodge at the park entrance, walkable to HQ at homestay level prices.
D'Cave Homestay
The best known Melinau village homestay, with home cooking a short walk from the park gate.
Is Gunung Mulu National Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MYR 280 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MYR 550 a person |
| Splurge | MYR 1,150 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Deer Cave: a few days ahead
- Lang Cave: a few days ahead
- Clearwater Cave: a few days ahead
- Cave of the Winds: a few days ahead
- Mulu Canopy Skywalk: a few days ahead
- Batu Bungan: a few days ahead
- The Pinnacles: weeks ahead
- Gunung Mulu: weeks ahead
- Book flights, HQ rooms and the Pinnacles or Summit first, then adventure caving, show caves, canopy walk and night walk.
- In June to September, HQ rooms, Camp 5 places and canopy walk slots sell out weeks to months ahead.
- The park pass is RM30 for a foreign adult for five days and does not include any tour fees.
Is Gunung Mulu National Park safe?
- At Mulu the real risks are flash rising rivers, cave flooding, slippery limestone and distance from a hospital; follow guides and accept cancellations.
- Leeches are common on forest trails, worst in the wet months; wear leech socks and remove bites calmly.
Gunung Mulu National Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not save the bat exodus or canopy walk for your last day; rain can take both.
- Do not underestimate the Pinnacles because it is only 2.4 km; it is a near vertical climb on sharp rock.
- Do not run out of cash: there is no ATM at Mulu and village life runs on ringgit.
- Do not buy third party Garden of Eden valley walk offers; that walk is not currently offered.
Getting around Gunung Mulu National Park: public transport and more
- Fly to Mulu Airport on the MASwings service now operating as Air Borneo from Miri, Kota Kinabalu or Kuching; there is no road access.
- Checked baggage on these ATR services is capped at 20 kg and cabin baggage at 7 kg, so pack light in a soft bag.
- Inside the park you walk the plank walks and ride longboats; there is no public transport or car hire.
Who Gunung Mulu National Park suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Gunung Mulu National Park your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store