Niah National Park

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Centred on the Niah Caves, one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia — excavations here uncovered the "Deep Skull," among the earliest modern human remains found anywhere in the region, dated to around 40,000 years old. The Great Cave itself is still very much alive: its ceiling holds huge colonies of swiftlets and bats whose nests have been harvested here for generations, a trade you can still see in progress on the cave floor. A raised plank walk makes the caves and surrounding forest easy to explore without a guide.