After visiting Bau town which is 40 km (50 minutes) from Kuching City, we swung over to Fairy Cave which is another 10 minutes drive (7 km) away.
Fairy Cave entrance is at level four of the four storey platform.
The ticket booth, toilets and shoe rental are at the ground floor. Fully covered shoes are required for entry to Fairy Cave. They have kampung Adidas (dependable ugly rubber ducklings) for rent at RM3 a pair.
View of the surrounding hills and plains from the viewing platform on level four.
Is that Maw San (hat mountain)?
Here we go into the unknown. I had no idea what to expect.
There were stairs and in some parts, ladders to climb. We were advised to bring torches which I brought but didn't need to use them today (we were here between 3pm to 4pm). We also didn't go into any of the dark tunnels this time.
The climb and walk was moderately challenging but most people would be able to complete it at their comfortable pace given sufficient time.
The view of the rock face and a sky opening at the top of the ladder.
Showers or micro waterfalls from the rock face.
As you explore Fairy Cave, climbing the stairs and ladders, beware of wet floor which are covered with dripping water and bat excrement. A good pair of water proof, non slip trekking shoes is essential to prevent slipping.
A hat is a very good idea to keep bat excrement from dropping onto your hair. Keep your hands away from the railings and other surfaces unless necessary as most are wet and covered with bat dropping (guano). Bring a bottle of water for hand washing and drinking.
The cave chamber was huge, bright and breezy but was quite humid and wet. Despite the abundance of bat droppings (guano), there was no bad smell.
A huge sky opening lets in light and a constant cool breeze.
The numerous thousands of year old moss covered limestone stalactites and stalagmites, big, small, in all kinds of shapes give the Fairy Cave a mysterious atmosphere.
Stalagmite forming right before our eyes with mineral rich water building the "statue" drop by drop. But, we have to be patient as it takes hundreds of thousands of years.
The sun rays beaming in from the sky opening falling on the moss covered limestone formations make a fascinating display of light and shadows, contrasts of green, grey, blue and earth colours like mother nature's theatre.
Mineral rich water trickle from the roof constantly showering the sunbathed plants as they luxuriate in guano enriched soil.
According to Bidayuh Dayak legend, a boy once stumbled upon a gawai celebration in a neighbouring village. Curious, he peeped into the activities but was caught by a villager.
The angry villager took some sugarcane husks (bagasse), stuffed them into a box and gave it to the boy, saying it was a gift of pork. The boy happily brought the box back to his mother. But, they soon found out that there was only inedible sugarcane waste and no pork. They had been pranked.
The humiliated mother decided to return the favour - she dressed a cat in clothes and ask the boy to send it back to the villager.
The boy threw the dressed up cat into the gawai celebration. When the villagers saw the cat, they laughed and sneered.
Suddenly, a great thunderstorm broke out, and the villagers all turned into the stalactites and stalagmites of Fairy Cave 😮
How many mocking villagers can you spot?
One of the large stalagmites looked like Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, hence the cave was named Fairy Cave.
For obvious safety reasons, the cave closes at 4pm before it gets dark. Last entry is 3pm.
Aiyah... I missed the legendary Yeti footprint this round and also the beautiful slipper orchid. Need to come back again and spend more time here.
Fairy Cave is worth a revisit, once is not enough. There's also the nearby Wind Cave which we didn't have time to visit during this trip.
Fairy Cave | Gua Pari Pari
Address: 94000 Bau, Sarawak, Malaysia
Tel: +6011 6572 9290
Hours: 9am - 3pm (closed on Monday)
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