Perak Cave Temple – Climb Up To The Top For A View Of Ipoh!

Perak Cave Temple (or Perak Tong) is well known in Ipoh. The red and white Buddhist temple is against a limestone hill and faces a main road (Jalan Kuala Kangsar).

The beauty of this grand temple’s interior and exterior attracts many visitors.

But beyond this, there are some things about this cave temple that you might not know. So, read on to find out what that is!

Interesting Facts:

• One of the oldest temples in Ipoh (since 1926)
• 40ft Buddha statue inside the temple
• 400+ steps to the top for a view of the temple surroundings
• You might see monkeys here
• Founded by a couple who came from China

What You Should Know

Occasionally there may be someone acting as a car park attendant. But during our visit, we didn’t see anyone pressing us to pay for parking.

You need to climb up some stairs to reach the temple.

And inside the temple are multiple prayer rooms of different levels so this place is not wheelchair- friendly.

If you’re keen to climb to the top, note that they don’t allow anyone to after 4pm. Moreover, the way up is steep and not suitable for young children or those with mobility issues.

You’ll find the entrance to the stairs at the back of the temple.

The climb to the top should take less than 30 minutes one-way. There are multiple places to rest as you climb up to the top.

It’s free to access the stairs (and enter the temple) but donations are expected.

As you go further up, you’ll see that some of the pathways are not well maintained. We don’t recommend doing the climb after rain as the steps will be even more slippery. Comfy shoes are a must.

Tip: Bring mosquito repellent

What To See

One of the highlights of this cave temple is its architectural symmetry. It looks a bit like a Chinese palace from afar especially with the structured pathways and ponds in front of it.

There is a Guanyin statue in front of the temple. The ponds used to have huge fish but not anymore.

After the gardens, there is a spacious open area for visitors to park their cars. And immediately next to the car park, you can walk up the large staircase to the temple.

Now, the main prayer hall of Perak Cave Temple is big with a high ceiling. Though not as big as the one in Kek Look Tong.

Moreover, the walls of the prayer hall have lovely colored paintings of Chinese figures.

Note: You can’t see as many impressive limestone formations here as in Kek Look Tong. That’s not a bad thing, that’s just an observation.

The prayer hall has several statues of deities. Of these, the large buddha statue claims the most attention.

If you climb to the top of Perak Cave Temple, you’ll get a commanding view of an industrial part of Ipoh with some neighbourhoods too. Naturally, the views are better on a clear sunny day.

Conclusion

For us, Perak Cave Temple is one of top 3 to visit when it comes to cave temples in Ipoh.  And so, a visit to Perak Cave Temple is worth a look if you have time.

Besides its majestic architecture, one of the most unique points about this temple is that you can climb high up above it! Other temples that offer a climb (though not as high) are Ling Sen Tong.

It used to be that you could climb up Sam Poh Tong too, but not anymore as they keep the stairs locked.