The Wind Cave Nature Reserve is a popular tourist attraction 45 minutes from Kuching, Sarawak. A roughly 875-metre trail network winds through the cave and surrounding jungle, home to swiftlets and 24 bat species. The Wind Caves also features fossilised shells embedded in its limestone walls. With bats, birds, and fossils waiting to be spotted within the dark caverns, it is a fun activity for keen-eyed visitors who enjoy hunting for things!
How to Get to Wind Caves
E-Hailing
Using the Grab app is the easiest and fastest way to get to the Wind Caves. Most tourists come from Kuching, where there are lots of drivers. The fare cost us RM52 from our Kuching hotel to the Wind Caves, and the ride took about 50 minutes.
Bus
No buses go directly to the Wind Caves. Only the Q08 bus from Kuching goes to the nearby town of Bau. Check the “Bus” section in my Bau Lake post for more information. Once in Bau, you can take a five-minute Grab ride, or walk for about 30 minutes to the Wind Caves. The route is straightforward, taking you through town and along the main rural “highway” (Jalan Taiton) before turning onto Lor 8 to reach the Wind Caves. The walk gets hot, with very little shade along the way, so bring a hat and an umbrella for sun protection.
Admission Price & Opening Hours of Wind Caves
The Wind Caves are open Wednesday to Monday from 9 am to 3 pm, with last entry at 3 pm.
The Wind Caves are closed every Tuesday for maintenance work.
What to See at Wind Caves
The Wind Caves have four trails: Cave Bat, Riverview, Jungle, and Fossil. They total 875 metres and take about 60 minutes to complete. The Wind Caves have easy terrain, with wooden boardwalks and a few flights of stairs along the trails.
Cave Bat Trail
What’s in this cave? Bats! Hundreds of them hung upside down in clusters, seemingly by one leg. In my experience, other bat caves have the creatures dangling so high on the cave roof that you’d need binoculars to see them properly (binoculars, if you own a pair, are an excellent accessory to have for your visit, by the way!).
At the Wind Caves, the trail comes close to the rock walls at certain points where crowds of bats sleep. You won’t be close enough to touch them, but you can easily see them with the naked eye using a torch, especially since the bats are constantly wriggling as they groom themselves or shift into more comfortable positions. You may also spot the occasional swiftlet darting around the cave. Unlike its nocturnal neighbours, swiftlets stay active during the day. Its nests stand out against the rocky walls, resembling creamy beige half-moons stuck to the surface.
A side path to the Geology Lookout Point branches off the main trail shortly after the cave entrance. The lookout requires a short climb up some stairs and offers an elevated view of the cave entrance.
Riverview Trail
This offshoot path from the Cave Bat Trail heads toward the Sarawak Kanan River. The trail crosses a small cave stream before reaching a “window” at the cave edge. This window offers a view of the water as it branches off from the wider Kanan River into the Wind Caves. The walkway then sharply hooks right up the stairs and leads outside the cave. Trees screen any river view, but from this platform, you can get a good look at the limestone cliff face up close.
Jungle Trail
The Jungle Trail is the least interesting. It is simply a utilitarian raised walkway through the jungle. The trail follows the cave’s outer perimeter, with paths leading to either the Fossil Trail or the visitor centre. A couple of gazebos along the way provide spots to rest. The information board lists several bat species that inhabit the surrounding jungle, but I didn’t spot any wildlife along the trail.
Fossil Trail
This short, relatively straight path through the final cave section includes a fossil scavenger hunt. Keep your torchlight steady and your eyes peeled upwards to spot the distinct shapes of ancient marine organisms embedded in the limestone.
Facilities
The toilets at the Wind Caves cost 50 sen per entry.
The staff member sitting outside the washrooms also has a cart full of items to buy or rent. Management will not allow visitors to enter the caves wearing open-toed sandals. However, they have Adidas kampung (rubber slip-on shoes) to rent for RM3. If you forgot to apply insect repellent, you can buy some here. I didn’t find it too buggy in the cave, but then again, I applied bug spray at my hotel. You can also rent a flashlight for RM5. I wouldn’t rely on your phone’s torch while in the Wind Cave. The concentrated beam of a proper torch makes it much easier to aim at the bats and spot them. In my opinion, the price is negligible and worth it if you didn’t bring your own torch.
What to Eat at Wind Caves
There are currently no restaurants at the Wind Caves. The building behind the toilets looked like a perfect spot for a cafe, but it was devoid even of furniture during our visit. Perhaps it was being renovated, or management decided it’s not worth the cost and labour of running a restaurant.
Saturday Worthy?
We chose to visit the Wind Caves because they were easier to get to. We’re used to walking, so we didn’t mind a 30-minute walk to Bau after the caves rather than waiting for a Grab. Seeing bats so up close was really cool and a first for me. Even though the Wind Caves are the “lesser caves,” they are still well-maintained and offer an interesting way to spend an hour or two, especially for visitors with a sharp eye.
Many consider the Fairy Caves the better attraction. While the Fairy Caves are more photogenic, they are much further away from town. Their remote location makes it difficult to get a Grab driver for the return journey or onward travel to another destination. It’s really only convenient to visit if you are on a tour or have booked a driver for the day. We have seen some really impressive caves on previous trips (such as the Eisriesenwelt in Austria or Ipoh’s Gua Tempurung), so we didn’t feel the Fairy Caves were worth the transport hassle. If you’re more interested in cave systems and have reliable transport, then choose the Fairy Caves. If you want to see wildlife and are relying on Grab to get around, it’s best to stick to the Wind Caves.
