Niah National Park - Miri Sarawak

Niah National located on the Niah, about 3 km from the small town of Batu Niah. The park was first announced as a National Historic Monument in 1958 and then as National Park on 23 November 1974 and was opened to the public on 1 January 1975. The Park is one of Sarawak's smaller national parks, but it is certainly one of the most important and has some of the most unusual visitor attractions. The park's main claim to fame is its role as one of the birthplaces of civilisation in the region. The oldest modern human remains discovered in Southeast Asia were found at Niah, making the park one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.


Forty thousand years ago, the Niah Great Cave sheltered human life. Here lies the oldest human remains in Southeast Asia, along with many other relics of prehistoric man. Today the Cave is home only to bats, swiftlets and other specially adapted forms of life. However, a few locals still venture into the dark interior to collect guano and bird's nest. The Great Cave and Painted Cave have been declared as National Historical Monuments. The Caves are accessible via a raised plankwalk that winds through lowland forest vibrant with birds and butterflies. Apart from the Caves, visitors can explore several kilometres of forest trails to feel the richness of tropical rainforests, climb a 400m tall limestone ridge or visit an Iban longhouse located near the Park boundary. Visitors can also rent a boat or walk along the river from Park headquarters to Batu Niah town.



There are many interesting sites that can be visited at the Niah National Park. The most visited site is the Great Cave which is approximately 3 km from the Park Office and is easily reached via the plankwalk which is enclosed on both sides by dense primary rainforest. The passage at the back of the Great cave leads to the large chamber known as 'Padang' where shafts of sunlight stream down from the large holes in the cave roof to illuminate the bizarre rock formations in the Burnt Cave. The Painted Cave is the site of the famous Niah cave paintings and the place where the 'death-ship' were found. The contents of the death-ships have since been transferred to the Sarawak Museum.

There are also treks and trails for the visitors to enjoy which are Jalan Bukit Kasut and Jalan Madu. Jalan Bukit Kasut is a 45 minutes walk passes through beautiful primary rainforest before moving into Kerangas forest at the foot of the hill and the Jalan Madu sticks quite close to the banks of the Sungai Subis, a tributary of the Sungai Niah. It takes roughly an hour and passes through both alluvial and peat swamp forest. There are plenty of wild orchids, bizarre mushrooms and giant pandanus plants along the side of the trail.