Malaysia isn’t only known for its melting pot of culture. There’s more to this Southeast Asian nation that many might not still be aware of, including locals!
Here’s a hint: It’s something a little under and above the surface of the earth, it’s caves!
Malaysia has a collection of sprawling mysterious caves with intriguing formations and wildlife that can be found throughout the country.
If you’re an adventurous spirit looking for some rewarding cave exploration, you’ve turned to the right page! Here’s a list of some of the caves in Malaysia with public access.
Gua Kelam
Credit: amirraizat / Shutterstock.com
Location: Located at Kaki Bukit, Perlis and is about 33 kilometre (km) from North of Kangar.
Attractions: The name Gua Kelam is believed to be given by the miners due to the darkness within the cave itself. It’s a 370 metre (m) limestone cave that is famous for its ‘cave walk’ where you enter from one end of the cave and come out at an entirely different location.
However, the only path to the cave is by crossing a wide wooden suspension bridge measuring to about eight feet in width. This bridge links Kaki Bukit to the Wan Tangga Valley, a valley at the opposite end of Gua Kelam.
There are a lot of attractions within Gua Kelam, including a gallery developed by the State Forestry Department to exhibit artifact collections including materials from tin ore mining.
Entrance fee: RM1 per person.
Gua Tempurung
Credit: Grey Chow / Shutterstock.com
Location: Nestled on the outskirts of Perak, located at Gopeng.
Attractions: It is one of the longest caves in Peninsular Malaysia with about three kilometres (km) in length. This cave offers a range of tours with varying levels of difficulty. If you’re new to cave explorations, we suggest you to start with the easiest route first and then you may challenge yourself by trailing through the murky parts of the large cave.
Either way, Gua Tempurung is a fascinating venture with captivating rock structures and intricate details.
Entrance fee: The fee ranges from about RM 6 to RM 9 per person, depending on the package chosen.
Gua Niah
Credit: Arif Azhar / Shutterstock.com
Location: Located in the Niah National Park, Miri, Sarawak.
Attractions: Gua Niah is divided into two sections, which are The Great Cave and The Painted Cave. The main cave which is The Great Cave is about 0.5 km wide and one km long with high ceilings and large chambers. Gua Niah is also an archaeological site. Both caves were home to prehistoric humans and there is nothing better than exploring the underground tunnels and chambers to see what it was like to live under the earth’s surface!
Entrance fee: The price per person is about RM10.
Gua Payong
Credit: Wan nursalam / Shutterstock.com
Location: Gua Payong is located at Kampung Kalai in Kelantan along the East-West Highway. It takes approximately 15 minutes to get to the cave from Kampung Kalai by car.
Attractions: Situated inside Gunung Reng, a limestone hill, this cave also has a unique structure of stalactites (mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves) and stalagmites (rock formation that rises from the floor of caves).
The best part is that certain rock formations or limestones can be found in Gua Niah too! So, if you’re living in Peninsular Malaysia and is unable to visit Gua Niah, you can easily visit Gua Payong and be fascinated too. Also, you might encounter bats and insects. So, brave yourself in advance for such encounters.
Entrance fee: There is no entrance fee.
Sources: Tripzilla, Says
