The great chamber
Daylight streaming from high openings.
Borneo mobilegrapher — CC0 · Thomas Quine — CC BY 2.0 · Thomas Quine — CC BY 2.0 · Thomas Quine — CC BY 2.0
A vast limestone cave in the Kapor hill in the Bau district, about thirty kilometres from Kuching. Long known as Kapor Cave, it became famous in the 1980s as the Fairy Cave, after a small statue that Chinese worshippers placed by one of its rocks, and it is now a nature reserve run by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation. You climb a steep staircase up the side of the cliff to the cave mouth, then step into a huge chamber lit by daylight from high openings, where green plants grow on the rocks and stalactites and stalagmites hang and rise like a film set. The rock belongs to limestone formations some one hundred to one hundred and sixty million years old. Entry is a token fee, about five ringgit for foreign adults and less for children. Some sources say the cave closes on Mondays for maintenance, so check before going. About eight kilometres away is the Wind Cave in the same reserve, so the two fit into half a day. The steps and rocks can be slippery, so wear good shoes, and bring a torch for the darker parts. It is humid and hot inside, so carry water; it does not suit anyone who struggles with stairs.
Daylight streaming from high openings.
Limestone formations millions of years old.
Another cave nearby in the same reserve.
Gunung Kapor, Bau district, about 30 km south-west of Kuching
Active children, with supervision, yes, but the long steep staircase does not suit anyone who finds climbing hard. Inside, paths and rocks are uneven, so take it slowly.