Is Batu Caves worth visiting? For short, yes, absolutely! Batu Caves are definitely deserving to be on the travel list. With that, here goes my complete Batu Caves guide.
I was young when I visited the Batu Caves. The idols resting on the insides and of course the enormous golden Lord Murugan statue at the entrance. As a kid, I wasn’t very fond of history, and yet I have to say – I remember a lot about the Batu Caves.
Located in Selangor, Malaysia, it’s a popular tourist spot next to the Genting Highlands. With the two spots popular, many agencies and sites offer these two places as a package tour. But here’s all about the Batu Caves guide.
Batu Caves Guide: Is Batu Caves worth visiting?
Is Batu Caves worth visiting? – When you’re on your way to Malaysia for a holiday, it all depends on you. The best part is, it’s free to visit the main Batu cave.
They charge you to visit the dark cave and art gallery cave (35 RM for Adults and 25 RM for kids – Dark Cave). But the main cave which we (and most other tourists) visited is open to all as long as you have decent clothing on.
I, anyway, was pretty eager to visit the Hindu Idols there. Climbing up the 272 steps to make it up to the caves excited me. Well, it was tiring to climb up, but it only made the day more exciting. My parents found the idols fascinating as well so we found the caves worth visiting.
By dark cave, it’s a part of the Batu Caves where you’ll need to hike a little. We didn’t go for it and yet just the walk around the main cave with the idols was satisfying. Batu Caves is supposedly a temple. Though the temple has thousands of visitors a day, the spot inside the cave always remains peaceful.
How peaceful you ask? My dad and I observed water drops falling from the tip of a rock formation above us which was around ten stories high. So the moment the drops would hit the ground, we could hear its ‘Plinks!’ clearly.
It looks like this now! Hues of yellow, orange, red, blue, and green light up the way to the temple. Man, I wish I could visit the temple again. Say you are a photo/selfie freak, then the steps will definitely help you bring more colors to your vacation pictures.
Is Batu Caves worth visiting – Things to know before visiting
Now, to the part, we’ve all been waiting for – the simple questions and answers.
- Speaking of timings– the Batu Caves open at 6 in the morning and close at 9 at night.
- And how much time do you need to tour Batu Caves? It takes around 2 hours tops to go around the place.
- Dress code while visiting Batu Caves: When I’d been there, there wasn’t any dress code as such. People were on with their shorts and even with ‘short shorts’ or whatever you wish to call it.
- Distance to Batu Caves, Selangor in Malaysia: It’s around 11 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.
Best time to visit
Is Batu Caves worth visiting: The best time to visit Batu Caves is in the non-peak hours of the morning – 6 am to 10 am. Batu Caves is a well-known tourist spot in Malaysia and tourists start to flock in more towards the afternoon.
We’d no choice but to visit in the afternoon. Once inside the Batu Caves, it was a pleasant attraction. But it took a treacherous wait while climbing up the steps and standing in a queue under the blistering sun of the afternoon. Thus, it’s best to visit in the morning.
Another good time to visit the Batu Caves is after 4 pm when it’s less crowded and you enjoy a warm sunset instead.
How to get to Batu Caves
Like many places in Malaysia, you can get to the Batu caves by KTM Komuter Train from KL Sentral. It costs 2.30RM for a 1-way trip (0.74 SGD). It’s a 5-minutes walk from the Komuter station to the entrance of Batu Caves.
Another efficient way to get here is by bus. However, we got there by cab. Being Indians, we found a Malaysian Indian taxi driver who coped well with us and took us to the Petronas tower earlier. Later on, he became our guide and driver for the rest of our day in Malaysia!
So he drove us straight to the Batu Caves.
Visiting Malaysia only for 2 days, we’d to travel fast and settle in hotels less.
Batu Caves Package Tours
Being a well-known historical spot in Malaysia, it’s great to have a guided tour throughout your trip for a better experience. Trusted sites like Klook offer tour packages to Batu Caves with transport facilities! Some include tour guides and some have combined packages like Genting Highlands for wholesome prices.
Since we’re an affiliate of Klook, you get a better discount as our blog reader. Here are some package tours that I found definitely worth it. Pick one best for your needs!
Klook.comAccommodation near Batu Caves
For long-term travel, look for stays near Batu Caves. One good side is that the further your stay is from the main city Kuala Lumpur, you have better chances of getting cheap stays.
With travelers visiting Malaysia from all over the world, there are all ranges of accommodations to find – even around Batu Caves. Here are some you can pick from on Booking.com along with their prices:
For budget and solo travels, look for stays on HostelWorld.com for cheap hostels and dormitories with basic accommodating facilities. Here are some hostels on HostelWorld in Kuala Selangor close to Batu Caves:
To explore Malaysia more deeply, take the long way on the train and bus. Coming from Batam ourselves (an island in Indonesia), we had no trouble communicating as the Malay language is close to Bahasa Indonesia.
But to an outsider, learn this bunch of Indonesian phrases to communicate with the locals (it isn’t that tough!).
History of Batu Caves
Is Batu Caves worth visiting: As it turns out, Batu Caves is the name given to the entire hill itself – a limestone hill to be specific.
Outside India, it is one of the most popular shrines in the Hindu religion. Just as its entrance explains, it is dedicated to Lord Murugan. The caves are considered to have been formed for over four hundred million years now.
Since one of the main features of Batu Caves is its steps, let’s talk about it. Back in 1920, wooden steps were built, and later on, they shifted them to concrete. When I visited the place, the steps, though seemingly many, were plain in color.
However, recently in 2018, the temple’s management repainted the steps all the way up to the entrance. No, not with another plain color.
Other articles to check out on Indonesia here:
- Ultimate Batam Travel Guide, Indonesia
- Abang Island Snorkeling
- Top Places to Visit in Batam Riau
- Universal Studios Singapore Guide: 1 Day Spectacular Visit!
Conclusion
And that’s all I say on my visit to Batu Caves. In fact, Batu Caves was the last spot we visited in Malaysia. Right after that, we got a cab back to the airport. I slept through the way as I was exhausted from climbing. And I was back in Indonesia before I knew it.
Other articles on Malaysia:
- Malaysia Travel Blog (Wrap-up)
- Fantastic Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog
- Ecstatic Day Trip To Genting Highlands
I wished I could visit Malaysia again. No, not just Batu Caves. The Kuala Lumpur (Petronas) tower. The Genting Highlands and its super fun rides. All of them! Well, that’s for another time.
On a final note to end this Batu Caves guide, Batu Caves is definitely worth visiting from a traveler’s perspective.
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