Madai Caves

Madai Caves is an important place for birds' nests. The village at the entrance of the largest cave comes alive twice a year when the Ida’an community comes to harvest the birds' nests from various parts of the caves. It is a special communal event, almost like a festival. The harvesting is a dramatic event with the men risking their lives to prise precious nests from the cave roof. The Ida’ans have held their rights to the Madai Caves for over 20 generations.

To visit the Madai Caves, permission must be obtained from the Ida’an elders. Visitors may visit the District Office in Lahad Datu town to make prior arrangements for entrance permission on their behalf.

The caves can be easily visited, being only 1.6 kilometres from the main road. At the mouth of the cave, you can also see the nest collectors’ village. It is only occupied seasonally during harvesting times. If you do intend to venture into the caves, do remember to take a flashlight with you as some areas are in total darkness. But where you come across daylight shining through some of the openings, you will see the most fantastic limestone sculptures.

In August 2000, after offering special sacrifices and prayers, the Ida’ans gave permission for teams of the Eco-Challenge Sabah to enter the caves, climb rattan-ladders and do the flying fox from its summit, down to the jungle below in the world's toughest endurance race.

The Madai Caves are home to two types of fauna: the swiftlets and the bats. While the swiftlets are out foraging during the day and return to roost at night, the bats sleep at daylight and search for food at night.The Madai Caves are an important place for harvesting birds' nests. These nests are considered a delicacy and something of a medicine among the Chinese, and the export market is huge. The village at the entrance of the largest cave comes alive twice a year when the Idahan tribe comes to harvest the birds' nests from various parts of the caves. It is a special communal event, almost like a festival. The harvesting is a dramatic event with the men risking their lives to pry precious nests from the cave roof. Nowadays, the harvesters are hired. The Idahans have held their rights to the Madai Caves for over 20 generations.

To visit the caves, permission must be obtained from the Idahan elders. Visitors may visit the District Office in Lahad Datu town to make prior arrangements for entrance permission.The caves are near the Lahad Datu-Tawau Highway. The turn-off is 69km from Lahad Datu. Watch out for the signpost that says 'Gua Madai'. From the turn-off, it is 3km to the caves.
These caves are between the towns of Lahad Datu and Semporna. As such, you would be day-tripping from either place where the full range of accommodation is available.

May 02, 2008 08:54:26 AM

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