Pinnacles, Mulu National Park

About Pinnacles

The Pinnacles are a major attraction of the Gunung Mulu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are a group of razor-sharp limestone spikes on the slopes of Gunung Api. While they are great to view from the a plane, getting to them presents one of the toughest treks in the national park. It involves trekking for 3 days on a very steep trail that demands a high degree of fitness.

To reach the Pinnacles, trekkers first take a 2-hour boat ride along the Melinau River to Kuala Berar. Be warn in advance that if the river level is low, you will have to get out and help to push your boat. From Kuala Berar, you begin a trek of about 7-9 km that takes you to Camp 5, which is located at the base of the Pinnacles. This is the easy part, as the trail is on flat land.

Camp 5 is located on the Melinau Gorge with Gunung Benarat on one side, and Gunung Api the other. There are hostels here were you can prepare your own food. You are expected to carry your trash with you when you leave. The Melinau River flows right in front of the camp and is ideal for a dip.

The real challenge begins on Day 2. It's the day you trek to the Pinnacles. The trail itself is not very long, juswt about 2400 meters. However, the tough part about that 2400 meters it that you will also be climbing a height of 1200 meters at the same time! As you climb up, the lowland dipterocarp forest is gradually replaces by moss forest. The ground is slippery and littered with broken limestone, so watch your steps. If you have the chance to catch your breath, look around the admire the flowers! You can see wild orchids and at higher levels, rhododendrons. How long you take you reach the view point depends on how fit you are, and how often you stop to rest or smell the flowers. A normal person will need 4-5 hours, though an athlete can race to the top within 2-3 hours.

After the breath-taking climb, you finally reach the top of an outcrop that will reward you with a view that is simply, well, breath taking. Spread out before you are layers of ash-grey walls of granite rising like rows of spears rising some 45 meters out of the rainforest. Depending on the light, they may appear snow white or bluish grey with a touch of purple. Clumps of vegetation hangs here and there around these soaring rock columns. Spend as much time as you need to enjoy the view, but keep an eye on your watch, for it's a long way back. In total, your excursion to view the Pinnacles will require 6-10 hours, depending on how fast you can climb, and how long you intend to stay up there.

Gunung Mulu National Park Location Map

View Pinnacles in a larger map.

Back to Discover Sarawak mainpage

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.