The Pinnacles of Borneo, an Adventure in Sarawak

As I look out the window of the small twin engine airplane that is taking me to my destination,  I am overwhelmed with the vastness of the jungle that lays below.

We are enroute to Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo.  Malaysian Borneo’s southern province.

Here is where that my husband and I will be climbing to the Pinnacles, a stone forest jutting 45 metres out of the earth, in  razor sharp formations.

Part of the fun and challenge is getting there.  It is a remote National park reached only by plane and a short truck ride will take you to the parks headquarters.

It is here that we book our dorm for the night and then looked for people to trek to the Pinnacles with.  It helps to share the costs of the boat and guide otherwise it can be quite expensive.

We arrive with another couple from Holland who were intending to climb and we booked our group for the following day.

Pulling boat on Pinnacle Trek in Borneo

The Pinnacles is not an easy undertaking.  You must carry your own food to last for 3 days and carry your garbage out with you.  The trek itself involves a 2 hour boat ride to the start of an 8.9 km trail which takes you to camp 5 situated at the base of the Pinnacles and  the entrance to the Headhunters. trail.

We boarded our small motor boat at 7:00 and started our journey up the Melinau river, stopping at  Wind Cave and Clearwater Caves.  The longest cave passage in South-East Asia is an impressive sight with a crystal clear river running through it.

After taking a pleasant stroll through the caves, we were eager to move on to the Pinnacles trail and quickly returned to our boat.  The water was low at this time of year and our driver and navigator had their hands full pulling our boat through the shallow river while avoiding rocks and logs.  We were let off at the entrance to the trail,where arrangements were made to be picked up in two days. We then began our 8.8 km jungle hike.

River Crossing in Gunung Mulu, Sarawak Borneo

Within a km we had our first of 2 river crossings.  It was pretty deep and a rope was attached accross the river as a safety line to keep from falling over as the water rushed passed.  We all made it safely and managed to keep our packs dry, but nobody could escape the leaches.  They smuggled their way into our socks and onto our legs and even though we did a thorough check, I still managed to miss a few and entered camp 5 a bloody mess.

It doesn’t hurt, but leaches cause a lot of bleeding and it lasts for a very long time.

We kept up a steady pace and reached our second river crossing in 2 hours.  This one wasn’t quite as intimidating.  No rope was provided, but it was only about 2 feet deep and the water was moving at a liesurly speed.

We all did our required leach assessment and were on our way.

Camp 5, Torrential Downpour in Borneo

We made it to camp 5 by early afternoon and had time to enjoy the views and went for a walk along the headhunters trail.

It is a beautiful location, surrounded by large clifffs,  a quiet stream and lush jungle. We made our dinner of noodle soup and crackers, played some cards and enjoyed meeting new friends.

Our Guide Michael told us about his tribe, the Penan.  They are a nomadic people who view the entire rain forest as their home.  The live in harmony with the land and their knowledge of plants and herbs of the jungle is unparalleled.

In the early evening the rain came with a vengeance and we were worried that we would not be able to summit the following morning.  The park rangers are very strict about not letting people summit if the trail is too dangerous, and this was our one and only shot. No refund, no Pinnacles.  We blew the wad on this trip.  A flight, 170 ringette for the boat, park fees.  A lot of money, but worth it if we get to see it.

Needless to say, nobody slept well  in our basic accommodation of vinyl mats placed in a raised wooden platform.  The rain was relentless all night, but it managed to stop in the morning and thankfully we were allowed to climb.  Cockroaches crawled upon us all night, many people said.  I felt things crawling on me, but didn’t have the nerve to turn on my flashlight.

After filling our bottles with boiled water and eating a hearty breakfast, we joined our guide Micheal at 6:00 to begin our climb. Our group of 4 was joined by 3 other peole and we were off. For the first hour Micheal kept up a furious pace and it was exhilerating to be climbing with such determination.  After a while, he fell back to stay with the slower climbers and we were on our own until we reached the upper portion of the climb, the 17 aluminum ladders.

4 of us waited at the foot of the first ladder, taking pictures, ringing out our soaked shirts and having a snack until the rest of the hikers arrived.  Then the real challenge began.

The Jungle Climb to the Pinnacles of Borneo

Many people who try to climb the Pinnacles do not summit.  It is not a high climb, but it is a technically challenging climb with no safety ropes.

We crossed crevasses on metal beams, balanced on rocks while holding onto a rope over head and climbed up ladders attached to the side of the cliff using anything to hang onto. We had a blast, but i can see how some people would be very uncomfortable.

An hour later we emerged to the Awesome sight of the Pinnacles.  Giant white stones, jutting out of the jungle like shartks teeth.  They were  magestically poised for our viewing.  Soon,  clouds and mist rolled in  making the pinnacles even more ominous.  They turned to a darker shade of grey and took on an even more dramatic look as they towered over the trees.

A Magnificent payoff to a difficult  and exciting climb.

5 hours later, after a slippery and exhausting climb down, we were back at camp showering and relaxing.  Proud of our accomplishment to be among the rare few that venture to this part of the world and make it to the lookout for this spectacular view.

Dave at The Pinnacles of Gunung Mulu National Park, Borneo

The following day we hiked back the 8 km to meet our ride back to park headquarters.

That same afternoon,tired from the journey, but knowing that we only had a limited time in this remarkable land, we hiked out  3km  to deer cave. the worlds largest cave opening.  Here we would witness the phenomenon of 2 million bats emerging from the depths of darkness to perform a ballet in the twilite sky.

It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other walking along the path, but once the bats appeared, it was worth the exertion.

A giant line of bats circled above becoming longer with each pass until an enless black spiral was formed overhead. It was a wonder of nature.

To explore everything in Gunung Mulu National park could take months. The Sarawak Chamber, the largest cave chamber in the world, rock climbing,  the head hunters trail, The summit of Gunung Mulu and tthe Bario and Kelabit Highlands.  We only scratched the surface with our 5 days, but I am eagerly looking forward to returning in the near furture to explore its vastness in depth.

2 Million bats fly out of Deer Cave in Borneo

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed for latest posts via email or on your homepage!