Day Trip to the Batu Caves from the Kuala Lumpur Airport
If you have a long layover in Kuala Lumpur, you have a few options of how to spend your time. You can of course stay in the airport, or you can make the most of your time by venturing into the city or taking an exotic day trip to the Batu Caves. The details below will show you how to visit the Batu Caves from the Kuala Lumpur Airport, and still make your flight later in the day or evening!
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Entering Malaysia
If you’re flying into Kuala Lumpur on a long layover, chances are good it is an international flight rather than a domestic flight. In order to pursue a day trip to the Batu Caves, the first step is to go through customs and immigration to enter into Malaysia. This is particularly easy when you don’t need a visa, like US citizens.
How Much Time Do You Need for a Batu Caves Day Trip?
In my experience, getting through immigration and customs in Kuala Lumpur can take a little while as it is a very busy airport. Make sure you have enough time to comfortably get through immigration and customs, make it to the Batu Caves, and back in time for your flight. In my instance, I arrived from Shanghai, China at 6:40am and was not flying out to Melbourne, Australia until 10:30pm. Plenty of time for the day trip!
If I had to estimate how long you need, I would say 10 hours to be on the safe side, but if you like to live on the wild side, you can try to do it in less. Here’s the breakdown to how I get to 10 hours:
- 1.5 hours to get through immigration and customs
- 1 hour to get to the Batu Caves
- 2 hours at the Batu Caves
- 1 hour to get back to the Kuala Lumpur airport
- 2 – 3 hours at the airport before your international flight
- 1.5 hours of padding – just in case things do not go smoothly
How to Get to the Batu Caves from the Kuala Lumpur Airport
There are two main ways to get from the Kuala Lumpur Airport to the Batu Caves.
Metro
The easiest way to day trip to the Batu Caves from the airport is to take the Skytrain or KLIA Ekspres (RM35 one way) to Sentral station and then switch to the Komuter line all the way to the Batu Caves stop (RM4 one way).
The Skytrain is pretty deluxe with wifi and outlets and takes about 30 min. to get from the Kuala Lumpur airport to Sentral station. From there, continue to the Komuter train (KTM Serembam Lin, Blue, 1), which is located in the same building. Just follow the signs, purchase a ticket at the window, and then wait at the platform for the train. From Sentral Station to the Batu Caves stop will take about 25 minutes and you’ll arrive right outside the caves.
The metro runs from 5:00 am – 12:30 am and during peak hours the trains arrive every 15 minutes.
Taxi
If you don’t want to deal with the train, you can jump into a taxi. It will take about 60 minutes to get from the Kuala Lumpur airport to the Batu Caves. Taxis are available on a metered and coupon system. The couple system will cost around RM 92.40 while the metered price will depend on the time of day and traffic.
About the Famous Batu Caves
Located about 15 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur are the magnificent Batu Caves. These limestone caverns are over 400 million years old and are one of Kuala Lumpur’s most frequented tourist attractions. They are also an important religious landmark for Hindus.
Hours of Operation: 6am – 9pm daily
Upon arrival at the Batu Caves, you’ll find three main areas to explore: Temple Cave, Cave Villa, and Ramayana Cave. Additionally, you’ll find a number of stalls and shops surrounding the cave complex.
Temple Cave or Cathedral Cave: The Main Cavern
The largest and most popular cavern in the Batu Caves is Temple Cave, also known as Cathedral Cave. Temple Cave features a giant 140 foot tall golden statue of Hindu diety Lord Murugan at the base of 272 stairs which ascend into the mouth of the cave. All along the stairs you’ll encounter little monkeys scrounging for food. If you have any food, hide it!
At the top of the stairs you are greeted with a grand cavern featuring a few small Hindu temples and altars. The cave is remarkable, but it does not take long to explore and admire it.
Ramayana Cave
The Ramayana Cave is definitely worth a visit and only costs RM5 to enter. To find this cave, head to the left of Temple Cave (if you are facing the stairs) and pass the green, 15m-tall statue of Hanuman and cross the bridge.
Inside Ramayana Cave you’ll find sculptures used to tell the story of the Indian epic “eh Ramayana”. You can’t miss the giant statue of Kumbhakarna, brother of Ravana. He’s said to be a deep sleeper, and you can see the attempts to wake him up with arrows and cymbals. Climb the stairs in the back to reach a small shrine featuring a naturally occurring stalagmite, a symbol of Shiva.
Cave Villa
The Cave Villa features the Museum and Art Gallery and costs RM15 to enter. This part of the Batu Caves brings out very mixed feelings, so if you’re short on time or money – skip this part. It features a small zoo with poorly kept animals, such as birds and reptiles, and another part represents Hindu history through art and the creative use of colorful lighting to emphasize each artwork.
The Dark Cave (Closed)
The Dark Cave has been closed since Feb. 2019 and has no reopening date set. Previously, it was used for educational tours, and you were able to gaze in and admire it from the opening.
Another Option: Don’t Do It Yourself, Take a Tour
If you want to visit the Batu Caves but take all of the guess work out, consider a tour. There are lots of options to consider from just a few hours long to all day.
Have More Time?
While the Batu Caves make a great long layover stop, you may find yourself with more time on your hands. At this point you can continue to explore the Batu Caves grounds, head back to the airport, or potentially head into the city to explore.
At the airport, you’ll actually find a kind of shopping mall attached to the front of it featuring shops, a grocery store, restaurants and more. This includes outlets and wifi should you need them, so it’s not a bad place to spend some time!
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