Writing about Langanan waterfalls the last time around made us wanted to tell everyone about another hidden gem also located in Ranau. That place is the abandoned Mamut copper mine!
Before being able to start the trek, we had to drive for about 40 minutes just to get to the front entrance of the mine. It literally took that long because of the potholes we had to maneuver around and some are as huge as a giant's footprint! We heaved out a sigh of relief when we arrived at the entrance. Parked the car, grabbed our essentials and started to trek to the mine. We thought it was only a short one but we were sooo mistaken! It took us about 1 hour just to get to the mine itself, the terrain is uneven, rocky, and there's only about 5-10% of scattered shade provided by trees along the road that'll protect you from direct sunlight. FYI, we started at about 10 am, so the sun was in full force by the time we head back to the car! That 'are we there yet?' feeling is inevitable, but it'll be worth it as soon as you can see the mine and the amazingly picturesque view!
The water is toxic and eerily calm. We even heard from old timers that you can completely submerge numerous mining vehicles in these waters. According to local history, the mine was doing pretty good in 1975. Raking in the big bucks in the process. But a toxic spill at a nearby village caused an agricultural catastrophe that subsequently led to the mine's closure.
We made huge mistakes by wearing sleeveless workout attire & not applying any sunscreen so we definitely paid the full price by the end of the day!😂 We'll surely keep our past mistakes in mind to avoid any unwanted regrets the next time we decide to come here again!
