Batu Caves Kuala Lumpur

Batu Caves are located in the northern suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, 13kms from the centre of the city. There are 3 main limestone caves found at Batu Caves. There is no charge to enter the main caves. There are guided tours available of the Dark Cave which cost RM25.

The Batu Caves were formed as a Hindu shrine in 1890 and since then has been the central site in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the Hindu festival of Thaipusam at the end of January/early February. Over one million people visit the caves during the 3 day festival.

At the entrance of the main cave there is the world’s tallest Murugan statue in the world. Behind this statue are 272 steps to climb up to get to the cave.

Of the 3 caves, Gua Kecil (small cave) has the walls decorated with carvings of the Hindu deities and Hindu shrines throughout the caves. At the bottom of the steps is an intricately carved gateway. The roof of Gua Kecil is 100m tall with a hole at the top letting in sunlight.

Along the steps leading up to the caves there are many monkeys. These are mostly harmless though keep your eye on them. If you are not looking they will try to steal any food or drink out of your hands. I saw one Chinese man who was looking down at the steps and came too close to a large male monkey who reached out and grabbed his hair and pulled for all life.

The Batu caves are a sacred place for worship for the Hindu followers. It is such a shame that this religious site is spoit with shops setup inside the caves selling tacky Indian souvenirs as well as some items depicting Jesus, I guess so the Christians do not feel left out.

Along the forecourt at the bottom of the steps to Batu Caves are a number of convenience stores selling refreshments as well as some restaurants serving some tasty Indian cuisine including dosai.

Getting to Batu Caves

By train – the Batu Caves Train Station is located 200m walk from the entrance to Batu Caves. There are trains every half an hour going from Batu Caves Train Station to Port Klang via Sentul Station. Sentul Station can be reached from Sentral Station in the heart of KL. The train trip from Sentul Train Station to Batu Caves is around 15 minutes.

By Bus – there are public buses that go to Batu Caves leaving from Puduraya Bus terminal. You will need to ask the driver where to get off as the stop is not directly at the cave entrance.

By taxi – a taxi to Batu Caves will only cost around RM25. When you are leaving the Batu Caves there are many lazy Indian taxi drivers waiting near the entrance. They insist that they charge RM45 to go back to the city. Just walk a little bit away from the entrance and flag down a taxi, you shouldn’t have to wait long as this is a busy road. I got a taxi driver who used his meter and it cost RM20 back to the centre of town. A taxi to Batu Caves will take around 15 – 20 minutes. It is best to leave after 10am to avoid the peak hour traffic in Kuala Lumpur.

Check out the location of Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur