Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur

 

The Batu Caves are a place you should put in the higher ranks of your cultural bucket list. First of all, they are located in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, which is an awesome metropolis to visit, gawk at skyscrapers and shop, shop, until you drop :). Secondly, where else in the world can you find gigantic caves (in a metropolis), which are guarded by a huge, golden statue that just stands there outdoors, and you can walk in for free? If there are other places like this, please let me know in a comment. And here is some useful information for your visit of the Batu Caves:

 

How to get to the Batu Caves

I was located in Chinatown and figured out that there was a bus going to the caves (3RM) but it only runs in the afternoons. Hence, the best public transportation was the train. It wasn’t easy to find the train station, since it’s not the same as the metro and there are a lot more metro stations. In the end I found it with three Belgian girls, who had the same plans as I. It only cost 1RM to go all the way to the last station. The train runs about every 20min and is like heaven. The air-con is turned up very high but doesn’t make you freezing, like in the Thai malls. That’s why, when we arrived at the Batu Caves, I’d almost have liked to stay on the train and just ride back and forth. But luckily, my sense for exploring was stronger.

From the train station, it was a 3 min walk towards this huge rock just towering in the otherwise flat surroundings. You can’t miss the big golden statue at the beginning of the stairs. It was mesmerizing, standing at the starting point of about 350 steps, leading into a big cave. There were three lanes you could walk in and then climb the stairs. I thought I’d have to buy a ticket somewhere but you could just walk up. I couldn’t believe this place is still free!

A coke a day keeps the dizziness away

But now back to the task at hand: 350 steps in sizzling hot weather. I recommend to take your time looking at the monkeys (don’t go too close or they get aggressive) and enjoy the view of what you’ve already accomplished. I saw quite a few people not looking too well anymore because they were too hot. Therefore another tip: bring enough to drink and something to keep your energy level up. Luckily, I had a coke with me. Usually, I don’t like coke but in this heat it seems like “a coke a day keeps the dizziness away” :).

 

 

The caves

Finally, at the top of the stairs, you can give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy the view once more. Plus, now that I was at the entrance to the cave, I felt pretty tiny with this big hole towering over me. There is a small cave, where you can pay to enter and look at the bats that are inside. The caves with the temples inside are free.

On your walk through the cave you will meet some more stray animals like chicken and monkeys and when I was there, there also were many beautiful women from India, who attended some kind of ceremony and were receiving a blessing from a monk. I walked through the first cave and up into the second, smaller cave, with a temple inside. When I had enjoyed the more agreeable temperature inside the cave for a while and was done looking at the ornaments, I slowly walked back down the stairs. The steps are really small and the stairway very steep. I wondered, whether somebody got hurt walking down these steps already.

After this exercise you might be in the mood for some food. The only food that was available at the bottom however is Indian, so if you don’t like Indian cuisine, make sure to bring enough snacks.

Although it was afternoon by the time I was finished with my lunch, the buses were still not running, so I just traveled back to the city center by train and metro, since my next goal were the Petronas Towers.

If you want to read more about the sights of Kuala Lumpur click here.

What do you find the most useful tip in this post? What other sights similar to the Batu Caves should I visit on this world? Which picture do you like best? Please leave a comment.