| Deer Cave is a gaping cavern in the mountainside, huge beyond comprehension. It doesn't have the attractive formations of Lang's Cave, but you will wander through with mouth agape until you're assaulted by the stink of ammonia from the piles of guano on the floor. Look up and you'll see the cause - some two million free-tailed bats clinging to a roof so distant that they appear as a seething black mass. The bats emerge from the cave entrance between 5 and 6 pm each night in a vast chittering stream that can last for half an hour. They can be seen from quite a distance, and a 'bat observatory' station has been built; there are also picnic tables from where you can get a great view. The swarm is a sight not to be missed and is one of the wildlife highlights of Mulu.

Deer Cave: entrance (left) and open end (right) 
Illuminated walkway (left) and bats emerging from the cave every evening (right)

These images are the copyright of Manfred Leiter. For more information visit http://www.tropicalisland.de/travel_borneo.html
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