In the 19th century, Spenser St. John and Charles Hose, attempted to conquer Mount Mulu. However, their attempts failed. It was only in the 1920s, when a Berawan rhino hunter named Tama Nilong discovered the south-west ridge near the mountain which eventually led to the summit. In 1932, Tama Nilong led Lord Shackleton and an Oxford University Expedition to the summit of Mount Mulu.