The Mulu National Park Experience

There are two resorts located at the Mulu National Park. The luxurious one is called the Mulu Resort (it is like a 4 star hotel in the jungle) and the other one is the Mulu Park Headquarters. It is located less than five minutes from the Mulu Airport. Plenty of private transports waiting to bring you there. Not an issue. This park HQ is actually located right next to the jungle. You can basically walk right into the jungle from the HQ.

Rooms are pretty simple and basic here so prices are quite low. Decorations are kept to a minimum but one might find the bulletin boards quite interesting. There are a few types of rooms there but I only managed to get the hostel type of room for the first two nights of my stay there (I spend two nights at the hostel, one night in the jungle and one last night in a room).

The hostel is large with about 20 beds, 1 large pantry, 2 toilets, and 2 bathrooms. There aren't any gender segregation. Everyone sleeps together. Not that anybody cares, though. The large pantry is empty except for some cabinets which are empty. There's a electric jug to boil some water. Other than that, you are on your own.

The beds are OK (I mean, you can sleep on it). You are provided with a clean pillow case, bed sheet, and blanket every time you check in. Towels are not provided. If you don't mind other people snoring at night and people walking in and out all the time, hostel is fine for you. RM 20.00 per night, mind you.

However, please be careful of insects. I saw a large spider, a large grasshopper, and some flying unidentified insects. Interesting for some, frightening for some. There are some consolations to this place. It is very cooling in the night and day. It must be due to the reason it is next to the jungle. For food, the Cafe Mulu is walking distance (100 metes, perhaps)...it offers reasonable food at OK prices...

The most interesting things to do at this Park HQ is to visit the Mulu Discovery Center. It is located right next to the Cafe. It is place filled with knowledge and information about the Mulu National Park from the Stone Age right till it became a World Heritage Site.

One thing interesting is, you must have a chat with the guides or guards of the park, they are very friendly and they have all sorts of stories to tell you. 24 hour security is imposed, so it is pretty safe. No worries about any monkeys coming out of the forest to steal your stuff, though. For anyone who wants to have the Mulu experience at a low budget, visit the park HQ website for more info.

This camp 5 is actually a camping ground for those who wants to hike up the hills / mountains to see the Pinnacles (a fantastic rock formation) of the Sarawak jungles. The camp like it's name sake is actually a camping ground with shelter, a kitchen, and toilet. Nothing else.

Located 8.8KM in the jungle, one must walk right into it after a 30-40 minute boat ride from the Park HQ (depending on the water level). For more info on the boat ride, refer to my boat pushing journal. This place is truly for the adventurous type. There are basically no luxuries or anything available there. There's the male and female toilet/bathroom, a large kitchen with cooking facilities, five large rooms with sleeping platforms (yes, it has no individual beds). That's it. No air-conditioning / no fans and NO attached toilet.

Nobody actually sells any food there except for some snacks and canned drinks, so you have to bring your own food and drinks into the camp. The kitchen has some basic cooking facilities for you to use. If you are travelling as a tour group, the tour guide will prepare all the food and everything (paid in advance, of course). If you are travelling independently, self service is applicable.

Electricity is only provided for two hours once it is dark. Once the lights are off, the guests are free to hang around and chat with anyone they see (the park rangers are very friendly and they speak simple Malay and English). Insect repellent is a must for the entire duration of accommodation and travelling in and out of the Camp 5. For details of what to bring into this Camp 5, the website of the Mulu National Park is quite detailed.

This camp is strongly NOT recommended for those looking for a easy and comfortable holiday. I got more than 30 insect + leech bites on my legs and the scars are still there after one month. Accommodation price for one night? RM 22.00 per person (food, drinks, guide for the Pinnacles, and boat ride NOT included).

It is a good place for city folks to get out of their comfortable city shells and try living in the jungle like one of the local tribes.

Has anybody done boat pushing? You might find it strange because a lot of people have sat in a boat before but never jump out of it and push it.

Well, at the Mulu National Park, the rivers are not exactly very wide or very deep. Some places are just knee deep. So, to travel around you would have to hop into a long boat and away you go.

Problem is, when the water level is low and the boat load is heavy with cargo or people, somebody has to jump down from the boat and start pushing.

Most of the time, the boat man and his guide will get down first to help with the pushing but then tough gets going, it gets going. And the rest of the crew has to jump down as well.

It might sound fun but the rocks at the bottom of the river and slippery and sharp. So, it is a totally out of the city experience for me as I have pushed cars, bikes, vans but never a boat.