Background

Located near the northern corner of Sarawak, the Gunung Mulu National Park covers 52,000 Ha of rain forest spread over flat plains and towering mountains. The National Park was established in 1975 as a conservation and study sample of Borneo’s rain forest. The Park’s only permanent inhabitants were nomadic Penan and it was a traditional hunting area for the people of the local Berawan tribe.

Most of the Park is occupied by the mass of Gunung Mulu itself, a sandstone mountain rising to 2377m. To the west of Mulu is a line of limestone mountains representing an ancient ridge that has been cut into separate peaks by the rivers which drain westward off Mulu. The highest of these peaks is Gunung Api, at 1682m, famous for its razor sharp pinnacles of rock and, to its north, Gunung Benarat with its spectacular white cliffs.

Systematic exploration of the Mulu caves began with a visit by G.E.Wilford of the Malaysian Geological Survey in 1961. His published work on the caves of Sarawak referenced the great potential of the caves in G.Api and G.Benarat 1.

In 1978, a 6-man caving team joined the Royal Geographical Society/Malaysian Government expedition which was undertaking a multi-disciplinary study of Mulu 2.

In a period of only a few weeks, this group changed the face of caving for ever, exploring caves on a scale that was previously unknown. By the time they left Mulu, they had surveyed over 34km of vast caves in G.Api, a further 8km in G.Benarat and had started a series of expeditions that continues to this day.

The pages of this website carry a summary of the results of each of the ensuing expeditions, with a brief photographic record. The expedition reports, many of which have been out of print for years, are being brought together in digital format and will soon be available for download at a small fee. The proceeds of these sales will be used only to support the continuing work of the Mulu Caves Project.

1.Wilford, G.E., 1964. The geology of Sarawak and Sabah Caves. Bull. geol. Surv. Borneo Region Malaysia 6, 181 pp.

2. (The story of this expedition is told by Robin Hanbury-Tenison in his book, ‘Mulu, The Rain Forest’, pub Weidenfeld & Nicholson).