Batu Caves Day Trip: Religious Exploration and Firefly Experience near Kuala Lumpur

Embark on a day trip from Kuala Lumpur to explore the religious wonders of Batu Caves, climb 272 steps to reach the temple inside limestone caves. Afterward, visit Bukit Melawati, and end the day with a delicious dinner and a breathtaking firefly experience in Fisherman Village.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Batu Caves - The Batu Caves in Malaysia are one of the most important Hindu religious sites outside of India and are a must-see once you tire of shopping and wandering Kuala Lumpur.

Just eight short miles north of the city, the Batu Caves are just one of the many interesting things to do around Kuala Lumpur. The caves attract around 5,000 visitors a day who come to climb the grueling 272 steps up to the caverns.

The Batu Caves are a focal point for Hindu Malaysians, particularly during Thaipusam: they house a 113-year-old temple, along with an interesting array of Hindu artwork and shrines.

Every year during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, the Batu Caves attract more than a million devotees and spectators. The eight-hour procession of music and ceremony leaves offerings before a giant statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War.

What to Expect at the Batu Caves

Approaching the caves, the first thing you notice is a towering golden statue of Lord Murugan. Erected in 2006, this statue is the largest in the world dedicated to the deity and stands guard to the 272 leg-burning steps that lead up to the cave entrances.

As you make your way up the steps, you will undoubtedly be entertained by a tribe of monkeys that feed off the steady stream of tourists. You may take pictures, but pay attention to your belongings!

Resting points along the stairs provide nice views of the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.

Some Things to Know Before Visiting the Batu Caves

Admission to Batu Caves is free.

The caves are open all year from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

The area is not very handicap-accessible, so senior travelers may have difficulty getting up the stairs to the entrances.

The wild caves are very muddy; bring a change of clothes if you plan to take any of the spelunking tours.

There are stalls and restaurants offering Indian food outside the entrance of the Batu Caves.

  • Bukit Melawati - At Melawati Hill (Monkey Hill) at this area you may experience the nice view of Kuala Selangor and can explore the Fort Altingsburg, the Royal Mausoleum and the legendary 100 steps leading to the fabled execution block. You also can encounter with the silver-leaf monkeys at this spot. The silvery lutung is a medium-sized monkey with a long, non-prehensile tail. It has grey-tipped, dark brown or black fur, giving it a uniform silvery appearance. Unlike some related species, there are no paler markings on the face or body, except for a patch of whitish hair on the groin of females. A crest of fur runs along the top of the head, and the hair on the cheeks is long, often obscuring the ears. The hands and feet are hairless, with dark coloured skin, and have opposable thumbs and toes. Females range from 46 to 51 centimetres (18 to 20 in) in head-body length, with an average weight of 5.7 kilograms (13 lb) and a tail length of 67 to 75 centimetres (26 to 30 in). Males are slightly larger, from 50 to 58 centimetres (20 to 23 in) in length, with an average weight of 6.6 kilograms (15 lb) and a tail length of 67 to 75 centimetres (26 to 30 in). Like other langurs, the silvery lutung has a large three-chambered stomach to digest the cellulose found in its herbivorous diet. This allows for fermentation of food, and has some similarities with the stomach of ruminants. The intestine is unusually long, even compared to those of other langurs, and has a number of pouches along its length, which carry out further fermentation of plant matter. The teeth have grinding ridges and other modifications to allow the more efficient processing of tough leaves.
  • NYC Tour Sky Mirror Kuala Selangor - We will be leaving to Pasir Penambang or the fisherman village for you to go with a boat ride for firefly tour and later can have a dinner at the seafood restaurant by the river of Kuala Selangor. After finish the dinner the main attraction is to go with a motor boat along the Kuala Selangor River to see or watch the fireflies at the mangrove area. Fireflies, locally-known as ‘kelip kelip’, are perhaps Kuala Selangor’s biggest attraction. Emitting bright light from its abdomen, this bug tends to favour mangrove swamp areas. During the night, they can be seen illuminating the mangrove trees lining the riverbanks, while they feed on the leaves’ nectar.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Air-conditioned vehicles
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Tickets Fare for Boat ride
Additional Information

You’ll depart from your accommodation in Kuala Lumpur to depart for a peaceful getaway from the urban hustle, visiting sacred locations including the stunning Batu Caves. The first stop will be the Batu Caves itself where you’ll ascend 272 steps to reach the temple’s main entrance, nestled within the limestone cave.

Your excursion will then progress to Bukit Melawati and as evening draws close, your day will conclude at the Fisherman Village where you’ll have dinner and embark on a Firefly tour.

Location
Batu Caves
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(28 Ratings)
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Trudy
Aug 14, 2024
Batu caves with Izzy - Izzy was a great driver, he was happy to modify the itinerary as requested. He was very friendly, patient and helpful. The trip was a lovely way to spend a day. We enjoyed it very much
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grandtour27264893637
Aug 10, 2024
I was moved! - The majestic view of the Batu Caves was amazing, and the fireflies and the blue tears were also very beautiful and moving. Monkeys were so friendly and cute. The seafood we had for dinner was amazing. I especially recommend the grilled scallops with garlic! Our driver, Amir, was very kind and friendly. He told me all about Malaysia, lent me an umbrella when it rained, took lots of photos, and always made sure I had a good time. The car was very clean and new, and he was a good driver, so the trip was comfortable. It was a really fun day. I fell in love with Malaysia. Thank you very much.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kevin
Aug 9, 2024
5 Star Guide! Tripadvisor 0 stars!!! - We had a great time with our Guide Amir, who is incredibly friendly and definitely deserves 5 stars. However, we give TripAdvisor zero stars for this activity because the Award is excessively high. The Batu Caves are free of charge and the boat tour is our responsibility, which means that the price of the activity mainly covers only transport. It is much more economical to take a taxi. I do not recommend booking this activity via TripAdvisor. Very good experience with our local Guide Amir, but very bad experience with Tripadvisor. The 5 stars are for the Guide only.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamesandalicem
Jul 23, 2024
Must See Batu Caves! - ✅ Monkey Hill & Firefly + Blue Tears Tour with Batu Caves: Although climbing the 270+ stairs at Batu Caves was difficult, it is very doable and highly recommended for anyone who loves to see history and learn about culture, regardless of religious beliefs. After the caves, we headed to see the Monkey Hill and was able to witness a stunning view of the area from above, we then headed to our next activity The Fireflies and Blue Tears. We booked tickets for this activity, and because it takes place after sunset, we had plenty of time to have dinner near the river. Rosman recommended an excellent place called Yang Ming Seafood Restaurant, which is highly recommended if you love seafood. We headed off to the boat just before sunset. **We suggest anyone booking this trip to plan it around a full moon to get a better view of the fireflies and blue tears.**
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer27917595485
Jul 15, 2024
Bespoke KL tour - Excellent bespoke tour of KL. Batu cave, National Mosque and Thean Hou, central market and Chinatown. Friendly helpful driver. Very accommodating. Tidy air conditioned vehicle with space for 4 adults. Highly recommended
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968charuniw
Jul 6, 2024
Good day away from busy KL - Great day out away from busy KL city. Batu caves was beautiful and while the 272 steps were challenging it was worth the climb. Seafood dinner was lovely too. Guide Amir was punctual, helpful and entertaining, definitely recommend going with him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Novalia_monik
Apr 18, 2024
Pleasant experience - pleasant experience. friendly driver, knows lots of information about interesting places and photo spots, we will use him again when we return to Malaysia
Review provided by Tripadvisor
469khalilg
Apr 16, 2024
KL visit - It was great experience and driver was very good to communicating in English The Batu caves and the boat tour were all worth doing so highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Smurf23254
Apr 7, 2024
Taxi Driver Rosman. Amazing. - This was a very special day due to our visit to the Batu caves, boat trip and fire flys & because of our special driver Rosman. Our chats on our travels discussing local knowledge, religion, politics and the Taxi trade in KL. This mirrored the problems London Black Taxi Drivers had in recent decade. A fascinating human and a good family man. Thank you Rosman for making that special difference. Something I will never forget. I just apologise how mean the tip was. Sorry.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davidsp1529kr
Mar 25, 2024
Great day - Rosman was an incredible tour guide. He arrived to our hotel on time in a comfortable and clean car. He was so polite and friendly. His endless knowledge about the country, culture and history was incredible. The site seeing (Batu caves, monkey hill, fireflies) were so cool but for us having Rosman as our guide made the experience so much better.
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September 2024
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