Tambun Cave – Is It Worth Visiting This Free Hidden Attraction?
Tambun Cave or Gua Tambun is not on most tourists’ radar. Even though it has immense historical value.
It is the site of paintings dated to the Neolithic-era which means they are about 3,000 years old. Getting here involves a short hike and you don’t have to pay any entrance fees to enter the site.
What else should you know about this place? Keep on reading to find out.
Reasons To Visit
Besides not having any entrance fees, you do not need to spend a lot of time here. 30 minutes maximum is probably all you need.
The paintings are not difficult to find although you will spend most of your time making your way to the overhang where you can see them.
Despite their incredible age, the paintings are still visible. But they have visibly faded since our last visit which was about 6 years ago.
Many of the paintings clearly depict 4-legged animals although we can’t really tell what animals exactly.
The overhang does help protect the paintings from direct sunshine. We were there around noon, and it wasn’t as hot as we thought it would be.
The end of the trail to Tambun Cave is shaded with a stream along one side.
You will also have the opportunity to see some wildlife along the way. We spotted a hornbill and a monitor lizard during our last visit. Many birds stay inside the crevices of this limestone hill.
Monkeys are a common sight here too although we didn’t see any during this recent visit. On our previous visit, we saw some free roaming horses as Tambun Cave is next to a polo club.
If you plan to drive here, you can park your car next to the Caltex station at the entrance of the polo club.
Note: There is a security guard and barrier gate at the polo club but you just need to let him know that you’re going to Tambun Cave if you want to pass.
Reasons Not To Visit
Signs are lacking at Tambun Cave. The ones that are there are faded or in need of repair. This gives the impression that this is not an official tourist attraction.
Hence, you might feel uncomfortable walking through the well-manicured field towards Tambun Cave. We don’t recommend going on your own in case since the site is quite isolated.
Keep going in a straight light through the fields towards the edge where there is a stream and trees. Follow the stream to the right until you reach a small bridge.
Cross the bridge and follow the barren track (very muddy after rain) towards a fenced-up area with a wooden gazebo. The gazebo has some signage with more information about Tambun Cave.
At this point, there are a lot of mosquitoes. So, we highly recommend wearing long sleeves and pants and bringing some repellent with DEET.
Beside the gazebo are stairs up to Tambun Cave. They are steep (too steep for children and elders) and it looks like no one ever clears the stairs of fallen leaves. Plants are taking over one side of the stairs too.
There are railings at some places of the site. But you should still take extra care where you place your foot as the ground here is uneven with loose soil and rocks.
You will be right underneath the overhang, and we felt nervous being here as it feels like rocks could fall on our heads at any time.
The actual cave paintings at Tambun Cave are concentrated in one area of the overhang. It will only take you a glance to see all of them.
Some instances of crude graffiti mark the same overhang, and this is a great shame. There are no wardens to stop people from defacing the site.
Conclusion
Going to Tambun Cave is at your own risk. The stairs and the site where the paintings are, are not well maintained. You’ll also be at the mercy of mosquitoes.
Are the paintings worth it? We don’t think they are worth going out of your way to see them. But if you have time to spare in Ipoh, and you don’t mind a little exercise, this is one unique attraction that you can see for free.
And they’re not going to last forever – the paintings are clearly fading and are not well protected despite this being declared a national heritage site back in 2010 (Department of National Heritage).
