Historical Exploration of Niah Cave: A world-renowned Tourist Destination (4)
 |
| The Niah National Park features a stunning backdrop of limestone hills, where the Dagang Cave, also known as Niah Cave, is situated. Photo credit: Arbain Rambey. |
BORNEOTRAVEL - BATU NIAH, MIRI: Here is a drone-captured view by Arbain Rambey, a renowned and skilled Indonesian photographer.
The aerial image showcases the town of Batu Niah, surrounded by a stunning line of limestone mountains. It appears almost as if it were a piece of Eden that has fallen to earth.
A world-renowned tourist destination
Today, Niah National Park is a world-renowned tourist destination.
Every day, especially at the historic site of "Gua Dagang," which holds artifacts dating back 40,000 years, the area attracts a steady stream of both local and international visitors.
Read Exploring Batu Niah and the Comfort of Hotel Wawasan: An Unforgettable Experience
Niah Caves is a pivotal archaeological site on the island of Borneo, situated within Niah National Park in the Miri Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. Spanning 31.4 km², the park is renowned for its limestone caves and was nominated for World Heritage status in 2010, with the nomination archived on October 19, 2012.
The historical significance of the Niah Caves dates back to 1855, when Alfred Russel Wallace studied them during his Borneo expedition.
Barbara and Tom Harrisson conducted successful excavations
Alfred Russel highlighted the caves in a letter to Charles Darwin as a promising site for discovering important hominin fossils.
Despite this, an English archaeological expedition between 1869 and 1870 yielded no major findings and eventually left the site.
It wasn’t until the 1950s and 1960s that Barbara and Tom Harrisson conducted successful excavations, uncovering crucial discoveries such as the Bone Cave in 1958.
 |
| A view from inside Niah Cave looking out, captured from within the cave’s interior by Indonesian photographer Arbain Rambey. |
Since then, both local universities and international scientists have continued to explore the site, with numerous articles published in the Sarawak Museum Journal.
The Niah Caves Project (NCP), a UK-Malaysia expedition, conducted further research from 1999 to 2003 and beyond to validate the Harrissons' discoveries.
Niah National Park can be reached via the old road or the new coastal route
Located just two hours by car from either Miri or Bintulu, Niah National Park can be reached via the old road or the new coastal route.
Visitors must cross the Niah River by motorized boat and then walk for about an hour along a scenic pathway to reach The Great Cave.
This pathway also leads to an Iban longhouse homestay.
Celebrated for housing the oldest human remains discovered in Southeast Asia, Niah National Park offers a wealth of experiences for both day visitors and those staying overnight.
The park features a variety of impressive caves and archaeological sites amidst dense primary rainforest.
In the evenings, visitors can enjoy romantic moonlit strolls while being serenaded by the captivating sounds of the rainforest.
-- Masri Sareb Putra
