a guide to visiting the batu caves

Located in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, the Batu Caves house Hindu shrines within their massive limestone chambers. Vikram had only visited once before when he was a kid and this was my first time in Malaysia, so we definitely wanted to make the trip out—it is one of the holiest Hindu sites outside of India and is a beautiful work of nature to boot.

About the Batu Caves

There are three main features of the Batu Caves:

The 272 steps to reach the caves, guarded by a huge statue of the Hindu god Murugan at the foot
The limestone caves themselves, carved out over millions of years and that inspire wonder and awe
The various Hindu shrines and altars throughout the caves

The caves are open daily from 7 am to 8 pm. There is no entrance fee, although it costs 2 ringgit (0.50 USD) to park.

How to Get There

We were lucky that Vikram’s cousin Aaron could join us, so he drove us all. But public transportation options are also readily available. The Commuter train leaves from KL Sentral Station, costs 4 ringgit one-way, and stops at the Batu Caves station, just a few minutes walk from the entrance. It is also possible to take a taxi from the city, running about 40-50 ringgit.

By car and with no traffic, it took us about 30 minutes—but budget at least 15 minutes more if going during rush hour. The train may take upwards of an hour, depending on how often it’s running.

What to Expect

The 272 steps were not as bad as they look, but it’s still a bit of a workout. I was also glad to have worn good walking shoes since it rained while we were there and the steps were slippery!

While there is no strictly enforced dress code, it’s recommended to wear clothing standard for visiting holy sites—e.g., no shorts or skirts above the knee.

At the top, we encountered tons of monkeys roaming around and trying to get food off of people. We were careful to not get too close (and not carry food with us in the first place) and to not smile at the monkeys as they see teeth as a sign of aggression.