Batu Caves
There was a lot of cool stuff to check out in Kuala Lumpur but my favorite thing from that part of the trip was our visit to the Batu Caves north of the City.
Getting There
You can take a train from the city to the caves. The Kommuter Train leaves KL Sentral and goes to the caves, although I’m not sure how close the train actually brings you to them. We skipped the train and opted to take a Grab (like an Uber). The Grab wasn’t too pricey and it meant we could head out whenever we wanted from right outside out hotel. Honestly I should try to take more trains. I’ve always liked them.
The Main Cave
When you reach the caves you’re initially greeted by shops. Lots of shops. Some of them had snacks and drinks and some had what looked to be religious articles. This area was a little dirty as well. We walked straight through and mostly skipped the entire area. Behind all of that you can spot a large golden statue next to a long set of stairs ascending towards the cave. The stairs are covered in monkeys. Some people were feeding them, which obviously isn’t a great idea. They were mostly habituated to people because of the feeding so you could get much closer than normal to snap a picture (careful of your camera!). I took a selfie with one and he promptly tried to take my water bottle. They were running back and forth across the stairs looking for food so as you make your way up watch your things.
If you turn around after going up the stairs you get a great view of the city. There’s even a map showing the skyline and saying what each building is. At the top of the stairs is the first cave, which opens into a large cavern with quite a few statues ringing the peripheral. Even though they call it a cave there was plenty of light since both ends of the cave were open to the outside and there was a small opening in the ceiling. If you walk through the cave you get to a small outside area with another little temple (or religious building of some sort, I’m unsure what specific purpose they all served) surrounded by cliffs. The area is inside of the hill that the cave is part of but has a completely different feel since it’s completely open to the elements. Being surrounded by the walls of the hill was also really neat. Although this main cave was cool, when we were there there was a lot of construction, which took away from the experience a little.
Even though the caves seemed popular with tourists they, like most religious sites, still have some religious significance. We read that there is a procession that starts at the Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur where people carry statues to the Batu Caves. While we were not there during any such events I bet they’d be quite impressive to see.
Dark Cave
This was actually my favorite part of the Batu Caves. About halfway up the monkey covered stairs to the main cave there is a small path off to the left that leads around to the Dark Cave. In front of the cave is the map of the city skyline. This cave is protected to study the rare animals that live inside. Some parts in the back of the cave are almost completely blocked off to the public but a lot of the front parts of the cave can be accessed by tour which costs 33 ringgit. They tell you when the next tour starts when you buy your ticket and when it starts you get a hardhat and a flashlight. The tour takes you through the early part of the cave and the guide explains a little about some of the things you see and the animals that live there, although you don’t often see them. This cave is much cave-y-er. It’s dark and damp and when the guide tells you to turn your light off the darkness is all consuming. I’d never experienced anything even close. At the end theres a spot with a little bit of light where you can take a picture, then you make your way back out.
The Batu Caves were a nice way to spend half a day outside the city. Although the main cave had some construction it was still pretty cool to see. The Dark Cave was a highlight even though we didn’t see much more than cave cockroaches inside. And remember; don’t feed the monkeys.
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