Malaysian Borneo – Sabah Tips & articles

Jul 20, 2009 5:34:18 AM

Travel secret #10: Gomantang Caves, Sabah

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Caves that are home to bats and swifts and were also hideouts for the Japanese during the Allied invasion of Borneo in WW2, Kinabatangan River

• Mark Daffey
• Lonely Planet Photographer

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Coming in at #10 on the list of Lonely Planet Magazine’s best-kept travel secrets is Gomantang Caves, recommended by Simon Reeve, presenter of Explore and Tropic of Capricorn:

‘A few years back I canoed down the Kinabatangan River in Borneo to find elephants and proboscis monkeys, then visited the Gomantang Caves, a cathedral-sized home to thousands of swifts and bats. There was a small hill in the cave built entirely of their droppings, and as I clambered up the hill in the darkness, I could hear a crunching sound with each step. I looked at my feet with a torch - the surface of the dung hill was alive with huge insects swarming silently over my boots. The stench was incredible but I’ll treasure the memories.’

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