Where millions of bats hang themselves

MALAYSIA On the way to the Gomantong cave, millions of bats hang from the ceiling, floor and walls, and they will rush out as the sun sets.

Deep in the humid rain forests on Borneo Island, Malaysia, a limestone fissure opens up a complex cave system, not for the faint of heart. It is Gomantong, the largest cave in Sabah state, located in the preserved forest of the local Forestry Department.

Gomantong cave system has two main compartments: Black Cave and White Cave. Photo: Hello Travel.

On the way to the cave, millions of bats hang from the ceiling as high as 91 meters, ready to rush outside when the sun sets - this can be a nightmare for many people. And in the cave floor crawling cockroaches, bugs, mice and insects eating bat manure with the birds nest fell from the nest.

This cave also has snakes, mud crabs, giant centipedes and scorpions. The atmosphere smelled of ammonia because the droppings of birds and bats were more than 30 cm thick below the ground.

Gomantong Cave is also famous for its bird's nest with high economic value, up to 1,600 USD per kg. Most of the bird's nests collected by locals go to Hong Kong. To prevent overfishing, the government only allows people to take swallow nests twice a year, from February to April and July to September. The first harvest takes place at the beginning of the breeding season before the birds nest their eggs. The second time is when the bird nest leaves the nest after the eggs hatch. One can only use rattan ladders, ropes and bamboo poles to climb to the ceiling of the cave.

With a diverse ecosystem, Gomantong is one of the places that attracts scientists, and tourists love to learn about the natural world. Now this place has a wooden walkway leading visitors to visit. Therefore they may be somewhat less concerned about walking on huge piles of bird and bat dung in the background.

Most tourists choose to come here as part of a $ 62.5 package tour to explore Kinabatangan, Sabah state capital or short tour to explore the cave system in Mulu National Park, Sarawak state.