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The Niah National Park is one of the popular tourist attractions in Malaysia.
It is famous all over the world for the oldest human remains in South East Asia
found in its Great Caves that date back to some 40000 years. Fragments of pottery,
stone tools, ornaments and a splendid set of wall paintings of red haematite depicting
activities of stick-like men with hunting weapons and boats were also found by
archeologists. The works of this unknown artist is estimated to be more than 1000
years old.
The Niah National Park in Malaysia comprises of alluvial as well as
some dipterocarp forest which has a number of jungle tracks. You will come across
long-tailed macaques, hornbills, squirrels, flying lizards and crocodiles in
the park. Bat hawks are alos there that provide an impressive spectacle particularly
when they home in one of the millions of bats which pour out of the caves at
dusk. The dark Niah caves are home to millions of bats and swiftest. As you
walk along the way, you will meet workers who are collecting guano which is
the accumulation of bird and bat faeces for use as fertiliser.
The caves are also known for their edible birds' nests, made out of the glutinous
saliva of millions of swiftlets. These nests are collected by labourers who
risk their lives to reach the ceiling of the caves at a height of some 50 metres
or higher.
The Niah National Park is one of the most popular attractions in the state
of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is estimated that about 15000 visitors come to the
park every year.
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