Malaysia National Parks, Sarawak, Niah 尼亚国家公园, 砂拉越州属, 马来西亚

Malaysia National Parks, Sarawak, Niah 尼亚国家公园, 砂拉越州属, 马来西亚

尼亚国家公园（Niah National Park）有许多有趣和令人印象深刻的景点。这地区是4万年前人类的居住中心，拥有世界最大之一的洞穴入口，旧石器时代和新石器时代的遗址以及铁器时代的洞穴壁画。附近的壁画洞穴画着亡魂乘船到来世的行程，洞穴的石地上还有“死亡船”的遗迹 – 船形棺材（这些珍藏已经被迁移到砂拉越博物馆）。周边地区由茂密的热带雨林所覆盖，其中包含了许多不同品种的野生动物和植物。

即使到了今天，这些洞穴对当地社群依然非常重要，燕窝和鸟粪的收集提供了不错的收入来源。尼亚洞穴是一个很惬意的旅游景点，游客可以在这里耗上几天，虽然大部分景点游客可以在白天就可拜访。

尼亚国家公园位于尼亚河，距离巴都尼亚小镇约3公里，在美里西南部110公里处。这里有一个游客中心和提供良好的住宿，而且因为设有良好的板条步行道，所以非常容易方便行走。电筒和良好的步行鞋是必备的物品。洞穴里没有亮灯，板条步行道因长期洞穴滴水和蝙蝠放粪便而变得很滑。宽边帽子在这时候可以发挥真正作用。

游客若在夕阳时分离开尼亚大山洞将会看见两大乌云交汇。那那是每晚的交替换更，成千成万的金丝燕归巢，同时数量几乎一样的蝙蝠出巢到森林去觅食。在晚上，在板条人行道上可看见一些发光的真菌。

探秘尼亚天下第一燕窝洞

尼亚国家公园在沙捞越州内是规模较小的国家公园之一，但它在专业人士的眼里其考古价值要远远高于旅游价值。

进了大门后，到景区还要过一条河。其实也就是一条小河而已，没有桥，只能过渡，当地政府将这条财路留给了土著村民。每人来回2马币。

脚下的木制栈道，将我们引向神秘的热带雨林深处。在丛林中蜿蜒穿行了3公里后，爬上一个高台，终于来到了岩洞口。但这只是交响乐章的一个引子，一个小规模的燕窝洞，现在已经没有燕窝了，只留下了掏燕窝的道具。

出了洞再往前走不远，来到另一个洞，这仍是乐章的一段前奏，一段引人入胜的前奏。这个洞很长，但却不深，一边是挂满小石笋的半拱形岩壁，一边是千姿百态的石笋石柱，不像洞更像一条大长廊。这个洞被称为商人洞Traders’ cave，过去这里曾是土著人采燕窝时的居住地与出售燕窝与鸟粪的地方。

突然，如银丝般发亮的几缕“小瀑布”吸引了我们的视线，仔细一看，原来那是在此已修行了上万年的蜘蛛精布下的“银丝阵”。出了商人洞，再往前走就来到了乐章的精华——燕窝洞。

巨大无比的燕窝洞，洞口宽250米，最高处有60多米。洞口的左边是还在进行中的考古现场，右边则是一个休息亭兼值班室。

就是在这里，考古学家发现了东南亚最古老的人类遗骸以及史前人类的文物。据说还有中国的青铜器，证明5千年前这里已有中国人的踪迹。

尼亚洞穴的发现，在人类发展学上引起极大的震撼,考古学家证实,尼亚人自10万年以前直到15世纪一直居住于此,是什么原因导致了他们的神秘消失,至今仍不得而知。

洞口右边的休息亭在巨大的洞中如同玩具小屋。抬头望岩顶，只见挂着许多大大小小、横七竖八的木架子，还有吊在半空中的一条条竹竿，这都是掏燕窝的设施，掏窝者就是利用这些竹竿与架子，在岩顶上掏燕窝。

可惜我们未能看见掏燕窝的精彩表演，那可是原生态的高空杂技表演。

在这里建窝的是金丝燕，市面上所售燕窝的制造者。尽管它们躲在最阴暗最隐蔽的岩石缝里建窝，依然逃不过掏窝者的火眼金睛。

据说这里最兴旺时共有400多万只金丝燕聚居，如今只剩下几十万只，那是专家们利用地上的鸟粪的变化测算出来的。现在当地政府已经严格限制掏燕窝的次数，几十米高空中如踩钢丝般地利用这些细细的木条从岩顶的这边走向那边。

吃燕窝的绝大部分是华人，华人认为燕窝能够补身养颜，尤其是爱美的女性，更是将它视为必需品。

本来在中国的南方，也有不少燕窝洞的，只是它们经不起中国人的频繁折腾，已经纷纷移民海外，如今留在中国的金丝燕已经成了珍稀品种。但已经移民海外的燕子们又怎会知道，无论它们飞得多远，把窝建得多隐蔽，最终都逃不出人类贪婪的法眼。

马来西亚每年出口到中国的燕窝就有五六百吨。想想看，那要毁掉多少个燕窝？

看见栈道上方那个洞口是从这个“大厅”通往“内室”的进口处。登上栈道高处，回首再望，更觉燕窝洞的庞大无比。

栈道上，铺满了厚厚的燕子粪与蝙蝠粪。这里还有几十万只蝙蝠与金丝燕做邻居。所以游燕窝洞时，要穿防滑的旅游鞋，最好戴上帽子，以防突然撒下来的肥料和岩缝里滴下来的水珠。还要带上手电筒，公园门口也有出租的，因为这里除了脚下的栈道外，其它一切都保持原生态，不要指望里面会有人工的照明设施。在最黑暗的地方关掉电筒，不要说伸手不见五指，就是贴着你身边站着个大活人也完全感觉不到。

在黑暗中小心翼翼地攀上爬下，转过一个弯，突然见到光亮，那是高达百余米的洞顶天窗，光柱射在千姿百态的钟乳石上，显出如魔幻般的景观。

在黑暗中兜兜转转一大圈，终于来到岩洞的尽头。在洞口的休息亭里，看见了用各国文字留下的“到此一游”，于是我们也未能免俗地在此留下了我们的踪迹。

Known for the site where a 40,000 year old human remains were discovered, Niah National Park offers jungle walk, Iban longhouse and cave experiences.

Niah National Park provides some interesting and impressive sights. The area was a major centre of human settlement as early as 40,000 years ago, and features one of the world’s largest cave entrances, Palaeolithic and Neolithic burial sites and iron-age cave paintings.

The nearby Painted Cave houses wall-paintings depicting the boat journey of the dead into the afterlife, along with remnants of “death-ships” on the cave floor – boat-shaped coffins (its contents have been transferred to the Sarawak Museum).

Visitors leaving its Great Cave around sunset will see two great black clouds intermingling – the nightly ‘changing of the guard’ as hundreds of thousands of swiftlets return to their nests, whilst an approximately equal number of bats fly out to forage in the forest. A variety of luminous fungi can be clearly seen from the plankwalk at night.

The surrounding area is covered in dense primary rain forest and is home to many species of plants and wildlife.Even today, the caves remain important for local communities, with birds nest and guano collection providing valuable employment and income. The national park runs a swiflet conservation programme in ‘Gua Perintah’.

Niah Caves is a very pleasant place to spend a few days, although most of the major attractions are accessible to the day visitor. An Iban longhouse – Rumah (house) Patrick Libau – homestay experience can be had and it is accessible through the national park.

The park has a visitor centre and good accommodation, and is very easy to get around, thanks to an extensive network of plankwalks.

A flashlight and good walking shoes are absolutely essential – the caves are unlit, and the plankwalk can become slippery from the constant dripping of water and bat guano from the ceiling of the cave. A wide-brimmed hat is desirable, for obvious reasons.

The Park is located on the Sungai Niah, about 3 km from the small town of Batu Niah, 110 km south-west of Miri.

Address:
Batu Niah,
Miri

Contact No:
+6085737454

Opening hour:
Monday – Sunday

General admission fee:
RM 20.00

Website: http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-niah.html

Getting by Taxi
The most convenient way to get to Niah National Park is by taxi which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to reach from Miri city. Cost of a one-way fare is about RM150.00 

Bus
Take Bus No.33A from city centre to Pujut Corner Bus Terminal. From here, one can take any bus that goes to either Bintulu, Sibu or Kuching. Get off at the Niah Rest Stop. Bus fare is RM15.00 per person. From the here, take private taxi (about RM30 one-way)to reach Niah National Park HQ.

The Plank Walkways to the Niah caves

The four-kilometre walk to the caves is not difficult. One-way walking time to the entrance of the Great Cave is about 1.5 hours. The few steep sections near the entrance of the Great Cave, as well as inside the cave, are equipped with stairs. The height at the starting point is sevens metre above sea level. At the entrance of Niah Great Cave, called the West Mouth, the height is 49 m above sea level. This is the principal access route to the Niah Great Cave and is used by about 20,000 visitors annually.

Painted Cave

This trail follows the valley between two limestone hills for a distance of about 600 m (15 minutes). The trail then ascends the side of a small limestone hill up to the entrance of Painted Cave. The cave paintings are protected behind a tall fence.

Rumah Chang

The plank walkway to Rumah Chang (also called Rumah Ugop) branches off from the main walkway at the bridge over the Subis river. This Iban longhouse is about 800 (20 minutes) from the junction and just outside the park. The people here like to sell handicrafts to visitors. For visitors who are unable to visit Sarawak’s interior this is a good opportunity to see a longhouse.

Jalan Madu (or Bermadu)

This trail branches off the main walkway about one kilometre from the Pangkalan Lobang jetty. Walking time from this point to the junction with Bukit Kasut is about 45 minutes. The trail follows the base of the limestone cliff along Gunung Subis’s west side. This trail can be very muddy during wet weather and is occasionally flooded after heavy rain.

The Large Chamber (Padang)

Also known as Moon Cave, 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. A great spot for taking photos. After the Padang, the cave passage becomes pitch black. Armed with a flashlight, you will need to find your way along the plank walk and view the extraordinary shapes and weathering effects found in this cave.

Getting There

Niah is within easy reach of both Miri (109 km) and Bintulu (131 km).

From Miri: Syarikat Bas Suria has a regular bus service to Batu Niah from the Miri Bus Station. The journey time is 1 hr 40 mins. Share taxis from the Bus Station are available, as are regular taxis, which can usually be chartered on a daily basis. A number of tour operators can arrange guided tours to the park. Self-drive cars are also available - ask at your hotel counter or check in the yellow pages.

From Bintulu: Syarikat Bas Suria has a regular bus service to Batu Niah from Bintulu Bus Station. The journey time is 2 hrs. Share taxis from the Bus Station are available, as are regular taxis, which can usually be chartered on a daily basis. Self-drive cars are also available - ask at your hotel counter or check in the yellow pages.

From Batu Niah to the Park Headquarters: the Park HQ is about 3 km from Batu Niah. Chartered taxis and tour buses will take you straight there, but if you arrive by bus or share taxi, you have three choices. A motorised longboat from Batu Niah to the Park HQ brings you through delightful jungle scenery. A taxi from Batu Niah is not so interesting but a good idea if it is raining. If you are not too heavily burdened with luggage, the Park HQ is a pleasant 45 minute stroll along the river bank

National Parks Booking Office
c/o Visitors Information Centre
Lot 452, Jln Melayu, 98000 Miri,
Sarawak, Malaysia.
Tel: 085-434184 Fax: 085-434179

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