Niah National Park

The mouth of Niah's Great Cave is enormous enough to hold a cathedral — a dark, cool opening into limestone hills that has sheltered human life for an extraordinary length of time. Excavations here in the 1950s uncovered a human skull dated to roughly 40,000 years old, among the oldest modern human remains found anywhere in Southeast Asia.

Deeper into the system, the Painted Cave still holds faint ochre drawings and boat-shaped 'death ship' coffins from ancient burial rites, while the caves continue to be harvested under permit for swiftlet nests and guano, much as they have been for generations.

From Miri, take any bus heading to Bintulu, Sibu or Kuching from the Pujut Corner Bus Terminal and ask to be dropped at the Niah Rest Stop (around RM10–15), then a short taxi to the park HQ (RM30–50). A direct Grab runs about RM100–120, a taxi around RM160, or self-drive the 80km coast road in about 1 hour 30. Day tours from Miri, all-inclusive, run around RM260 per person.