The Canopy Walk in Mulu National Park, Borneo is one of the top things to do when visiting the area, and why wouldn’t it be? You cross a bridge 25 metres high, 480 metres long, and stroll through the tree canopy for a glimpse of life above the jungle floor, all the while looking out for birds and monkeys; who wouldn’t want to do this amazing activity in such magnificent surroundings?
People with a fear of heights, that’s who!
People with a fear of heights, that’s who!
I am one of those people! This was something I wanted to do as I love the jungle and I’ll be darned if I was going to let a silly thing like my fear get in my way, but how would I get through it, would I make it to the end?
Gunung Mulu National Park where the Skywalk is located is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Borneo’s Sarawak region. Mulu is only accessible by a 30 minute flight from its nearest town of Miri and during the flight, all you can see below is the snaking jungle river and tall mountainous trees.
The views from the short plane ride to Mulu are breath taking
The airport is also surrounded by mountains and looks more like a large open carpark. Mulu really is an incredible place to visit and if you are interested in hiking, are a lover of geology or amazed by jungle life, then Mulu is definitely a place you should check out.
The airport has a surreal feel because of scenery like this
Now let me tell you about The Skywalk as it is known. It’s “the world’s longest tree based canopy walk” and is basically a suspended walkway made from wooden planks and ropes in the National Park. So, the fear of heights that I have; it’s not a straight forward rational one that I don’t like heights full stop – I don’t like anything high that wobbles or situations where my feet aren’t on solid ground. For instance, standing at the top of a really tall building for magnificent views is fine, but riding a horse isn’t (which is a bucket list item; ride a horse along a beach). The fear that I have means I scream and cry, and it doesn’t matter if I’m in public with strangers. Fear is fear and when it creeps over me I simply fall apart – until I shut my eyes that is; that can get me through most things. However, to walk across a bridge, my eyes would have to be open so I would have to think of another way of getting through this.
To reach the Skywalk itself, we walked for around 30 minutes in to the National Park along a raised boardwalk with our guide (Nimrod) pointing out various stick insects along the way, and when I say stick insect, I mean stick insect! He actually put a stick next to one and we couldn’t tell the difference; this made way for a new jungle game “stick or insect”. Oh, how we are easily pleased!
The long stick dead center is actually an insect - honest!
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The beautiful Brookes Wing butterfly - named after James Brooke
 One of many HUGE trees |  The Pygmy Squirrel |
Along the way we marvelled at the huge trees surrounding us, followed a pygmy squirrel as it scampered up a tree… I had never even heard of a pygmy squirrel! The butterflies were so bright and beautiful and we also saw a green lizard trying to catch its lunch and all the while the noise from the frogs, cicadas and birds was deafening; we loved it!
The winding Jungle Boardwalk
As we approached the entrance to the steps for the canopy walk, Nimrod ran through a few safety pointers with us. Only two people were allowed on the bridge sections at any one time and at each of the sixteen platforms along the way, only six people were allowed to stand on it.
“Everyone OK”? asked Nimrod, then looked at me. Clearly I had a look of terror on my face and I warned him “Yep. Fine. I’m terrified of heights so if I cry, just ignore me. I’m serious, if I cry then no need to worry, it’s normal for me”.
Once we had walked up the steps to the beginning of the bridge, I had my first glimpse of the narrow walkway – YIKES!
Once we had walked up the steps to the beginning of the bridge, I had my first glimpse of the narrow walkway – YIKES!
 The first of many high bridges |  Sy wasn't enjoying himself at all was he !?!? |
So this was it. I started to take a few slow steps, gripping hold of the rope handrails, but the bridge began to wobble and I began to panic “I can’t do it!” I yelped and quickly turned around to stand on the safety of the platform. Clearly this was going to take some time.
I watched a father and his 9 year old son bound along the bridge without a care in the world, a big happy smile on the young child’s face. He was loving it. One by one I watched as everyone made their way across, all of them appeared fearless; none of them cried. None of them turned around and came back.
“Come on Angie, you can do this” I said to myself. Nimrod said he would go on ahead and join the rest of the group so he could point out any wildlife he spotted; we certainly didn’t want anyone missing out because of me. We watched as Nimrod walked purposefully with one foot in front of the other dead centre on the boards; there was minimal wobble. That was how I needed to walk.
OK, let’s do this!
With no one around, I stepped slowly and carefully onto the bridge, head held high, gripping for dear life onto the handrail and just put one foot in front of the other. I was shaking all over but I was going to take my own sweet time doing this!
I watched a father and his 9 year old son bound along the bridge without a care in the world, a big happy smile on the young child’s face. He was loving it. One by one I watched as everyone made their way across, all of them appeared fearless; none of them cried. None of them turned around and came back.
“Come on Angie, you can do this” I said to myself. Nimrod said he would go on ahead and join the rest of the group so he could point out any wildlife he spotted; we certainly didn’t want anyone missing out because of me. We watched as Nimrod walked purposefully with one foot in front of the other dead centre on the boards; there was minimal wobble. That was how I needed to walk.
OK, let’s do this!
With no one around, I stepped slowly and carefully onto the bridge, head held high, gripping for dear life onto the handrail and just put one foot in front of the other. I was shaking all over but I was going to take my own sweet time doing this!
 And she is off... doing well so far! |  One down, lots more to go... |
I made it to the first platform! Only 15 more to reach the end.
So that is what I did for the next hour. I would talk out loud to myself with a mantra “one foot in front of the other, middle of the walkway, don’t look down, look at the tree in front” and I would repeat it for nearly all 15 bridges.
But it worked you know!
So that is what I did for the next hour. I would talk out loud to myself with a mantra “one foot in front of the other, middle of the walkway, don’t look down, look at the tree in front” and I would repeat it for nearly all 15 bridges.
But it worked you know!
I would stop at each platform, wipe the sweat off my hands, have a quick look up and around (but not down! Oh no, don’t look down!) then I would head off again, slowly, slowly.
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After a few bridges, I started to pay attention to what was going on around me, when I reached the platforms. I enjoyed listening to the sounds of the jungle and knowing that this was a unique way of experiencing a rainforest. There was no one else around, no human voices, nobody walking past me and I was literally at one with nature. It was wonderful, and it made all this worth it.
Fantastic views of the Jungle below
Towards the end, I will admit, it was all getting a bit too much and it felt as though my head was becoming cloudy. Every single step meant maximum concentration of not letting the bridge wobble and not letting fearful thoughts creep into my head to put me off my A-game. “What if this board breaks, it happens you know! Someone could be walking along and it gives way, what if that’s me. I have seen it in movies. What if it breaks and my foot falls through? What if the bridge collapses and I am dangling onto this handrail for dear life, screaming all the way?”… it was at this point I would grip onto the bridge tighter and mentally slap myself and continue with my mantra out loud “one foot in front of the other…"
Apparently the park rangers and maintenance staff check the canopy walk before it is opened to the public and it’s replaced every 5-10 years due to wear and tear, so it’s safe … well, as safe as it can be given the nature of it!
Bridge after bridge - but each one step closer to the end
I walked around the corner of a tree and as I looked up, I could see there were two small bridges left. Just as I stepped onto the last bridge, a huge smile crept across my face and tears of relief started to run down my face. “I did it, yaaaaay, I did it all”. Nimrod was just sitting there; he had been waiting for us for about half an hour as no one is allowed to be left on the bridge unsupervised.
Sy was in his element and thoroughly enjoyed it Sy joined me. He said (and I quote) “it was ace!”, his experience was totally different and he was in his element. He admired the views and looked up, down and all around whilst he was walking, photographing the scenery and taking videos. I asked him if he made the bridge wobble for grins and he told me “No. Some of those structures looked a little precarious and some of the boards needed a little bit of maintenance”. Yep – saw that – seeeeee, my crazy thoughts weren’t completely irrational!
My hands were shaking, my knees were like jelly but I felt elated that I had done it. We didn’t see a darn thing though, no monkeys, no birds, all I saw was the tree in front. Sy said he was looking all around (including down) and couldn’t spot anything; you need a trained eye to find anything in this dense jungle and alas, that wasn’t us.
My hands were shaking, my knees were like jelly but I felt elated that I had done it. We didn’t see a darn thing though, no monkeys, no birds, all I saw was the tree in front. Sy said he was looking all around (including down) and couldn’t spot anything; you need a trained eye to find anything in this dense jungle and alas, that wasn’t us.
So, did I get anything out of my experience? Sort of. I know I can put myself through fear if I want/have to and I did love the idea of being up in the trees, knowing I was doing something special, and I did enjoy the peace and quiet from the world when standing on the platforms. As for enjoying the experience itself, uummmmm…. “enjoy” isn’t the word I would use but I endured it.
Has this cured my fear of heights and wobbly bridges? Absolutely not, I’m still just as scared! There is a small suspension bridge into the National Park that I had to walk over every time I entered and exited the Park and I still had to wait until no one was on it, walk down the middle and hold Sy’s hand.
Has this cured my fear of heights and wobbly bridges? Absolutely not, I’m still just as scared! There is a small suspension bridge into the National Park that I had to walk over every time I entered and exited the Park and I still had to wait until no one was on it, walk down the middle and hold Sy’s hand.
I never even got used to the suspension bridge at the Park entrance
Would I recommend this canopy walk to everyone? ABSOLUTELY! If I can do it, you can do it and the chances are you will be like everyone else and possibly feel a little uncertain at first (if at all) but then you will enjoy the experience. So, if you are in Mulu National Park and haven’t done anything like this before then DO IT!
I don’t know if my fear of heights will ever be cured, but I know I will do my best not to let it get in my way if there is something I want to do!
I don’t know if my fear of heights will ever be cured, but I know I will do my best not to let it get in my way if there is something I want to do!
Booking information
You cannot do this walk without a guide so you need to book your timeslot either via Mulu National Park website or in person at the Park HQ. It is advisable to book this popular tour for the beginning of your trip as numbers are limited. Also, if the jungle experiences a lot of rain (which happens quite a bit, this is a “rainforest” after all), for safety reasons, the tour may be cancelled.
You will need to register at Park HQ upon arrival and pay RM30 (£6) for a five day pass (it doesn’t matter if you are staying here one day or five days, you receive the same pass).
Jungle tips
- Non-slip walking shoes should ideally be worn as the boardwalk becomes very slippery when wet.
- Take a rain jacket/poncho with you as it’s not called a “rainforest” for nothing.
- Timeslots are booked for 2 hours but you can take your time to wander back admiring the jungle when you have finished – it took us 3 hours in total!
- Take water with you as the jungle is hot and humid.
- Wear quick-drying clothes; it doesn’t have to be walking shorts/trousers, sportswear, running gear or board shorts are all perfect for the jungle.
- No need to wear insect repellent, the 3 million bats that live in the surrounding caves keep the mosquito population down.
Getting to Mulu
Mulu is in the Sarawak region of Malaysian Borneo and is only accessible by a short 30 minute flight with MASwings from Miri. You can also fly from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and other places in Borneo but you may have a brief stop in Miri).
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Do you have a fear that you have tried to conquer? What did you do and did it work? Share your secret with me in the comments below.
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