In the short time I had to prepare for my adventure to Kuala Lumpur, one thing kept coming up as a must do whilst in the city, visiting the Batu Caves. Curiosity got the better of me and I booked tickets on Get Your Guide to visit with the company Ivy Holidays. They emailed me the night before with all information, such as the drivers name, car registration and pick up time. It was an early start which turned out to be a great idea because it was a very hot day.
It was only a short 20 minute drive from my hotel to the Batu Caves, with great view of the cities skyline on the way. Driving through the streets in a technicolour minivan made the trip much more exciting. The drive into the caves is lined with small stalls selling flower and fruit offerings.
I can imagine it is what India would be like. All of the instagram photos of this place cannot prepare you for seeing it yourself. As an Adventursaurus I am very rarely (if ever) speechless but the Batu Caves had me lost for words. I think it was mainly because I was unable to see my destination until I was in the car park in front of the most famous shrine.
We arrived just after 9:30 am and the temperature was already 35°C (95°F). There weren’t many people visiting at this time which made it a great time for taking photographs. When I got there there was only a handful of humans walking around, the path leading to the caves was mainly covered in pigeons and a couple of naughty wild monkeys (something I really wasn’t expecting to see). The path leading to the stairs has a very beautiful temple on one side, I have to say this was my favourite, and a few stalls on the other side.
Rex Recommends
Visiting early on a morning is a must. There are Fewer crowds, cooler weather and less naughty monkeys running around.
The stairs are just as steep as the photographs look. There are 272 of them to be exact, each one as steep and as brightly coloured as the last. They are out in the open with very little shade, it was hard work climbing them in the cooler morning weather (for my photographer, I sat in the handbag of doom!). Very colourful and beautiful steps are behind a huge 42.7m statue of Lord Murugan. The statue looks incredible from all angles and it has a great view of Kuala Lumpur city. Don’t expect to get up the stairs quickly, several photo and rest stops are needed.
Also I had to reroute myself a few times to avoid a monkey. Once I reached the top my (photographer’s) hard work was rewarded.
The entrance to the cave is lined with stalactites and deities built into the stone. Chickens running around inside the cave, alongside some very active naughty monkeys. For some reason the monkeys were everywhere in here because of the shade. I was scared of the monkeys so spent a lot of time hiding in the handbag of doom. I struggled a bit with the heat and the air was very thin, I think it was the climb which caused this. Colourful hindu temples inside were just as ornately decorated as the ones at ground level. I chose not to go inside because there were people praying and receiving blessings.
At the back of the temple I saw hungry monkeys eating a plastic bag and using a hose pipe for water to drink. It made me really sad to see this happen because no animals should ever have to eat plastic just to get by. I’d love it if the humans who work at the Batu caves would remove any plastic litter from the floors and put them in a place the monkeys can’t reach to keep them safe.
Back at the bottom, away from the crowds was a small lake with a waterfall filled with koi carp. Very serene and peaceful even though I was mere metres away from the most famous photo stop athe caves. Until a monkey jumped through the trees overhead. This really scared my photographer which was hilarious! Nothing beats the face a human pulls when a wild animal jumps out on them. My only regret is not catching this moment on camera. Next door to this I heard some very strange noises. I had no idea what I would find. But I saw a huge blue bird posing in the sunshine, it was a peacock! I didn’t like the thought of making animals perform in shows, so safe to say I didn’t go inside.
Final temple dedicated to Hanuman and had a large blue statue and another beautiful colourful temple. This was one of the most Photogenic and I was really surprised that there was no one there. By this point the heat was really starting to get to me so I decided to head back to the shopping stalls to make the most of the air con. This wasn’t really worth writing about, although I was intrigued to see the durian fruit hanging from the ceiling. I wasn’t brave enough to try the fruit though.
After the cave we went to Royal Selangor pewter factory, a fabric factory and a chocolate factory. It was a bit rubbish seemed to be all a ruse to get tourists to buy things. After this I realised there was a different trip which would have suited me a bit better. It is 100% worth visiting the Batu Caves when in KL but sadly it isn’t accessible for anyone with mobility issues, especially the climb up 272 steep steps. The batu caves are just as beautiful from the bottom so there are things everyone can enjoy whilst visiting.
For a daily dose of dinosaur, feel free to visit my Instagram Vegan0saurus
Rex the Veganosaurus 