20240108_085018At the Batu Caves (January 2024)

Following an early evening in the night before, I woke up early at 6h00 to get ready for my second day in Kuala Lumpur (“KL”). My second day was an early rise and late to bed kind of day, where I saw the huge bulk of the main sites and architecture of the urban Malaysian capital. It would another tiring day running around town, but a fun one nonetheless.

First destination of the day was the Batu Caves. The caves are situated just a bit outside of the city center (9 miles/14.5 kilometers) and while it’s possible to take public transport there, I didn’t want the hassle of researching the train times and schedules– instead, I booked a Grab and soon enough arrived to the Batu Caves just before 7h00.

It was still very early upon arrival, as the tourists weren’t out yet… but there were many pigeons! I also heard that the Batu Caves have a ton of wild monkeys roaming about, ready to harass and snatch food and items from unaware visitors. Interestingly, I didn’t see any monkeys out (perhaps they were still asleep?), which is lucky, I guess.

The Batu Caves are free of charge, with the exception to access a few of the temples on the side. The caves are a network of limestone caves embedded into the mountains surrounding KL, and the site has been a prominent place for Hindu worship since the late 19th century by Malaysian Indians of Tamil descent. The caves remain a notable prayer site today by the Hindu community, but they’re also a popular tourist site for visitors to check out the colossal golden statue of Murugan and the colorful 272 steps leading up to the main cave entrance.

20240108_085018Colorful steps with the Murugan statue

Interestingly, the colorful steps were a recent addition– while the steps had been there for decades, they didn’t get rainbow-painted until just 2018 and since then has become massive on social media. While beautiful in color, the steps are surprisingly steep, and I was sweating a ton just climbing the flights of stairs to the top!

20240108_075213Beautiful, but steep steps!

Soon enough, I reached the top of the main cave entrance and spent some time exploring the several temples inside the dark and cool cave. I saw plenty of Hindus in prayer, and I even removed my shoes at a few of the temples to enter and admire the deities. I also exited and descended the colorful stairs to visit a smaller temple, the Cave Villa, on the side: I paid 15 MYR ($3 USD) entrance fee, and overall, enjoyed the vibrant and ornate architecture of the Hindu temples at the Batu Caves.

20240108_075825Inside the main cave


20240108_083456Cave Villa

I headed back to KL city center via Grab, where I visited the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan. Also known as the Federal Territory Mosque, the Masjid Wilayah is a mosque dating back to 2000 and can hold up to 17,000 people at a time. The mosque also offers guided tours, so I made it around 10h00 for the first tour of the day. As it’s still an operating religious site, women (including myself) needed to cover up, so I was fitted into a full-bodied rental hijab and removed my shoes before I entered the mosque. The hijab was comfortable and breathable, as well as a beautiful pink– honestly, I looked cute! XD

20240108_101448Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan


20240108_113405A little photoshoot at the mosque! 

I was on the English-speaking tour with five other women, all from Europe (e.g. Germany, Sweden, Denmark). Our tour guide was also a woman, soft-spoken and super nice. We had a 20-minute introduction to the religion of Islam, the history behind it and how it impacts the world– there are almost 2 billion people who practice Islam today, making up 25% of the world’s population. The tour guide herself is Muslim, and I could tell she was deeply devoted to the religion– she was by no means trying to proselytize us, but rather show how she finds purpose in life with Islam.

We then took a tour around the mosque, visiting the massive and spacious prayer room and the exterior with the rising blue minarets above us. Truly impressive architectural feats, and I can see how the design has inspired those who practice to continue a life of worship, to Allah. I’ve visited mosques in other parts of the world (e.g. Morocco, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina), but there was something about visiting the Masjid Wilayah (and other mosques in Malaysia later on) that fascinated me. It made me realize just how Islam has a huge influence on the world, not just in the Middle East, but also as far as Southeast Asia.

20240108_105151Inside the mosque


20240108_112915Exterior of the mosque

The tour ended up being over two hours long, but honestly, I really enjoyed it. Besides having a great, all-women group, our tour guide made it such a great experience. She was super knowledgeable and incredibly sweet, and the Masjid Wilayah ended up being one of the most-memorable parts of my time in Kuala Lumpur. I left the mosque with a better understanding of Islam, along with debunking misconceptions and stereotypes about Muslims that are so prevalent in Western media. Overall, awesome visit!

Next, I took a Grab over to the KL Forest Eco Park and Menara Tower. I’d tried to visit them the day before, but they were closed due to heavy rain. Weather was dry and perfect this time around, so I started with the KL Forest Eco Park. I paid 40 MYR ($10 USD) entrance fee to explore the complex urban jungle, included with an Instagram-famous suspension bridge with the KL skyline in the background. It didn’t take long for me to explore much of the park, and I was done within an hour.

20240108_130159Suspension Bridge at KL Forest Eco Park

I headed over to the Menara Tower, where I paid 110 MYR ($25 USD) to go up to the top, as well as for the Skybox, which is a glass box perched over the tower, to give the illusion you’re hovering over the city. A bit gimmicky, and it took forever for my number to be called for the Skybox (45 minutes to an hour). The views of KL from the Menara Tower were decent, but they weren’t as high up as I’d expected. To be honest, the KL Forest Eco Park and Menara Tower weren’t really worth it, as they were quite expensive and underwhelming. Lesson learned!

20240108_133729Views from the Menara Tower

Feeling the afternoon slump, I returned to my hotel around 15h00 for a brief rest before I headed out again at 17h00 for a guided street food tour. My travel agent had booked it for me, and it would be a 4-5 hour tour throughout the heart of KL, trying all sorts of Malaysian dishes, from breakfast to lunch to dinner to dessert. There were a dozen of us on the tour from all over the world (e.g. Australia, Germany, the US, Argentina, even Slovenia!). Our tour guide was a Malaysian Indian whose family had been in Malaysia for the past three generations– besides showing us the various delicious eats in town, he also told us a bit about his heritage and how it contributes to the multicultural make-up of the country.

The food tour tasted almost five hours, which was a marathon in itself. I came hungry, but even then, I was absolutely stuffed in the end. We had about 12 stops and 12 dishes: there were a few I already had before (e.g. roti canai, nasi lemak, teh tarik), but also some new ones like cendol, mangosteen, and satay. I think my favorite would have to be the curry laksa and refreshing mango smoothie in the end. We concluded the tour past 22h00, and I headed back to my hotel, showered, and turned in by 23h00. It was a fun time, as I got to meet so many people from all over and tried an overall spread of Malaysian cuisine. Not only was the food tour tasty, but also very educational!

20240108_175239Mangosteen fruit


20240108_184827Roti canai with curries


20240108_190404Cendol– a refreshing shaved ice drink!


20240108_195822Grilled mackerel with sauces


20240108_214707KL at night

Stay tuned for the last part of my time in KL. See you soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

37 thoughts on “Destination: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Visiting the Batu Caves, Exploring the Masjid Wilayah, and 12-Course Street Food Tour– DAY 2)”

  1. I have seen so many pictures of Batu caves that I forgot how recently they were painted. I had to go back to our pictures from 2017/18 to see that only the top of the steps were painted. I completely forgot how they looked when we were there! Maggie

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  3. I visited Batu caves recently and enjoyed the site. Although the crowd is varied, you can feel the predominance of the Hindu religion and it makes travel beyond Malaysia. The monkeys were quite numerous but didn’t interfere if they didn’t detect food, so they were quite entertaining.

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  5. Like Maggie, I had to look up my old photos of Batu Caves taken in 2010, and the stairs were painted in blue! I do remember how steep it was though. It’s incredible that you went to 12 places to try 12 dishes in five hours!

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    1. So it appears that the Batu Caves stairs were already painted in 2010 (even if it wasn’t rainbow yet). I was surprised I even managed to eat all 12 dishes during that food tour, but all delicious regardless 🙂

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    1. Absolutely! The Batu Caves were lovely, and the Masjid Wilayah was a highlight of my time in KL. The food tour was long, but filled with delicious food; I was certainly stuffed afterwards!

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  8. Woah…loved reading on your time at Caves and Mosque. Those steps can make anyone sweat for read…given those are steep too…can test resilience also…

    Looks quite vibrant…

    The pic of you in hijab is great also!

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    1. Thank you! The Batu Caves and the Masjid Wilayah were some of the highlights of my time in KL. The hijab was mandatory for entering the mosque, but I admit, I did look fashionable in it! XD

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  10. Wow, what a great and very full day! The caves look wonderful and the mosque tour sounds excellent too. It’s great that you came away with a better understanding of Islam. After all, isn’t that what travel is all about, learning more about other cultures, beliefs etc?!

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    1. Absolutely! I definitely learned a lot more about Islam, beyond what I’d learned about it through textbooks and Western news. That’s the beauty of traveling around the world, to have an open mind to the various cultures and religions out there!

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  11. That mosque tour sounds wonderful! I’d love to learn more about Islam also, as I’m quite sure they are very misrepresented in Western media. As for the food tour, everything looks very tasty. What did the mangosteen taste like? Kudos to you for finding the energy to tour from dawn to 22h00! 👏🏼

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    1. Definitely! The tour of the Masjid Wilayah was a highlight of my time in KL. The food tour was long and intense with various dishes, but I walked away with a better understanding and appreciation for the multicultural cuisine that makes it all Malaysian. The mangosteen reminded me of a lychee, but more fragrant!

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    1. Never been to Gibraltar, but I’m keen on going! The Batu Caves were a real treat to visit in KL. The food tour was long and intense, but full of yummy dishes! Glad to have tried a lot of Malaysian cuisine during my visit 🙂

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    1. Thanks for reading, Darlene! The Batu Caves were a real treat to visit. The Masjid Wilayah was also a beauty, too, and I’m really glad to have visited and learned more about Islam. More of KL to come soon!

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  14. Aw how lovely and it’s always interesting to see the variety of places people visit in a city – I didn’t make it to the mosque so am grateful for you to show me what it was like 🙂 I also had planned to go up Menara Tower but we just ran out of time; there’s just never enough of it is there!!

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    1. Yes, one is constricted by time when traveling to a destination for a short length of time. To be honest, the Menara Tower wasn’t really worth it for the price, and I could’ve used my time to see more of KL elsewhere…all the same, it was a great second day in town! Stay tuned for my third (and final) post of KL soon!

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  15. We went to Batu Caves in 2007(?) and I remember the climb and the monkeys. Maybe they were still sleeping when you went there, or they time their visit when many tourists are already onsite.
    Your food tour sounds so much fun!

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    1. Yes, I think I went early enough that the monkeys were still asleep! There weren’t too many people at the Batu Caves when I went (before 8h00), so the visit didn’t feel overwhelming. It was a long, but fulfilling second day in KL (food tour included)!

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    1. Indeed! It was a long day out and about, but I had a wonderful time. The Masjid Wilayah was a highlight, along with the Batu Caves. Never been to Cambodia, but I hope to soon some day! Thanks for reading 😊

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  17. Oh gosh, what a day! The caves look very unique and I love the rainbow stairs. The mosque tour sounds fascinating. The gardens looked lush and green and I enjoyed the views of KL from above, so thanks for taking us along even though they weren’t your favorite parts. And then a 5 hour food tour? My goodness. I’m exhausted and stuffed just reading about it haha!

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    1. Thanks, Diana! It was a LONG day, but a very fulfilling one. From the Batu Caves at dawn to a food tour at night, I really maximized my time during my second day in KL. I did have a more-chill time the next day, so stay tuned!

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  18. The rainbow colors of the stairs probably helped to take your mind off the climb! I loved the view and the ornate architecture in your photo of Cave Villa. The food tour would have been on my list.

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    1. I agree! The colorful steps were lovely, and despite the steep climb, it was nice seeing the colors changes as I ascended! It was a lovely second day in KL, albeit a long one!

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