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Malaysia: Mulu caves, Kinabalu forests and George Town

Rainfall links sandstone and limestone at Mulu, while height and rock shape the forests of Kinabalu. On Penang Island, George Town’s occupied shophouses sit among buildings used for worship by different communities.

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Grey limestone blades of the Pinnacles rising from green forest in Gunung Mulu National Park, with mist drifting over the hillside behind
The limestone Pinnacles in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, photographed in July 2019.Photograph: Nur Nafis Naim

At a glance

Mount Kinabalu summit
4,095 m[4]
Ultramafic rock in Kinabalu Park
About 16% of the park[4]
George Town core and buffer together
5,013 buildings; 37 places of worship[6]

A place worth remembering

Mulu: rainfall moving through two kinds of rock

At Gunung Mulu, the caves belong to a wider water route through the rock. The park describes rain absorbed by the sandstone massif moving into and beneath adjacent limestone, where steep terrain has shaped the Melinau karst. Its Pinnacles page reports that some limestone spires reach 50 m.[1][2][3]

Kinabalu: tree line and ultramafic soils

Mount Kinabalu reaches 4,095 m. Sabah Parks links the tree line to a lack of soil rather than elevation alone. UNESCO puts the ultramafic-rock share at about 16% of the park. According to Sabah Parks, Nepenthes villosa and N. rajah, both pitcher plants, are confined to ultramafic soils within Kinabalu Park.[4][5]

George Town: homes and places of worship

George Town World Heritage Incorporated gives combined core-and-buffer figures of 5,013 buildings and 37 worship sites. Its page notes that some shophouses remain homes for long-time residents.[6]

Good to know

A few clear answers before you explore.

Where are Mulu, Kinabalu and George Town?

Gunung Mulu National Park is in Sarawak on Borneo; Kinabalu Park is in Sabah on the same island. George Town is on Penang Island.[1][4][6]

Is the tree line on Mount Kinabalu set by altitude alone?

No. Sabah Parks says soil availability is the deciding factor for the tree line.[5]

Which streets does the heritage group highlight for their religious buildings?

It names Lebuh Cannon and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling as examples where buildings are associated with different faiths.[6]

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