Cave Temples In Ipoh – Popular And Underrated Places To Check Out
Besides food, any first-time visitor to Ipoh should see at least one of its many cave temples. Most of them are in Gunung Rapat. The name Gunung Rapat translates to “close to the mountains” which is appropriate.
Every one of the cave temples in this list is different in their structure and what deities they hold. But all are free to visit.
So, which cave temple should you take note of during your visit to Ipoh?
1. Kek Look Tong
This should be the only cave temple you see if you only have time to visit one. Even if it doesn’t look like much on the outside.
The temple is in a large cavern complete with bats, stalagmites, and stalactites. The grounds of this cave temple are large too.
Most of the park behind the temple is shaded and you can rent a bicycle to go around the park. Or rent a boat to paddle in the waterway at the end of the park.
There is beautiful landscaping, swings, and a koi pond (plus even more toilets) at the front of Kek Look Tong. This temple has its own spacious visitor car park too.
Furthermore, Kek Look Tong is wheelchair accessible. In fact, this temple has many facilities that make it convenient for visitors. Thanks to public funding and good management.
Read more about this temple.
2. Perak Cave Temple
Locals refer to Perak Cave Temple simply as Perak Tong. It is one of the most majestic looking cave temples in Ipoh.
This is due to the symmetrical design of the temple building. There is a grand staircase that leads up to the main entrance of the temple from the front gardens too. The visitor car park is in front of these stairs.
After entering Perak Cave Temple, you can admire the large wall paintings inside the cave. There are many statues of Buddha and other religious figures of the temple.
At the back of the temple are some stairs. If these are not locked, you can climb all the way up to the highest part of the hill that Perak Cave Temple is at.
There are many rest points, but the way up is steep. Some of the steps are not in great condition so take great care during the climb.
You might want to avoid doing this climb completely when the ground is wet.
3. Sam Poh Tong
Sam Poh Tong has a very charming garden in front of it. This is one of the highlights of visiting this small cave temple.
And if you go all the way into the temple, there is a natural wind tunnel that will take you to the back of the temple.
Here, there is a tortoise sanctuary (you can buy vegetables to feed them at a counter close to the entrance. But there is also a beautiful temple structure!
You can’t enter it, but it feels like you are in a secret garden.
Read more about this temple.
4. Perak Guanyin Cave
Not to be confused with the Guanyin temple in town:
Perak Guanyin Cave or Guanyin Tong sees less foreign visitors than the previous cave temples listed above.
There is a big car park close to Perak Guanyin Cave so visiting this cave temple is convenient if you have your own car.
The gardens around the temple are well-kept and the atmosphere is very calming here. Dogs roam the tidy temple grounds so be wary – not all of them are friendly.
While quiet on most days, Perak Guanyin Cave is very lively at certain times of the year. One of these days is the last day of the lunar new year. Which is Chinese valentine’s day (Chap Goh Meh).
It was only during the pandemic that the temple did not host its annual Chap Goh Meh event.
During this event, girls wishing to find partners can write their names on oranges into the stream in front of the temple. Guys in turn, can fish out the oranges from the stream to find a partner.
Note: It is a 15-minute walk from Perak Guanyin Cave to Sam Poh Tong Temple.
5. Huat Tian Keong Temple
Very few tourists go to Huat Tian Keong Temple. It is not as well known, and it is further from popular tourist attractions.
The 100-year-old temple is in Bercham and it has several deities of Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist origin. But the main deity here is Huat Tian Keong.
A cave houses the main prayer hall and there are some paintings on the wall of the cave too. You will see many natural rock formations here and outside of the temple.
Explore the grounds of Huat Tian Keong Temple and you might come across the dragon statue that looks like it’s climbing down from the hill too!
6. Ling Sen Tong Temple
You can see both Ling Sen Tong Temple and Sam Poh Tong on the same day since they are within walking distance from each other.
The appearance of Ling Sen Tong Temple is traditionally Taoist and that means, lots of color. The temple and its grounds are not that large so it will not take long to explore them.
In the open compound, you can see wall murals and large statues of deities and figures from Taoist lore in the gardens.
You can read more about Ling Sen Tong Temple here.
7. Nam Thean Tong Temple
Nam Thean Tong Temple is between Ling Sen Tong Temple and Sam Poh Tong Temple. Like Ling Sen Tong Temple, this is a Taoist temple. But it is not as brightly colored.
It has its own visitor car park and gardens. There is a large fishpond with a bridge and pagoda style gazebo too.
The cave inside this temple is small but exploring it is interesting since the steep stairs inside go up much higher than you expect.
Read more about this temple.
Conclusion
Visitors are welcome to pray and admire the caves that these temples are built into. Ipoh has many more temples, but these are the ones that have their prayer hall inside a cave.
If you want to see several temples in one go, then it is best to make your way to Gunung Rapat. Because there are several temples sharing a row with Sam Poh Tong.
Our personal favorite cave temple in Ipoh is Kek Look Tong for the impressive size of its central chamber. Plus, the serene gardens at the back of it.
