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Pungiton Cave in Sapulut

Pungiton Cave, a gift from fairy

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Why I have poop on my bed if I’m in a dream of taking a dump, but wake up empty-handed when I dream about treasure? I’m so envy of Aki Korom, who was really getting something priceless, as promised in his dream. This is a true story happened in Sapulut, a district in the interior of Sabah.

The Discovery of Pungiton Cave

More than 50 years ago, the young Aki Korom was sleeping near the river with a few friends. In his dream, a tall man approached him and said, “come, let me show you something interesting.” Aki Korom followed him and they reached a large cave. The fairy said, “if you can find this cave, it’s yours to own.” He added, “however, there is a dragon guardian looks after this cave. You must not cause a ripple in the river when you go to the cave, or you will awaken the lurking dragon.” Aki Korom waked up and felt the dream was so real. His friends didn’t have the same dream though.

Boat transfer to Pungiton Camp from Labang Village in Sapulut

Aki Korom believed in what he dreamed and decided to locate the hidden cave. He went with a boat. A big log in the river was blocking his way. He remembered what the tall man taught, so he dragged the boat to move pass it quietly, without disturbing the dragon in the water. After some search in the forest, he found the limestone cave, which is the Pungiton Cave today. The cave was abundant with edible bird nests and big mushroom!

Pungiton Cave is named after bats, which are abundant inside the cave. But no Batman in this batcave.

Pungiton means bat in Murut language because this cave has a lot of bats. Pungiton Cave is still a secretive cave even after half a century of its discovery. Though its location is no longer a secret, nobody is able to reach the end of this cave, according to some villagers who have spent two or three days exploring deep in the cave before. Some say Pungiton Cave may link to another cave system on the opposite side of the hill. Instead of two days, I spent only 2 hours to explore Pungiton Cave but already impressed by its rich variety of cave features.

Pungiton Cave is like an isolated temple frozen in time. Cave always appears in adventure and horror stories. More than half of the windfall treasures in movies are found in a cave.

Aki Korom had a big heart. He was willing to share the cave with other villagers. He also turned down an offer by a mining company that wanted to quarry the limestone. I guess that’s why the fairy chose him.

You can watch this 4-minute video to hear and see everything in motions.

Overall, Pungiton Cave is a pristine and marvelous cave to explore. The caving experience there is 100% nature and you can check out various interesting rock formations closely. No creepy bug crawling all over the cave and no foul smell. Majority of the trail is soil ground or uneven surface scattered with debris, not difficult for beginners to walk on. The only so-called challenging part is climbing up a 20-feet slope with a rope.

Left: me exploring Pungiton Cave in the dark. Right: Flowstones, sheets of calcium carbonate on the cave walls

Pungiton Cave is a multi-levelled limestone cave. Hiring a guide is a must so you won’t lose your way in the cave. We start by exploring the wet cave in lower level then move up to the dry cave. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the cave entrance from our camp (Pungiton Camp).

Underground Water Cave

At the the cave entrance, I already can hear the running water below. It’s a 20-meter descend via a narrow hole. The sound of water is getting louder, then we reach a winding cave tunnel with a running stream, a characteristics of aquatic or wet cave. Walking in the long and narrow tunnel in a wet cave is like navigating inside the body of a giant snake.

Hiking 15 minutes to the Pungiton Cave in tropical rainforest. I see many limestones along the trail. Leech may present.

Don’t freak out with the idea of walking in a cave filled with water. In normal days, the water in Pungiton Cave only reaches my knee at most. The deepest it can go is up to waist level during rainy season. The guides would skip the wet cave if the cave is too flooded. We wear a helmet to protect our heads, in case we fall on a rock or bump into rock ceiling.

Entrance to Pungiton Cave. From left: Rosdin and Josyen (guides), Ms Wong Li Pin (media)

Slowly my eyes adjust to the darkness. We walk along the stream between the whitish walls of limestone. The water is quite clear and shallow. We avoid stepping into the murky water that may have a hole underneath. To keep dry, we try to walk along the edge of the stream, but I would occasionally soak my feet to enjoy the cooling water. The running water creates a noticeable cool air flow as if the cave is breathing.

Wet cave of Pungiton Cave. Note the scalloped wall at the right with ripple pattern, an ancient mark of the water movement.

The stream is weak and small, but if you did pay attention in your geography class during high school, you would know that the limestone cave is a work of water. The rainwater absorbs CO₂ in the atmosphere and forms a mildly acidic water. This water flows through the limestone and slowly erodes the rocks. Over million of years, continual water or seepage craves out a hole, next a cavity, and then a cave. Pungiton Cave is probably about 20 millions years ago. It’s not officially studied and mapped by any geologist yet, so this number is just a wild guess.

Long underground water tunnel of Pungiton Cave. It’s about 400 Meters long and flows deep into the cave.

On the roof and wall of the wet cave are many round dents or depressions in rippled pattern, these ancient traces of water movement provide some hints on the direction and speed of water flow in passages in the past.

The running stream in the wet cave of Pungiton Cave. Cave with creeks, groundwater, or springs are known as aquatic or wet caves.

A powerful torch will improve your caving experience. Thanks to my new flashlight (Max Output: 2,100 Lumens), its light beam is so bright that it lit up the surrounding. This allows me to take better cave photos in dim environment.

Limestone Art in Pungiton Cave

Half an hour later, we climb up to the dry surface, where the cave starts to get more interesting. I see many natural sculptures created by water, which must have taken thousand of years to form. Basically it’s a gallery of timeless water art.

A U-shaped rock formation near the end of wet cave

The ceiling height of Pungiton Cave is about 3 to 12 Meters most of the time. The space is wide enough not to trigger any claustrophobia. There is no boardwalk, only ropes and ladder are available for hard to climb sections. Along the way I see many holes, opening, junctions and gaps that probably connect to other chambers or network. Without a guide, I would lose my way.

Who knows you might find Japanese treasure here, or hear boss music playing. 😀

In the past, there were many taboos to visit Pungiton Cave, for example, you should not wear red. Now the cave is an attraction opens to tourists, and many old rules aren’t relevant anymore. However, please be respectful and don’t do or say anything offensive in the cave. The locals believe that there are spirits lingering in the cave, and they dislike to be disturbed.

Variety of “limestone art” in Pungiton Cave

A BIG NO-NO is touching the rock formations, especially stalagmites and stalactites. Most of them are still growing at a rate of 0.13 mm (0.0051 inches) a year. They would turn dark and stop growing if contaminated by acidic oil from our fingers. Watch your steps too. One foot of stalagmite would need over 2,000 years to grow, but we can destroy it in a split second.

Big vs Small Stalagmites. The term stalagmite comes from the Greek word stalagma, which means “dripping”.

One thing I really admire Pungiton Cave is the diversity of cave features. Of course this cave is not as gigantic as those in the famous Mulu National Park. But it’s not short of wonders. The following are some interesting and peculiar cave features that I find in Pungiton Cave.

Left: the cave looks like the throat of a dragon. Right: the limestone in flesh color.

Stalagmites and stalactites are the most well-known cave features. They are icicle-shaped deposits that form when water dissolves limestone, and drips through cave roofs and onto the floors. The re-deposits calcium carbonate gradually builds up and grows on the ceilings or floors and become mound-shaped rock formation that called stalactites and stalagmites respectively.

The magnificent stalagmites and stalactites of Pungiton Cave. A column is forming in the middle section.

When the upward-growing stalagmites meet and connect with the downward-growing stalactites in the middle, they eventually fuse and form a column, and some columns look like carved pillars.

A mushroom-like rock. I don’t what’s the name of such formation.

Flowstones are sheets of calcium carbonate on the walls or floor of a cave formed from a gradual flow of water over a relatively broad area along cave wall. The final form are curtain-like sheaves along ledges, better known as draperies.

Flowstones formed from a gradual flow of water over a relatively broad area along cave wall.

There are also some strange, branch-like helictites that grows in a twisted, curled fashion, as a result of minimal water seepage.

A rock that looks like the thumbs-up Like of Facebook

Rimstone dams form along floors where calcite-rich water continues to flow over the edge of the pools.

Rimstone dams are formed by overflowing calcite-rich water from the pools.

Near the exit there is a wide chamber with wind movement. I can vaguely hear something that sounds like whispering. But there are no other people around or outside. You may watch my video to hear the strange noise.

Limestone consists of coral and marine fossils, which can be as old as 40 million years.

Interesting Fauna in Pungiton Cave

Cave is a dark world but not lifeless. Some animals use darkness as a protection and choose cave as their habitats. The most common dweller of cave is bat. They say the bats in Pungiton Cave is larger and screech like monkey, and the locals eat them.

Left: hatchling and eggs of cave swiftlet. Right: cave cricket

Swiftlets also live here, among them is edible-nest swiftlet, which builds nest in the cave. These swiftlets can use echo-location like bats, to help them navigate deeper into the cave. Edible bird nest is an expensive delicate, so their nests are harvested heavily and very few of them left.

Bugs in Pungiton Cave. From left: Cave Centipede, Unknown Millipedes, large Huntsman Spider with egg sack

We come across a few mass of guano under the congregating bats, it’s a mixture of dropping of bats and birds. Sometimes guano can accumulate to a few feet deep over a long period. I walk on them and it feels like stepping on a soft carpet. It has mild ammonia smell. Cockroaches like to feed on guano but I only see one here. Guano is an excellent fertilizer because it’s rich in nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, and some people get rich by selling guano.

Left: bats on the roof of Pungiton Cave. They are everywhere. Right: thousand-year-old rock formation

If Pungiton Cave is managed sustainably since the beginning, edible bird nests and guano would generate continuous cashflow for the villagers until today. Unfortunately, half a century ago, people didn’t realize the importance of conservation. Anyway, the cave itself is an eco-treasure and quite well-preserved.

Curtain-like draperies in the cave

I see some leggy cave centipedes on the rock wall, they run for shelter in the dark whenever my light points at them. Other bugs I see are the silky thread traps of glow worms, egg-eating cave cricket, and a huge Huntsman spider hugging an egg sack.

Pungiton Camp

To perfect your caving experience, you can spend a night or two at Pungiton Camp, a longhouse style accommodation near Labang River. Pungiton Cave is only a 15-minute walk away from the camp. After the adventure, you can have a nice meal and shower at the camp. If it’s new moon, you would see Milky Way on the starry sky. The place is warm during daytime but getting cooler in late night.

Pungiton Camp is a wooden longhouse on stilt. It can accommodate about 20 visitors. The small building behind it are the where the toilets, kitchen and dining area located.

Pungiton Camp can accommodate about 20 people and is equipped with canvas beds (with mosquito net), bathroom (hot shower available!), toilet, and dining area. The sleeping area is an open and corridor-like layout with beds. Electricity is available from evening to early morning, but the power point is only available at dining area.

Beds of Pungiton Camp. Blanket, pillow, towel and step stool are provided.

How to Get There

Pungiton Cave is located in Sapulut, a small district of Sabah interior about 110 KM away from Keningau town and 217 KM away from Kota Kinabalu City. Sapulut is accessible by highway between Keningau and Tawau (part of Pan-Borneo Highway).

Location map of Sapulot and its surrounding

To visit Pungiton Cave, you can contact Borneo Outback Tours Sdn Bhd (Licenses: Co. No. 846369-H / KPK / LN:9247). They will arrange the land & boat transfer and accommodation (Pungiton Camp) for you.
Website: www.borneo.tours
Facebook: orou.sapulot
Instagram: @orousapulot
Phone: +60 19 2277077 (Whatsapp), +60 87 337 277
Address: A-7-2, Apollo Atrium, 89008 Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia

Kampung Labang (village) of Sapulut, the starting point of the boat ride to Pungiton Camp.

The tourism operations in Sapulut are managed by Orou Sapulot (means the Sun of Sapulot), a community based project to promote tourism and in sustainable manner.

Photos taken in Sapulut , Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Batu Punggul, the Sacred Hill of Sabah

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I was awed by the majestic Batu Punggul, a 220-Metre-high limestone pinnacle in Sapulut, in the interior of Sabah, Malaysia. Before it’s open to tourists in 1992, Batu Punggul is a sacred hill that is only mentioned in the books of Borneo adventurers. Its photograph looks like a giant tombstone standing tall above the mysterious rainforest.

There are 1,393 limestone outcrops or hills in Malaysia, with 911 of them located in Peninsular Malaysia, while 482 are in Sabah and Sarawak.

According to the legend of Murut people, Batu Punggul is a petrified longhouse, the result of a punishment by God to the people who mocked animals. The hill was used to be so high that it covered the sky until someone chopped it down and only its stump remains. Punggul means stump in Murut language hence Batu Punggul means stump-like rock.

There are a total of 218 limestone outcrops in Sabah. Of these outcrops, 149 are in the districts of Kinabatangan, Kudat and Lahad Datu.

Put aside its terrifying myth, Batu Punggul is the most unique and stunning pinnacle among the 218 limestone outcrops in Sabah. My late father had climbed Batu Punggul, so I followed his footsteps, to understand why his eyes sparkled whenever he talked about Batu Punggul. Though climbing this vertical hill sounds challenging, I’m sure most of you can conquer it.

About Batu Punggul

Batu Punggul is no ordinary hill because of its cultural and ecological values. Batu Punggul has been a legendary and sacred place to Murut people, the third largest indigenous group of Sabah. The locals respect Batu Punggul and have many stories about it.

Murut people and the traditional Murut longhouse, which can accommodate a number of families or even a village.

The most popular story on the formation of Batu Punggul is about two Murut longhouses, namely, Punggul and Tinagas, with Sapulut River ran between these two villages in the past. One day the people of Punggul longhouse had no fire to cook, so they asked Tinagas longhouse on the other side for fire. At first the Tinagas people tied a bundle of fire on the head of a dog and let it swam across the river. A big wave came and put out the fire. People of both longhouses laughed.

The villagers were laughing at the unlucky animals, but their God didn’t think that it’s funny.

Then the Tinagas people tied the fire on a cock and made it flied across the river to deliver the fire. But the river was too wide. The cock fell into the river. Everyone laughed again. Later someone mocked a leech that perched on a jar to drink tapai (rice or tapioca wine). Making fun of animals is a taboo in Murut. Their misbehavior angered the God Aki Kaulung, who turned these people and their longhouses into rocks immediately.

Making harmless fun to animals is probably acceptable in some cultures, but a big No-No to Murut people. (I need to clarify that the owner of this dog really loves his pet.)

After the punishment, Batu Punggul became a very tall limestone rock that blocked the sun and obstructed the sunlight needed for crops to grow, so a young man chopped down Batu Punggul. When the hill fell, it broke into smaller rocks which scattered along the downstream of Sapulut River. The Batu Punggul was left with a “stump” that we see today.

Location map of Sapulut and Batu Punggul. The adjacent Sungai Sansiang Virgin Forest Reserve covers an area of about 344 ha.

Batu Punggul is located within the Batu Punggul Forest Reserve (see Location Map) in the interior of Sabah, about 110 KM south of Keningau town. When logging was rampant in 1980s, Dr. Richard Gunting saved Batu Punggul and its surrounding forest from deforestation in 1986. In 2009, Batu Punggul Forest Reserve was gazetted as an Amenity Forest Reserve (Class IV), covering an area of 150 hectares (1.5 Square Kilometre).

Batu Punggul is a limestone pinnacle and a sacred hill for the locals. The girl at the right is Jariah, one of the guides.

Limestone is a type of rock that forms underwater from the structures of living organisms like coral and shells millions of years ago. When Borneo island raised from the ocean floor, a series of tectonic movements by earth lifted the limestone of Batu Punggul above the ground. It’s a blessing that Batu Punggul still survives today, when 32 (23%) of limestone outcrops in Sabah are being quarried for cement production.

You can read on or watch this video for a walkthrough of the climbing trip.

Tour to Batu Punggul

In the past, without the Keningau-Tawau highway, visitors had to withstand four or more hours of boat ride to reach Batu Punggul. Now climbing Batu Punggul can be a day trip (though an overnight trip is recommended). You can book the tour with Borneo Outback Tours (see their contact info near the end). The following is a walkthrough of my trip to Batu Punggul, which consists of river cruise, hiking and climbing.

Signage of Batu Punggul at Tataluan Village, next to the Keningau-Tawau road in Sapulut

The starting point of the tour is at Kampung Tataluan village in Sapulut (see Location Map). My journey starts with a morning river cruise on a wooden longboat from the Tataluan jetty around 9am. I see a lot of rocks along the river, which are said the chips from the fallen hill. The rocks of the poor dog and cock can be seen at the river too.

Taking a boat from the jetty of Kampung Tataluan to Batu Punggul. There is a small toilet before the jetty.

The river is flanked by dense forest. After a few minutes, I see Batu Punggul from a distance. Its presence is so powerful and spiritual that I got goosebumps. In 10 minutes, the boat reaches the entrance to Batu Punggul Forest Reserve. After a short briefing at the reception building of Sabah Forestry Department, we start walking to the starting point of the climb.

View of Batu Punggul from the boat. With me are Dr. Richard Gunting, Ms Wong from media and 3 guides from Orou Sapulot.

Walking to the Foothill of Batu Punggul

The hike from the jetty to the foothill of Batu Punggul takes about 30 minutes. This tropical rainforest is mostly untouched like a virgin forest. For the lucky visitors, they would see blooming rafflesia flower (Species: Rafflesia keithii). 596 taxa of plants are recorded in this forest and 20 of them are endemic to Sabah, and four of them are totally protected plant species.

Left: the Dog Rock at the river. Right: Entrance to Batu Punggul Forest Reserve

Majority of the trail is ascending path. It’s not very steep but quite a workout in this warm and humid forest. Leeches would be around during wet season, so you would need to wear anti-leech socks. I don’t find any leech in my visit. The dense trees shade us from the heat. It’s noisy in here because of the loud cicada calls everywhere.

Big tree and cave in Batu Punggul Forest Reserve. Numerous plants found in and around cave entrances are endemic to limestone. The cave was used as a refuge by the Muruts in times of wars and epidemics. The guy at the right is Josyen.

15 minutes later I reach a big cave. Visitors can enter the cave chamber to see some interesting limestone formations that resemble household items such as jar, the belongings of the longhouse inhabitants. There are a few limestone cave networks (e.g. Batu Tinahas Cave) in this forest reserve for those who are keen in caving.

Batu Punggul Forest Reserve is under the administration of the Tibow District Forestry Office (Sabah Forestry Department).

Climbing Batu Punggul

Finally we arrive the starting point of the climb. To cut down weight, you can leave the unnecessary items here, e.g. portable charger, hiking pole (pack them all in a plastic bag in case it rains). I only climb with a small backpack that carries a 1-Litre water bottle, raincoat and camera. I strongly advise you to apply sunblock lotion before the climb because it’s really hot up there.

Left: This white lantern bug (Species: Pyrops sultanus) is endemic to Borneo. Right: We saw this crested green lizard twice back and forth. It changed from green to black colour.

The starting point is already a test of bravery. You need to traverse sideway to cross a vertical wall. A misstep will be hazardous to your health. You can stop here if you don’t feel confident. Anyway, it’s a great photography spot to take photos that shock your mom.

The scary crossing at the starting point. It’s me in black clothing. Bravery is more useful than climbing skill in this trip.

The climb to the summit takes 45 minutes to an hour. Most people can reach the peak successfully if they are reasonably fit. You don’t need to be a trained rock climber, but some hiking experience and upper body strength (and courage!) would help a lot. The oldest climber who reaches the top of Batu Punggul is 74 years old.

The only available climbing aid are ropes and cables. Jariah looks tired.

The climbing trail is uneven and nearly vertical most of the time. With the help of ropes and cables, I move up slowly on steep boulder cliffs, looking for holes, dents and protrusions, on crevice, jagged edges, and cliff bands as handholds or footholds. The most tricky part is to climb over a few mildly overhanging rocks. The path is so narrow that I can only rest in standing position or leaning to the rocks, as there isn’t enough space to sit down.

Climbing the vertical limestone cliffs of Batu Punggul. Josyen is smiling, as if the climb is too easy for him.

The limestones are hard and sharp with rough surface, good for solid grips but it would scratch your skin. You are better off wearing gloves. I climb without one and get a minor cut on finger. The local believes that if you bleed in your first climb, the spirit is telling you that you will live a long life.

Normally it takes 45 minute to an hour to reach the top of Batu Punggul, depend on your fitness. At the left is Ms Wong Li Pin from media.

The vegetation changes from lowland rainforest to limestone forest, which is predominantly made up of small trees, shrubs and rich herbaceous layers. In Sabah, some of the more common plant species which grow on limestone are begonias (Begonia spp.), Paraboea sp., some ferns and aroids. Among the limestone endemic plant species that occur on Batu Punggul limestone are Tainia ponggolensis (orchid) and Begonia amphioxus. I do spend some time admiring the interesting plant and flowers.

Left: the silvery lucky plant, tawawo, probably a Bluemae. Right: Salung tangi, a magical ingredient for making love potion

I see a lot of whitish plant grows on the limestone. According to the locals, it’s called tawawo. You can put its leaves inside hunting rifle or wallet as a lucky charm. If tawawo is plucked in the morning, it will emit a soothing scent by 2 or 3pm. Give it to a girl. If she smells the aromatic scent, she will fall in love with you, they say.

Interesting plant and flower that grow on limestone of Batu Punggul. Note: plucking plant is forbidden in forest reserves.

We have three guides (Jariah, Josyen and Rosdin) who always keep an eye on us and tell us where to put our feet. Batu Punggul looks dangerous but it’s not really dangerous if you are careful. No severe injury occurs on this pinnacle before. Whatever, it’s still nerve-wracking when I’m crossing a few sections that are only one step away from a hundred-metre fall. My legs shiver whenever I see the cliff below my feet.

The hundred-metre drop is just next to the climber, one of the frightening moments.

The limestones are greyish white in the beginning. As we move closer to the peak, they are darker in colour due to weathering. The biggest challenge of this climb is not the steepness, but dehydration and heat exhaustion. My best advices for you are: bring more water, apply sunscreen, wear comfortable outdoor clothing and a pair of good hiking / climbing shoes. e.g. Adidas Kampung.

The blade-like limestones on top of Batu Punggul. The highest point is less than 30 Metres away from here.

On the top, watch out for a gap called Tapikon Ansawoh, which means “the place where husband and wife jump across”. The story is – a newly married couple was climbing Batu Punggul. When they came to this gap, the sweet husband stretched his legs across the opening, to let his wife walking on them to cross. However, his legs slipped because of her weight and both of them fell into the gap.

Watch out for this gap covered by plant. If you fall into that hole, the person at the right will see you free falling in the opening.

Finally I reach the highest point at 10:50am. It’s such a heroic moment, as if I unlock an achievement. Batu Punggul has no official height, but it is estimated that Batu Punggul is between 200 to 240 Metres high. From the top I have a panoramic view of Labang Valley, Batu Punggul forest reserve, Sungai Sansiang Virgin Forest Reserve, Sapulut River and the forested Batu Tinahas (another petrified longhouse). The locals have the custom of making a wish or throwing away misfortune (buang batang) on the peak. Feel free to try it.

We make it to the top! The high point far behind is Batu Tinahas (another petrified longhouse in the legend) covered by lush forest. In the photo are Jariah from Orou Sapluot (left) and Ms Wong Li Pin from media (right).

There is no tree on the peak to shade us from the scorching sun, so we don’t stay long, otherwise it would be cool to have our lunch on top with the scenic view. Descending is more difficult. Initially we plan to picnic at the pebble beach (river bank) after the climb, but the water level is too high. Therefore, we have some juicy watermelon at the jetty, a great refreshment to supplement ourselves with some sugar and electrolytes after heavy sweating.

Left: eating watermelon after the climb. Right: view of Batu Punggul from upstream Sapulut River. In front of me are Ms Wong and Dr. Richard.

About Sapulut (or Sapulot)

Sapulut is under the Nabawan district of Sabah interior. It is accessible by highway between Keningau and Tawau (part of Pan-Borneo Highway).

For a tour in Sapulut and Batu Punggul, you can contact Borneo Outback Tours Sdn Bhd (Licenses: Co. No. 846369-H / KPK / LN:9247) at:
Website: www.borneo.tours
Facebook: orou.sapulot
Instagram: @orousapulot
Phone: +60 19 2277077 (Whatsapp), +60 87 337 277
Address: A-7-2, Apollo Atrium, 89008 Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia

The tourism operations in Sapulut are managed by Orou Sapulot (means the Sun of Sapulot), a community based project to promote tourism and in sustainable manner.

References

For more information about Batu Punggul, you may check out the following materials:

  1. Jojo M. Fung, SJ (1998). “The Legendary Batu Punggul.” Sabah Society Journal, Vol. 15 (1998) 59-73
  2. Thor-Seng Liew, Junn-Kitt Foon, Gopalasamy Reuben Clements (2021). Conservation of Limestone Ecosystems of Malaysia, Part I and VII . Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu
  3. RTM TV1 (Rancangan Rentas Peribumi). (2019, August 23). Kehidupan Masyarakat dan Kepercayaan Suku Kaum Murut Tagol di Batu Punggul dan Kampung Tataluan, Nabawan Sabah. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh2v40ytG1U

Photos taken in Sapulut , Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Fun Boat Ride in the Heart of Borneo (Sabah and Kalimantan)

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Borneo Island is the third largest island in the world, and its territory is shared by three countries, i.e. Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak States), Indonesia, and Brunei. Though the land border of Sabah and Kalimantan (Indonesian portion of Borneo) spans more than 300 KM, there is no highway to connect both sides.

Left: Map of Borneo and its countries. Right: river passage from Sapulut to Kalimantan (North Kalimantan Province)

However, for thousand of years, people of Sabah have been going in and out of Kalimantan freely. Dense forest and treacherous terrain form the natural barriers between Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo, but human can get around these by network of rivers that cover the inland of Borneo. For example, you can reach Kalimantan from Sapulut, a small district in Sabah interior.

Village next to the river

I’ve tried the boat ride from Sabah to Kalimantan, which takes only 1.5 hours, to experience the ancient river passage in the Heart of Borneo. Overall, it’s a fun river cruise to explore the scenic countryside of two countries. Please read on if you want to know how I travelled between two countries in half a day.

Kampung Salung Jetty

First we drive about an hour on the gravel road from Sapulut town to the jetty of Kampung Salung (Kampung means Village). On the way, you would see dozers and trucks are busy upgrading the 38-Kilometre road from Sapulut to Pagalungan town. Salung Village is somewhere in the midpoint.

Road between Sapulut and Pagalungan town under construction

The road is located near the Sapulut River, which flows to Kalimantan. As Sapulut is a mountainous region, road is expensive to construct. Though this road may eventually connect to Kalimantan, that would be an ambitious project that needs a lot of time and fund to complete.

Kampung Salung, starting point of the river cruise. Mia and Barbara follow us for the rapid shooting.

Kampung Salung is a peaceful village next to a big river. After we park our car and take a toilet break, we depart at 10am on a 20-feet-long traditional wooden boat that is powered by two engines.

Ready to depart from Kampung Salung jetty on a twin engine long boat
A 7-minute video to show you what you would see in the river cruise

Going to Kalimantan, the Indonesian Borneo

The name Kalimantan is derived from the Sanskrit word Kalamanthana, which means “burning weather island”, because of its warm and humid tropical climate. As the boat has no sun cover (Bimini top), applying sunblock lotion will prevent sunburnt.

Village and nature view along the river. In front seat are Virgil (left) and Dr. Richard (right)

When the long boat speeds and glides on the river, it’s breezy, too comfortable for a nap, but I was busy being thrilled by the scenic view along the river.

A peek to the stilt houses and lifestyle of locals

Joining me are Dr. Richard and his son, Virgil from Orou Sapulut, Ms Wong from media and two local girls, Mia and Barbara. The ladies and me are first timers on a boat trip to Kalimantan.

Barbara (left) and Mia (right) seem to enjoy the ride

It takes about 1.5 hours to travel about 25 KM from Salung Jetty to Kalimantan border. The river is about 20-50 metres wide, part of it could be shallow during drought and you would need to get into water to push the boat.

Longhouses and building on the slope

The land at both sides of the river is mostly lush forest, slopes and high ground, where villagers build their houses, schools and farms. The riverside view is interesting as our boat passed by many longhouses and villages such as Kampung Binanding, Kampung Silungai and Kampung Babalitan. Virgil said he saw a group of hunting dogs chasing a deer at the river once.

Longhouses and boats parking at the river is a common view

Most of the population along the river are Murut, which means “the People of the Hill”, and they are the third largest indigenous people of Sabah. Majority of them here are farmers, fishermen and hunters. Travel agents like to advertise Murut as the descendants of headhunters. Nowadays most of them are educated and live a modern life just like others. Many are converted to Christians or Muslims too.

Left: Traditional graves of Murut. Right: Sekolah Kebangsaan Babalitan (school)

Part of the forested hills are clear for planting hill paddy, tapioca, banana, rubber and other crops. Many Murut live in longhouse and I see almost every house has more than one boat parked on the river.

Pagalungan township and the mosque

Anyway, when the new road to Pagalungan town is fully upgraded, longhouses at river side would be gone slowly when more people move to roadside for better accessibility.

Left: hill paddy. Right: rubber plantation

In general, the river is calm, only a few sections are slightly bumpy due to the swift rapids, I’m only hit by the splashes twice. We go through more than 10 rapids and pass through the narrow gaps between boulders couple of times.

Long boat cutting through the strong rapid

The boatmen are really skillful and experienced, so our boat navigate in the raging currents smoothly. So that’s why they call it rapid shooting huh. I really appreciate that whenever my camera points at something, the boatman will slow down the boat until I’m done shooting.

Scary or thrilling moments? Left: big waves hitting the boat, Right: speeding toward the boulders in a rapid

We have our life vests on and feel totally safe. By the way, swimming in this river isn’t a great idea as there are crocodiles. We find only one juvenile crocodile resting on the river bank anyway.

A juvenile crocodile (species: Crocodylus siamensis) on the river bank

We see a lot of volcanic rocks and boulders of different shapes on the river bank. They are probably 4 or 5 million years old, giving this river more vibes of ancestry. Some rocks look like an animal and probably have a story to tell.

Volcanic rocks at the river

Crossing the Border

After passing by Bantul, the last Malaysian village before Kalimantan, we see the Garuda Pancasila monument, the National emblem of Indonesia. I know we have arrived Kalimantan.

Left: National emblem of Indonesia. Right: CIQS complex of Indonesia is under construction

Unlike other border controls that are usually guarded by unfriendly armed force and officers, there is no fence and checkpoint that stops our boat. We just go in like an outlaw. However, such relaxation is only applicable to Malaysians. They would stop foreigners to enter even if they have a passport.

CIQS (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security complex) of Indonesia at the Kalimantan border

They are probably watching us but too busy working on some modern structures. According to Virgil, Indonesia is building a CIQS complex (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security complex) there. It’ll be finished in 1.5 years, and operational in 2 years.

It’s my first visit to Indonesia but there is no proof on paper. When their CIQS is ready, I want them to stamp on my passport, and I would spend a few days in Kalimantan. Currently the proper way to enter Kalimantan from Sabah by water is taking a ferry from Tawau town and land on Nunukan or Tarakan of North Kalimantan Province.

Most of the villagers are Murut people who have been staying here for thousand of years

In fact, there were time when Borneo was under one ruler or government (e.g. Brunei Kingdom and British North Borneo Colony) so there was no boundary. People could move freely between Sabah and Kalimantan during that period.

After “trespassing” Kalimantan for a short distance, we make a U-turn at the Luyu rapid and head back to Sabah. Return trip will take 2 hours, longer time because the boat goes against the river current.

River Picnic

I know we will have our lunch picnic by the river but didn’t expect it comes with a surprise. The colour of main river is like milk tea, a characteristics of the downstream river, which collects silt washed down to the water on its course.

Entering Sumandapiravuhus River

When our boat enters a tributary of the big river, I look at the water in disbelief because it’s crystal clear. “This is Sumandapiravuhus River. We will have our lunch here.” Dr. Richard says. He smiles at me, as if he knows that I’m impressed by the beautiful river.

Sumandapiravuhus River. Far behind is the exit to main river

I don’t know how they find this perfect spot for picnic. The surrounding dense trees shade us from the hot sun, and our presence spooks a flock of Bushy-crested hornbill flying over the canopy. I sit on a rock, soak my feet in the cool water, and enjoy my lunch and soda drink.

Lunch picnic at Sumandapiravuhus River

Too bad I don’t have any swim wear with me or it’ll be refreshing to bath in this clean river. Well, maybe next time.

Returning to the Kampung Salung Jetty by 1pm

About Sapulut (or Sapulot)

For a tour in Sapulut, you can contact Borneo Outback Tours Sdn Bhd (Licenses: Co. No. 846369-H / KPK / LN:9247) at:
Website: www.borneo.tours
Facebook: orou.sapulot
Instagram: @orousapulot
Phone: +60 19 2277077 (Whatsapp), +60 87 337 277
Address: A-7-2, Apollo Atrium, 89008 Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia

Crystal clear water of Sumandapiravuhus River is so inviting. You can bath in the river or small waterfall there.

The tourism operations in Sapulot are managed by Orou Sapulot (means the Sun of Sapulot), a community based project to promote tourism and in sustainable manner.

Photos taken in Sapulut and Kalimantan

Rich Farmer, Poor Farmer? Integrated Agriculture in Sapulut

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Most Asian parents want their children to become a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or land on other money-making careers. Farmer is rarely on the list, as they thought farmers earn very little. However, the global price hike of food in recent years shows that food is king and agriculture has a bright future. Furthermore, Sabah is not lack of fertile land.

Left: group photo with Dr. Richard Gunting (middle) at roundabout of Nabawan town. Right: his durian plantation in integrated agriculture farm

As a PhD holder in agriculture economy, Dr. Richard Gunting knows the economy of farming. He showed me a simple math that answers why many traditional farmers of Sabah are poor. For example, rubber plantation only generates RM4,800 of income per hectare every year. After deducting the cost such as labour and fertilizers, not much profit is left. Oil palm is RM17,000/hectare per year, decent but we can do much better.

A visit to an integrated silviculture farm in Sapulut. Left is Ms Wong from media and right is Virgil, the son of Dr. Richard

Let’s look at other crops. Cocoa is twice the income of oil palm. A hectare of durian such as Musang King and Black Thorn can bring you RM155,000 and RM300,000 of revenue per year respectively. Agarwood (gaharu) is also a high-value tree. The strategy is to maximise the value (income) for every hectare of land as well as maintaining the highest biodiversity via integrated agriculture, which creates multiple revenue streams that are more profitable than monocrop plantation.

Example of mixing trees in integrated agriculture. At the left is an agarwood (gaharu), a.k.a. Wood of God, its oil is worth like gold.

To inspire the locals to become ‘Rich Dads’ in farming practices, Dr. Richard is an advocate of integrated agriculture (or integrated silviculture), which can potentially generate 8 times more income than oil palm. Such farm is a mix of trees and other cash crops such as cocoa, durian, agarwood, pineapples, coffee, pandan, vanilla, cempedak, jackfruit, coconut, langsar, tarap and sago. On the other hand, small scale monoculture makes ‘Poor Dads’, the subsistence farmers.

Fruits from integrated agriculture are another income sources besides food crops and timbers.

Integrated agriculture is more friendly to the nature. A researcher, who has visited the farm of Dr. Richard, was impressed by the biodiversity there, which is 2 to 3 times more than a typical Sabah farm. The forested land has healthier soil and some crops need shade to grow well.

Sapulut River and the farm of MunorAulai Guesthouse. Note the river bank is protected by dense wood to prevent soil erosion and pollution.

Besides crops, you can raise poultry, livestock (e.g. goats, pigs) and fishes on idle land that is not suitable for planting (I’m thinking of stingless bee (kelulut) farming). At the moment, Dr. Richard’s farm has a few fish ponds for thousand of pelian (Malaysian mahseer or River Carp), jelawat (Hoven’s carp or sultan fish) and tilapia fishes ready to meet the good demand of market.

Left: land that’s not suitable for planting is converted to fish ponds. Right: Virgil showed us the fish pond at MunorAulai

Do you know that eight out of 10 poorest districts of Malaysia are in Sabah? Dr. Richard hopes the wide adoption of integrated agriculture will turn the poor farmers into rich farmers in least developed districts. If every farmers know this wealth building formula, they can ‘grow money on trees’. This model works well for native title land, which is usually 10 hectares in size or less. 70% of native land are idle. Imagine the benefits it’ll bring.

Left: thousand of Jelawat and tilapia fishes in the pond. Right: this village dog has been hunting for the fishes in the pond. Yes, dogs eat fishes, and Virgil caught her stealing fishes in a video.

MunorAulai Guesthouse

For the proof of concept on integrated agriculture, Dr. Richard allocates 10 hectares of land in Sapulot (or Sapulut) for this farming technique and build MunorAulai Guesthouse there for visitors to experience farmstay and witness the result of integrated agriculture. Integrated agriculture is supported by WWF and Sabah government. It’ll become a trend because its approaches are friendly to the environment and ecosystems.

MunorAulai Guesthouse can accommodate up to 25 people. 10 to 12 people is the ideal group size.

When Dr. Richard walked around his farm, a small and colourful Munor, a bird of omen, followed him around and chirping positive messages, so he named the place as MunorAulai (means it’s auspicious by Munor bird). MunorAulai is equipped with toilets, showers (water heater available), activity hall and a simple lounge. They have clean bedrooms (with fan and power point) to accommodate about 12 to 25 people.

Bedrooms of MunorAulai Guesthouse

You will feel exclusive at MunorAulai Guesthouse because it’s Murut customary to serve their guests with hearts. Murut is the third largest indigenous group of Sabah. Though Murut people are portrayed as the descendants of fearsome headhunters, they are the friendliest when come to hospitality.

Lounge and activity hall of MunorAulai Guesthouse

At MunorAulai Guesthouse, you will eat, drink, party and dance like a Murut. The following are my experience at MunorAulai. I felt like I was living in a traditional longhouse of Murut.

Misty farm of MunorAulai Guesthouse. It’s a nice place for a morning walk.

Drinking Party

Tapai, a home-brew Sabah wine made from rice or tapioca fermented in a jar, is the soul of Murut people. Tapai is prepared by the villagers in accordance to their strict customs abiding to all taboo belief being passed down through generations.

Murut has a special way of enjoying Tapai together during social occasions, and it’s an honour to be invited to this hundred-year-old merrymaking tradition. It’s really fun if you have this drinking party with a group of friends.

Tapai drinking challenge. Everyone takes turn to sip the wine from jar.

Tapai is served right from the fermentation jar. After unsealed, a marker and a bamboo straw are inserted into the jar. Everyone will take turn to sip tapai until the liquid level drops to the marking. You can take small bites of comfort food along.

Good tapai is sweet and sour, with a bit of bitter taste. Tapai is quite potent. Even after first or second round, it warms my body and I start to get high. Many guests love this unforgettable drinking marathon and bonding experience with their friends.

Cultural Show

A party isn’t a party without dance and music. The local youth and children will perform traditional Murut dance to welcome and entertain the guests. During my visit, my heart melts when I see two of the dancers are only 5 years old. They dress in traditional Murut costumes and dance gracefully under the gong music.

Children and youth Murut dancers of Sapolut

The highlight is the magunatip bamboo dance. Dancers follow the rhythm to place their feet between the clapping bamboo poles and get out before the poles close the gaps. The tempo of gong beating and clapping will go faster and faster, and dancers have to be agile to avoid their feet being trapped.

You can watch this video to see how funny I danced

Guests will be invited to try out the bamboo dance. After some drinking, I was leaping like a headless monkey and being clapped by bamboo again and again. Everyone laugh and we have a wonderful time. Goodness, it’s really a good exercise.

Food

Murut mean it when they welcome a visitor. To make sure the guests are well-fed, Murut host would cook the last chicken they have. They also would not eat before the guests are done with the meals first. I always have a happy full stomach at MunorAulai Guesthouse.

Deer meat and soup

To be honest, their cook never disappoints me. I sample a good variety of delicacies and Murut dishes. Some are fresh fruits and vegetables from their farm. I appreciate their home style cooking with balanced diet, simple and tasty, and in big quantity.

Kinurutuk, a sweet and smooth Murut dessert made with tapioca starch, coconut milk, brown sugar and sago

One of my favourite is the steamed pelian, the most delicious freshwater fish of Sabah. Its meat is sweet, tender and fatty, even the scales are edible. Pelian is similar to Empurau, the most expensive freshwater fish of Malaysia. I love their deer meats too.

Steamed pelian, one of the most tasty freshwater fishes. Even its scales are edible.

This is just the first stop of my journey in Sapulot. Sapulot was used to be the land of headhunters in the past. Headhunting is long gone, so now we can travel freely in Sapulot. I can’t wait to show you some beautiful places that were once a sacred ground. In fact, many tourists from USA and Europe have visited Sapulut for a raw Borneo experience.

About Sapulot (or Sapulut)

Sapulut is a small district of Sabah interior about 47 KM away from Nabawan town (217 KM away from Kota Kinabalu City. Accessible by paved road). Most of the population in Sapulot are Murut. Sapulot (or Sapulut) means “sticky” in Murut language because the Sapulut River takes longer time to clear when it turns murky after rain.

Location map of Sapulot and its surrounding

For a tour in Sapulut, you can contact Borneo Outback Tours Sdn Bhd (Licenses: Co. No. 846369-H / KPK / LN:9247) at:
Website: www.borneo.tours
Facebook: orou.sapulot
Instagram: @orousapulot
Phone: +60 19 2277077 (Whatsapp), +60 87 337 277
Address: A-7-2, Apollo Atrium, 89008 Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia

The tourism operations in Sapulot are managed by Orou Sapulot (means the Sun of Sapulot), a community based project to promote tourism and in sustainable manner.

Misty rainforest of Sapulut

Photos taken in Sapulut, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo