Can you Imagine Stone Pinnacles Jutting from the Jungle?
The main event when visiting Gunung Mulu is a trek to the Pinnacles. An ominous stone forest standing tall in the middle of nowhere. It is not an easy task to see these beauties. You will have to book trip at the headquarters upon your arrival to get your permits and guides in order.You can book your trek at the park headquarters. Check with other arrivals to see if they want to join your party. It is a great way to save on costs and to enjoy other peoples company. Once you are booked and ready to go, you can settle in for the night to arrange everything that you will need for the following days trek.
You will have to take a 2 hour boat ride into the jungle and then you will be let off at the foot of a trail where you will proceed for almost 9 km alone in the jungle. You have to be completely self sufficient. Carry all food and snacks that you will need for the next 3 days and be sure to leave most of your packs contents at the park. You should take a small day pack filled with essentials only.
Don"t forget to tell your driver how long you will be at the Pinnacles. Give them an approximate time and exact day that you will meet them for a ride back to park headquarters. They will be ready and waiting for you when you emerge from the jungle.
After a long and adventurous boat ride where you will stop to look at amazing caves, villages and incredible scenery, you are let off to set out alone on an 8.9 km trail leading to Camp 5 where you will make camp for the night.
The trail is well marked and easy to follow, but you will have to cross a couple of rivers. Make sure to check for leaches after each time in the water. They are fast and latch on quickly.
Your destination, Camp 5 is in a beautiful location surrounded by large cliffs, a quiet stream and lush jungle. Here is where you will relax for the night before your climb. Be sure you bring an ample supply of food with you, because there isn"t any provided. There is a kitchen so you can cook whatever you bring, just be sure to take the waste with you when you leave.
There are dorm rooms to sleep in. They are clean, but not exactly luxury. Two raised wooden platforms line the room on either side and climbers grab a mat to sleep on. It can make for a fitful sleep especially with the anticipation of an early rise to start your trek.
Waking before the sun comes up, you will get everything together that you will need. Extra water bottles, snacks and lunch need to be carried and you need to do all of this quickly because leaving early is essential. If you don"t make it to the beginning of the last section before 11:00 am, you will not be allowed to summit.
Many people that try to climb the Pinnacles do not summit. It is not a high climb, but it is a technically challenging climb without safety ropes. You cross crevasses on metal beams and balance on rocks while holding onto a rope over head. It is a challenge, but the payoff is definitely worth the effort.
But try hard to be part of the group that makes it, because once you step off of the trail you are treated to the most incredible view you have ever seen.
Giant white stones, jutting out of the jungle like sharks teeth, the Pinnacles are majestically poised for your viewing. The silence is unsettling and soon, clouds and mist roll in making the pinnacles even more ominous. They turn to a darker shade of grey and take on an even more dramatic look as they tower over the trees.
You can only sit and look on for so long however, because the climb down is even more difficult than the climb up and you have to be back at camp before the sun goes down. It is a slippery and exhausting climb, but to be among the rare few that venture to this part of the world and make it to the look out for this magical view is worth every ache and blister.
Climbing to the pinnacles is definitely a highlight of any visit to Gunung Mulu, but there are other spectacular things to see here as well. An must is to take a 3 km trek out to Deer Cave to see 2 million bats circle above high in the sky at sunset at they feed on insects. Visit the Sarawak Cave, the worlds largest cave chamber and enjoy exploring its many trails, most notably the Head Hunters. If you are making a trip to Malaysian Borneo, make sure to take extra effort to visit Gunung Mulu National Park.