Batu Caves: Is The Rainbow Staircase Worth It?

Batu Caves Malaysia

Batu Caves has risen to fame due to its colorful rainbow staircase! With its pop-up colors, the stairs look absolutely eye-catching and insta-worthy!

This popular tourist spot is actually a limestone hill with a Hindu temple and shrine located within the cave. Visitors need to climb 272 steps before reaching the top! Every year, Batu Caves attracts thousands of tourists and devotees, especially during Thaipusam!

Other than the rainbow staircase, Batu Caves is also known for its huge Hindu God statue at the main entrance. In fact, it is a significant facade of Batu Cave! If you’re a person who loves learning new cultures and religion, this will be the perfect place for you to start!

Things to take note:

1. Getting to Batu caves

You can drive there, just key in “Batu Caves” in your Waze / Google Map navigation, OR
Take the KTM from KL Sentral to Batu Caves station. It’s only a very short walk as the station is just beside Batu Caves!

2. Opening hours

Batu Caves is open daily from 7 am to 8 pm.

3. What is the best time to visit Batu caves?

Go as early as 6.30 am because that’s the best time to catch the sunrise and avoid the crowd and heat! OR
You can also go when the sun sets, though it may not be as empty as the sunrise!

4. Entrance fee / Parking fee

Certain websites mentioned about RM2 charged for parking. I guess we were lucky because we arrived early in the morning, so no one collected any fee from us. It is free to enter Batu Caves.

5. What should I wear to Batu Caves?

Avoid short pants, dresses, or skirts that are above the knee. The ladies working at the counter of the entrance will ask you to rent their sarongs. I personally think that the sarongs complement the staircase very well.

The Batu Caves Rainbow Staircase

Batu Caves’ repainted rainbow staircase definitely caught my attention! I first saw the picture through Instagram and I thought they were really stunning! The colors go by sharp contrasts but don’t look unfitting at all!

Due to its popularity, a massive crowd will be there every day to get a famed shot of the staircase! It can get really crowded during the day!

However, beware of the countless hungry monkeys throughout the staircase to the top. For that reason, don’t leave your belongings lying as they’ll be very tempting for the monkeys.

Tips to getting this insta-worthy picture

Arrive early to beat the crowds and heat. When we got there at 5am, there were only people coming in for morning prayer at a temple beside the cave. The staircase was unoccupied and basically empty!

This is the position where we stood when the sun was just starting to come up. As you can see, the staircase in front of us was still really empty at the time!

After climbing up the staircase and taking a look down, you will see a breathtaking view especially when the sun is rising up!

Here’s how it’ll look like when more people start swarming the staircase:

Batu Caves - All about your skirt

Eternally grateful to have worn this long skirt that day (of course, I did my research).

We saw so many ladies got called out to rent a sarong because they settled for skirts or dresses that were too short or revealing. By wearing something too short, they risk giving a free show when they go up the stairs. Also, it is because this is a place of worship. Hence, it is necessary to show respect.

Not only that, long skirt means flowy skirt images!

Of course, I had to pull Louis along for the picture. He couldn’t be more willing to!

Check out his enthusiastic expressions below!

What's at the end of the staircase?

At the end of the 272 steps, we arrived at the threshold to a grand vertical view of the limestone cave! The air in the cave was cooling and it almost cooled us of our sweats! We were in awe looking up and taking in every nook and cranny of the cave.

The downside to this cool place was the huge amount of mosquitoes that viciously attacked us as soon as we stepped foot into the cave.

On a site note, I personally adore the colourful facade of the temple! This place is just teeming with vibrant colours isn’t it!

The crowd after we left

Note that we went on a Monday, so it’s not a public holiday. The place was filled with tourists. Here’s a picture of how the crowd will look like after 9am on a typical weekday:

In A Nutshell

Batu Caves had been in my bucket list for the longest time, even though I’m staying only an hour away from it! The trip to Batu Caves has most certainly widened my knowledge about the Hindu religion and culture!

Also, Batu Caves is about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. If you have some time to spare before your next flight, and want to discover the multiracial beauty of Malaysia, Batu Caves will be a great place to start!