Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is a modern metropolis with plenty to offer tourists. Alongside the iconic Petronas Towers, one of the most popular attractions in Kuala Lumpur is the distinctive Batu Caves. This impressive and distinctive temple complex may be far from the city center, but you’re really missing out if you don’t visit the Batu Caves while you’re in Kuala Lumpur.
To show you what’s so special about the Batu Caves and how it’s best to go about visiting them, we’ve compiled lots of advice and information in this guide to the Batu Caves.
Before we dive into the logistics of visiting and what there is to see at the Batu Caves in Malaysia, a brief overview of the complex may be helpful. The Batu Caves are a series of caves among limestone hills in the district of Gombak, to the north of Kuala Lumpur, and they combine an interesting natural landscape with a major place of worship and some striking sights.
While the hills are considerable and quite scenic, what makes them special is that they’re home to one of the largest and most popular Hindu shrines in the world outside of India. But there wasn’t always a shrine in the caves, and for quite some time it was used by indigenous locals and Chinese settlers to collect bat guano. Things changed, however, when the American Naturalist William Hornaday made the caves known to the international community in 1878.
little more than a decade later, they caught the attention of K. Thamboosamy Pillay, a leader of the Tamil Hindu community in Malaysia. In 1891, he had a shrine built to the Hindu god Lord Murugan within the largest of the caves, and the next year, the Hindu festival of Thaipusam was celebrated at the site. To this day pilgrims still come to the Batu Caves for the festival.
Best Time to Visit the Batu Caves
There are several considerations for choosing the best time to visit the Batu Caves and Kuala Lumpur. In terms of weather, the city’s position near the equator and its tropical climate mean temperatures don’t vary much. Instead, you need to factor in the region’s monsoon seasons. Kuala Lumpur experiences its heaviest rains during March and April, so between May and July is widely considered the best time to visit the city.
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Batu Caves are a Hindu site and are therefore central to Hindu festivals, including the annual celebration of Thaipusam. This three-day festival typically takes place in either late January or early February and features processions and huge crowds of pilgrims. That could be a good or bad thing depending on what you want to experience.
As for the best time during the day to visit, earlier is generally better. The gates open at 6 a.m., and you can expect it to be mostly free of other tourists for the first few hours of the day. The other benefit of arriving early is that you won’t have to contend with the heat quite yet. That said, the Dark Cave doesn’t open until 9.30 a.m.
Getting to the Batu Caves
Travelers will be pleased to hear that there are several options for how to get to the Batu Caves from Kuala Lumpur.
By train: KTM commuter trains are the easiest option for reaching the caves and depart regularly from Kuala Lumpur Sentral station to the Batu Caves station, taking 30 minutes. A one-way ticket costs RM2.60.
By bus: It’s also possible to use the city’s bus network to travel to the Batu Caves, although the train is a better, faster option. Take the 11/11D from the bus stop near Central Market or the U6 from Chow Kit to reach the caves.
By tour: If you prefer not to worry about transport and would like to be shown around the site, then a guided tour is the way to go. While more expensive than public transport, tours are still reasonably priced and often include other cultural attractions in the area. You can book a guided tour to the Batu Caves here.
One thing that’s important to remember is that the Batu Caves are an active place of worship. This means visitors are advised to show respect by dressing modestly and wearing clothes that cover their shoulders and knees.
When visiting the temple complex, you’re practically guaranteed to come across the population of macaque monkeys that call the Batu Caves home. Typical for monkeys at tourist attractions, these monkeys are known for their mischievous behavior, so it’s best to keep your guard up when you’re around them. It’s not uncommon for the monkeys to steal things like water bottles from tourists and even bite those who don’t give up items they’re trying to take.
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