Wind Cave, Sarawak

January 24, 2014

My next trip was to Sarawak's Wind Cave and Fairy Cave which are both located near the town of Bau. Being a popular tourist hotspot, the Wind Cave covers 6.16 hectares, including the cave itself and the surrounding forest. For those who may not know much about Bau, gold mining was the main activity here in the 1840s. Till this day gold mining is still carried out but on a smaller scale. Tourists passing through this town will definitely see the two limesone caves. Bau town is approximately 45 minutes drive away from Kuching.

Entrance of the Wind Cave

We reached here about 10 am, all geared up and ready. Since we went to two different caves, I am going to break it down into two posts. In this post, I'll talk about the Wind Cave first. Located about 5km from Bau, the Wind Cave is opened daily from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. The entrance fee is RM 3 for adults and RM 1.50 for children. Its is advisable to bring your own torch lights as the boardwalks are not lighted. If you forgotten to bring one, no worries though as torch lights can be rented outside the cave for RM 3. However, keep in mind that these caves can be closed during rainy season due to safety purposes. So be sure to check with the information service before heading here.

The information counter

The trail guide of the cave

It was pretty eerie initially as we walked into the mouth of the cave. It turned pitch black and we had to turn on our torch lights just a few steps into the cave. We followed the boardwalks all along the journey. You have to be really careful as the boardwalks can get really slippery. Few of my friends almost fell over as it was really wet.

The boardwalks leading into the cave

Karen, Esther and Sofena all excited

Let's go!

It can be a good idea to bring a cap along with you if you're afraid of bats dropping on your head. All of us brought along a bottle of water along as it was quite humid there. Throughout our journey inside the cave, all we could hear was the high pitch screech of the bats. Every once a while we could smell the stench of the bat droppings which wasn't really pleasant though.

Wooden boardwalks

The bats didn't seem to like my camera flash

If your eyes are sharp enough you would be able to see swallows in this cave. These bird's nest are high in demand as they have huge health benefits due to their ability to enhance the immune system. Half way into our journey we all decided to switch off our torchlights just to see how dark it would be. Like we all expected, we couldn't see anything at all and one can imagine what it would be like if you were lost in a cave.

The swallows nest

Beaming smiles

Pushing on, we all continued making our way along the boardway. We all stoped every once a while, for a short break and took lots of pictures.

Watch your step!

It can be quite a distance to walk

Still feeling energetic here

At certain parts of the cave we could see stalactites protuding out. Sometimes, waterdroplets from the ceiling of the cave could be seen trickling down. As we approached the other end of the cave, the ceiling of the cave starts becoming lower. So we had to be really careful, not to bump into them. And since I am tall, it is a little bit hard navigating my way out of the cave.

Water droplets trickling down the stalactites

Finally came to the other end of the cave

We were all relieved to finally get out of the cave after spending around 20 minutes in total darkness. It took us quite a while for our eyes to adjust back to the surroundings.

Random shot of the vines outside the cave

The girls looked pretty fatigue here

James and I outside the cave

To conclude this trip, it was a pretty interesting experience for all of us. Although we all came out drenched with sweat, we all had an awesome time here. It is a great place to go. You should definitely check out this place if you happen to be in Sarawak.