Plan for a short trip to Batu Caves (Kuala Lumpur)

No trip to Kuala Lumpur is complete without a visit to the famous Batu Caves. The Batu Caves is located in the northern part of KL. It is a well-known Hindu shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity, Lord Murugan. Even if you are not into religious places, the climb up the steep steps with monkeys jumping about near you can be quite a memorable experience too.

Two quick tips to start your preparation:

1. Dressing: You will be doing a fair bit of climbing so dress lightly and casually for the occasion.
2. Timing: There's not a lot to see inside and you will probably finish exploring in an hour or so. The train to and fro KL Sentral is about 30 mins per way so give yourself about 2 -3 hours for the trip depending on where you start.

Getting to the caves is relatively easy since there is a KTM Komuter train route from KL Sentral and the terminal station is... you've guessed it - Batu Caves. And since KL's monorail network is quite well connected, you can easily work your way to the KL Sentral monorail station.

Do be careful not mix it up with the main KL Sentral rail station where the intercity and Komuter train routes are. You will be surprised that the monorail station is not connected to the main rail station via walkways or connecting paths, although there have been some discussions on this.

But in the meantime, you will have to walk the short distance between these two stations. Get off at the KL Sentral monorail station (which is the terminal station for the monorail line). Exit the station and you will see a busy road. Walk along the path a little further. You will come to a traffic junction where the opposite side is a sheltered path that extends further in. Cross the traffic junction and walk along the path which will lead you to the KL Sentral rail station.

Once you are inside the KL Sentral building, the KTM Komuter ticketing counter is at the lower level. Tell the ticketing agent that you are going to Batu Caves. The fare is RM 1 (return trip is RM 2 though, go figure). 

The tickets are not tied to train arrival time, so feel free to walk around KL Sentral if you like. You might even want to settle your lunch there before going to Batu Caves since the whole trip to and back will be 2 to 3 hours. I do think there should be places for food nearby the caves since I saw some shops there but I never really paid attention to what kind of food is being offered there. Anyway, don't expect it to be cheaper than elsewhere since this is a tourist area.

Once you are ready, enter the gantries next to MacDonald's and make your way down to Platform 3. There should be a sign hanging from the top that says Batu Caves. The train comes in quite regular intervals so you should not have to wait too long.

The train ride will take about 30-40mins. As mentioned before, Batu Caves is the terminal station so you do not have to worry about missing the stop. Just get off when everyone else is alighting. The design of the station is a little troublesome. You will have to climb upstairs, exit the gantries and go downstairs to ground level again to exit the station. 

On your way out, you may see some ladies laying out their wares for sale on the floor. Outside to the left, you should see the big statue below:

From there, a little further up and you will see a building like this:

By now, you should be able to see the huge golden statue that is Lord Murugan. Continue walking further up and you will reach the base of Batu Caves in another few minutes.

Now is time to start the trek up the stone steps. A few suggestions:

1. Be careful here as the steps can be quite steep, not to mention tiring. Use the railings for support if needed.
2. Do not feed the monkeys in this area. You do not want a whole bunch of monkeys to start following you.
3. Put anything and everything that looks even remotely edible or contains food away from the sight of the monkeys. They will chase after you if they think there's food. That includes water bottles.
4. Hold your belongings and bags close to yourself in case a curious monkey decides to snatch your stuff.

After the seemingly long trek up, you are finally at the cave entrance!

There are even stores at the entrance catering to all your tourist needs!

Moving further inside. Another flight of steps, this time even steeper than the one you just climbed. Leads you to the back of the caves.

And finally at the back of the caves, an opening in the ceiling.

And so there you have it, the Batu Caves. Hope you enjoyed the visit. You can backtrack your way back to the train station for a RM 2 ticket back to KL Sentral.

All of the above are only my personal experiences. Feel free to use for your travel planning but do find out the latest information from the relevant authorities. If in doubt, here's the usual disclaimer.

Review by: DIYTraveltips.com

Review Location: Batu Caves

Date published: 03/10/2013

Rating: 3 / 5 stars