Get To Know Niah National Park

Niah National Park is located on the Niah River, which is about 3km away from the small town, Batu Niah. In 1958, the park was first gazette as a National Historic Monument and in 1974, a total of 3100 hectares of surrounding rainforest and limestone hills were included to form the National Park. The discovery of the oldest modern human remains in Southeast Asia were found at Niah, making the park one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.

Picture show the map of National Park and the location of trails and caves.

The two main caves in Niah National Park are The Great Cave of Niah and The Painted Cave, with many interesting rock formation and magnificent view inside the caves. The painted cave is popular for its ancient cave painting.  Besides the archaeology, the cave is swarming with bats and swiftlets. In addition, the park has two well-marked walking trails, Bukit Kasut Trail and Madu Trail.

While walking in these two trails, you will be able to enjoy a majestic rainforest with abundant plant and animal life. This national park has a visitor centre, cafeteria and good accommodation that consist of chalets units and hostel style-rooms.

The Great Cave of Niah

Earliest phase of cave occupation is referred to as the Palaeolithic (old stone age) and occurs on the late Pleistocene epoch. The Pleistocence ends with the beginning of Holocene epoch around 10,000 years ago. At Niah, the human use of caves changes from a location of intermittent use by mobile foragers during the early Holocene and become a major repository of the dead around 4,000 years ago. At the same time, there is evidence for the use of pottery as funerary gifts and also burial jars, with much later evidence for imported metals, ceramics and glass.