Gomantong Caves, Sabah

Bird nest can be grossly divided into house bird nest and cave bird nest. In East Malaysia, cave bird nests which are harvested from the caves are commonplace. Bird nests have been harvested from the caves for more than 100 years. One of the famous sites is Gomantong Caves.

Gomantong Caves is situated at the south of Sandakan Town of Sabah. Due to spectacular view of the caves and the swiftlets, it has been a tourist attraction in Sandakan beside Proboscis monkey.

Gomantong Caves consist of three cave chambers namely Simud Putih, Simud Hitam and Bobong Bulud. All the three main caves are interconnected. White bird nest can be found in Simud Putih whereas black bird nest in Simud Hitam.

When you enters the caves, you will find cathedral like chambers. Hundreds of thousands of swiftlets occupy the caves with a few feet of guano on the ground.

The swiftlets share the caves with the bats. In the evening, you can see the bats move out of the caves and a short while later the swiftles move in from foraging in the nearby forest. Occasionally, you may see bat hawk appear in the sky hunting for its dinner.

Posted by Chai Yong of http://www.banyan-bird-nest.com