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When you are traveling to Malaysia, the chances are pretty high that at one point or another you end up staying in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is an amazing city with loads of shopping possibilities, great food, sightseeing attractions and a fun nightlife.
If you are looking for a day activity to escape the big city life for a little bit, then I would recommend a trip to the Batu Caves located in Gombak, Selangor. Just a short train ride away from Kuala Lumpur and an activity that should definitely be included in your Malaysia itinerary.


Why visit the Batu Caves?
First of all the large Hindu statue in front of the entrance is pretty impressive. Secondly all those steps are a great workout, but most importantly, those caves are pretty awesome in general. I have never seen anything like it.
While Kuala Lumpur is a great spot for Instagram tours, also the Batu Caves offer some incredible photo locations.
I know when traveling around South-East Asia you encounter multiple temples and religious monuments, but I have not come across any caves yet. Getting to the temples is cheap and easy and getting into the main cave is free, unless you want to do a tour or visit any of the attractions around.
And on top of all of that, if you are a fan of monkeys then you get to see a lot of cute little monkeys hanging around the Batu caves.



How to get to the Batu Caves?
The Batu Caves can easily be reached from Kuala Lumpur Sentral by train. If you are staying far away from the main station just get a metro to KL Sentral, where you will switch to the train. Most metro connections pass the railway station.
Get a ticket for the KTM Komuter by typing in your final destination which will be Batu Caves. The ticket is 2MYR (ca. β¬0.50) one way.
When I was there in December, the trains departed around every hour. But I believe during high season the train leaves more frequently.
After you checked when the next train will be arriving, head to Platform 3, where the train will depart. Use your train ticket to go through the electronic barriers.
It is approximately 8 stops to the Batu caves and will take around 30 minutes. By arrival, just follow the crowds to the exit of the station and you will already see the huge Hindu statue.
You have arrived at the caves.



The Batu Caves
The temple complex consists of three main caves and a few smaller ones. To reach the highest cave, which is called Tiger Cave, you have to climb a total of 272 steps, which is pretty exhausting. Especially in the heat!
Inside you will find various religious statues and shrines.


What to consider when visiting the Batu Caves?
Since it is a religious monument you should make sure to wear appropriate clothing. Shoulders and knees need to be covered. I forgot about it though, so for around 5MYR I could rent a big scarf to make sure my knees were covered, so I could enter the caves.
It also gets really hot in Malaysia so bring enough to drink and also some snacks, unless you want to buy them overpriced.
Be careful with any crisps or anything with plastic as the monkeys might take it.

Have you been to Malaysia before and are you considering going at some point?
Hope you are all having a lovely day,

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29 comments
[…] take the stairs further up to the left to reserve a spot on the guided tour of the Dark Cave. The Batu Caves have only been a sacred spot for Hindu pilgrims for the last 100 years or so. But it’s been a […]
I had visited Batu Caves two years back and its truly an enjoyable place to visit if you can ignore the monkeys there. Your post bought so many memories back today, I remember finding the stairs up there very exhaustive, but still it was worthy experience once I reached up to the caves.
This certainly seems like a unique experience and workout! Thanks did the travel inspiration, great post!
Like you mentioned I have seen a lot of temples, but never one associated with caves, how neat! I would definitely visit- but also even more since i LOVE cute little monkeys! hah
Wow! The Batu Caves look amazing, I can’t believe how big they are. I need to visit Malaysia in the future!
Stumbled upon your post today and found so fantastically written guide for Batu caves in Malaysia. You have made it so easy to make a plan to visit the place by sharing all the details that could be need to have a wonderful experience. Thank you.
Have been here. Amazing place to be!
This is one of these places I always think will have time to go to, but donβt!! Am in Malaysia right now but down south… maybe next time π great post!
Haha oh no! And it only took a couple of hours to visit the Batu Caves, it wasn’t even a full day trip. I hope you have more luck next time π
I visited many years, great to have a reminder! It’s a very special place π
Agreed π
Awww I love the photos of the monkeys!I would love to visit somewhere like this. Nice photos!
I hope you will one day, it’s pretty amazing π
Love this post – brought back a funny memory of having my ice-cream stolen at Batu Caves by a cheeky monkey over 20 years ago!
Hahaha oh no π
Awesome article! Thank you. π I plan to visit Malaysia in near future, so I find it really helpful and inspiring.
Glad you liked it! Have fun, Malaysia is awesome π
Wow, what an awesome looking place! I love all the monkey photos π I know people say monkeys are mean but I still love them π
Thanks haha, these monkeys were actually nice! The ones in Cambodia were quite cheeky and stole my sunscreen, I got it back eventually though π
I never went to the batu caves when I was in KL but maybe I should have, Iβve heard a lot about it since!
This guide is super detailed and helpful, thank you!
Yes it’s a pretty cool place, I’m glad I went π
The Batu Caves seem so exceptional and definitely worth exploring, Becky. I fell in love with your pictures. Is a day trip enough to explore them?
Thank you! Yes for sure, it depends on how much time you want to spend there, but I did it in like a few hours and it was fine π
The monkey in the first picture has such a skeptical expression on his face! Too funny!
I’ve been to KL no less than 5 times, yet I’ve still not seen the Batu Caves. I’ll definitely make sure to include them on my next visit! This was a super helpful guide. Thank you for all the information!
Hahaha, you should it’s a really cool place and not far away from Kuala Lumpur π
Great post! I can’t imagine walking into those 272 steps on a blazing sunny day. Did you manage to finish till the top?
Thank you! Yes but I did need a few breaks in between haha π
I visited last year too! What a wonderful place to visit! I was a bit scared for the cheeky monkeys though π
hahaha same π