Dusk Cicadas: Usun Apau Ancient Forest
The forest habitat on a 1000m plateau is very different from the lowland one below, and so are the sounds. Here, there are fewer “rich” sounds of bird species, but there are some very specific ones that emerge from time to time. When the dusk is setting in the depths of the remote rainforest, the various cicadas begin their intense and powerful buzzing chorus, creating a special, eerie kind of feeling, adding mystery to the whole place. The sound builds gradually, layer upon layer, until it develops into a rich acoustic image. In the background, high above the canopies and the plateau cliffs, the hornbills are flying and doing their distinctive calls for goodnight, their massive wings creating audible whooshing sounds that blend behind the cicada chorus below.
About Usun Apau
Usun Apau is an isolated volcanic plateau situated deep within Borneo’s interior, making it one of the most biologically significant yet one of the least explored and accessible areas in Sarawak. This elevated landform, characterized by ancient lava flows and dramatic waterfalls, including the huge, 100m high Julan Waterfall, represents one of the final frontiers of truly virgin forest in Sarawak. The plateau is elevated at approximately 1,000 meters above sea level and represents a rare 471.22 km² sanctuary of untouched rainforest in the true Heart of Borneo.
I made an independent expedition here in February 2025 that required an 8-hour drive on challenging logging roads followed by a hard trek through unmarked jungle mountain terrain, spending 3 nights camping in the wild jungle. This remote mountain also holds cultural significance as a sacred birthplace for the indigenous Kenyah and Kayan peoples, which, according to local knowledge, descended from the plateau down to the valleys. “Usun” means “on top of,” and “Apau” means “plateau” in the local dialect.
Few scientific expeditions have ventured here, with each visit making discoveries, including the presence of orangutans in this region that were previously undocumented and thought they did not live in this area of the island.