How to visit Batu Caves Temple from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Batu Caves are one of the key tourist attractions when you are visiting Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

Caves, temples and Hindu shrines

Consisting of a limestone hill of beautiful caves, temples and Hindu shrines, many tourists who visit Batu Caves love to take photos at the huge gold-painted statue of Murugan, the Hindu god of war. This statue took three years to build and is the third largest statue of a Hindu deity in the world.

How to get to the Batu Caves

From Bukit Bintang where we were based, the Batu Caves are an easy 20-minute Grab ride.

Grab

Grab is Malaysia’s taxi-hailing app. If you take this option, I would recommend taking Grab over hailing a street taxi because the prices are fixed and you won’t get ripped off as a tourist.

KTM train

Alternatively you can also opt to take a KTM train from KL Sentral to Batu Caves. It is a direct train line and the journey will take about 40 mins.

Dress code

In terms of the dress code, wear something appropriate and not too revealing, as you will be visiting a religious monument.

For ladies, this means no tank tops. Make sure your shoulders are fully covered. T-shirts are ok. For bottoms, wear something casual but not too revealing. Long skirts or jeans are a safe bet.

For guys, a t-shirt paired with jeans, long shorts or Bermudas will work.

I strongly suggest you wear sneakers or other comfortable walking shoes because there’s a fair bit of walking and climbing to do.

272 steps climb to the top

When our Grab pulled up at Batu Caves, the first thing that I saw was the kaleidoscope of colour.

This colourful structure is the iconic 272 steps climb which lead to the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, the biggest and main temple at the Batu Caves complex.

The stairs are a breathtaking sight. The colourful makeover to the stairs was done in 2018 to make the stairs look more Insta-worthy.

The second sight that caught my eye was the huge gold Murugan statue at the foot of the stairs, which is definitely a sight to behold. Make sure you take a photo with it.

Admission and fees

The main temple complex, which is at the top of the 272 stairs is free. No admission fee is required.

But if you wish to visit the other caves, the Ramayana Cave and the Dark Cave, these are priced at RM 5 and RM 35 respectively.

Beware of the monkeys

There are plenty of crows at the base of the temple. But just ignore them and you’ll be fine.

In fact, the crows are the least of your worries; it is the monkeys loitering around the base and the stairs which you need to watch out for.

Climbing the stairs can be exhausting depending on your fitness level. But take your time if you’re not as fit or feeling winded. There are railings that you can hold onto, to take a rest and catch your breath.

Chimchar 1-0 Pikachu

But be very careful of the monkeys, especially the ones on the stairs. They are a menace.

They might look cute at first glance, but they will not hesitate to rob or steal from you.

These monkeys appear to particularly love trinkets and keychains, including the yellow pikachu plushie that was dangling from my handbag.

Apparently one of the monkeys had decided that poor pikachu looked like a tasty snack, so it attacked me and grabbed the pikachu and ran away before my mind could even process what had just happened.

Pikachu used Thunderbolt.

It’s not very effective.

Chimchar* dodged.

Chimchar used Flamethrower.

It’s super effective.

Pikachu is fried.

The main cave

Minus pikachu, we eventually reached the top of the stairs. It was surprising that once we stepped away from the staircase, the monkeys did not follow us there. They stayed on their staircase.

The main temple cave is indeed a sight to behold. There is a small gift shop at the entrance before you enter the temple.

Once you step inside, prepare to be amazed by the limestone structure of the cave and admire the views of the sunlight seeping in through the cave ceiling.

Ramayana Cave

Besides the main cave, the Ramayana Cave is also quite popular with tourists. Pass the Hanuman statue and cross over the bridge to get there. You’ll also walk by the sleeping Kumbhkaran figurine.

The Ramayana Cave is a smaller cave than the main cave but nonetheless impressive and well worth the RM 5 entry fee, with hundreds of statues on Indian mythology inside that makes it feel like a fantasy land.

Allow about 90 to 120 mins

I would say that it is safe to allow about 90 to 120 minutes to explore the Batu Caves and its surrounding area.

Conclusion

For tourists, Batu Caves is definitely worth exploring and paying a visit to, if you want to immerse yourself in and learn something about Southeast Asian and Indian culture and mythology and be impressed whilst doing so.