LAWAI ANAK KUMPANG¹

Mulu National Park was officially opened to the public in 1985. It lies on the southern boundary of Brunei, 70 miles away from Miri, from where it is accessible by both air and water transport.. Its attractions include large cave systems, mountains, pinnacles and jungle trekking on the Head Hunter’s Trail.

Four caves in Mulu have been developed as show caves with comfortable paths and lights. Many other ‘wild’ caves are available for adventure caving with many options, ranging from relatively easy to highly technical caving experiences (Meredith et. al., 1992). Most of these caves require personal physical fitness and some ability to climb and swim. The visitors should also be prepared to get wet, dirty and tired. These activities depend very much on the weather and the availability of staff, as a limited number of group members (6 people) is allowed per guide.

The most popular caves for adventure caving are the Sarawak Chamber cave, through passages from Wind cave to Clearwater cave, Racer cave and Lagang cave, all located inside Mount Api. Adventure caving trips take at least one day and sometimes involve an overnight stay underground.

Mulu received 1,456 visitors in June 2001, of whom 159 (10%) participated in adventure caving activities.

According to the second Tourism Master plan study Sarawak, the adventure caving activity in Mulu National Park was not well promoted (State Government of Sarawak, 1993). However, the number of visitors participating has increased in recent years (Mulu National Park, 2001).

Mulu National Park was selected as the site for this study as it is an established area for adventure caving activities for visitors. The aims of this study are to identify:

• the satisfaction level of visitors with adventure caving activities,
• the importance of the activities as an attraction to visitors,
• participants’ demographic characteristics, and
• the most popular sites for caving activities.

The method used to collect data was through interviews with questionnaires. Leaders of groups participating in adventure caving were interviewed at the end of the trip, in the cave, at park headquarters or at their accommodation, to gather information about the members of the group. The interview was conducted in English and those who could not speak English were excluded from the survey.

Fourteen groups did adventure caving during the period of the survey, from 1 June to 10 July 2001. Three groups of 12 people were not interviewed as they were in a hurry and could not be contacted later. The results for 11 groups comprising 147 people are presented in this report. 

The result for the number of participants who visited each cave at Mulu is represented in the pie chart shown in Figure1.

Figure 1: Number and percentage of participants for each cave

All participants were between 20 and 40 years of age: 38% were 30 or less and 62% between 31 and 40 years. Almost all (98%) were caving for the first time and had no previous experience.

The main source of information (80% of respondents) on the caving activities was the tour operators, with only 20% referring to the Mulu pamphlet. In both cases, over 90% of respondents reported that the information given was correct and sufficient.

Most of the participants (97%) had encountered squeezes in the cave, 20% rope climbs and 9% swimming in an underground river; all reported enjoying these experiences. All respondents had negotiated traverses in the caves, and a few (7%) had not enjoyed this. Traversing is a technique which has no equivalent outside caves, and may be intimidating for inexperienced people.

All respondents expressed satisfaction with adventure caving, 17% using the words ‘fantastic’ or ‘excellent experience’, 80% said it was ‘good’ and 3% used the word ‘interesting’.

Future research should survey the members of groups as well as leaders, and could use "likert scales" to gather visitor satisfaction levels with a wide range distinct aspects of the activity. It may also be necessary to adapt the questionnaire for those who do not speak English. Direct observation in the cave could be used to find the level of individual skills of each participant.

The results showed that almost all participants were young and fit but had no experience in caving, so skilled guides are very important for safe and enjoyable handling of the caving activity. The tourism masterplan (State Government of Sarawak, 1993) noted that natural attractions needed better interpretation and guide services, and management should plan to upgrade all guides by organising training programmes to provide better skills and services for all kinds of activities within the national park.

Traverse sections in the cave worried a few participants; the situation could be improved by fitting new safety ropes on traverses. Guides should make regular checks on all parts of the cave and report safety problems to management.

The most significant result from the survey was the high level of satisfaction and enjoyment reported. The natural beauty of wild caves must thus be conserved and maintained in its present condition to provide opportunities for adventure caving.

Further research is required to collect more information on public perceptions of Mulu’s other natural attractions. Through visitors’ enjoyment and appreciation of their experience in the park we can achieve public support for its conservation and protection objectives.

State Government of Sarawak (1993). The Second Tourism Masterplan Study Sarawak. Volume 1 (unpublished and prepared by Tourism Resource Consultants/Lincoln International Limited).

Meredith M., J. Wooldridge and B. Lyon (1992). Giant caves of Borneo Tropical Press, Kuala Lumpur.

Mulu National Park (2001). Mulu Visitor’s Statistic of year 2001 (unpublished report by park warden of Mulu National Park).