4 Best Ipoh Cave Temples To Visit in Malaysia

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Getting To The Ipoh Cave Temples

Hop into a GRAB (Malaysia's equivalent to UBER). They are cheap and frequent, meaning you don't need to ask a driver to wait as you visit each temple. However, if you feel happier doing that, you could always negotiate a rate for the day.

The cave temples usually open at 9:00 a.m., but closing times vary. While some remain open until evening worship, others close in the afternoon, so check up-to-date information once you are in Ipoh so you won't have a wasted journey. If getting the information online is challenging, ask your hotel to ring the temple and find the opening hours.

You can book a guided cave temple tour if you would prefer to be part of a group and learn the history of each temple from your guide.

If you aren't based nearby, you can still visit the Ipoh cave temples on a guided tour from Kuala Lumpur. The trip is a full 12-hour one, where you will see some of the cave temples mentioned in this post and visit Ipoh's Heritage Town.

1) Sam Poh Tong - Ipoh's oldest Buddhist cave temple

Sam Poh Tong is the oldest and most famous cave temple in Ipoh. It was founded in 1890 and is a must-visit place in Ipoh. It is recognisable by its five-tiered pagoda and russet-coloured roof. Due to its aesthetics, it is the one that will most likely come up online if you search for Ipoh temples, and this was the one I was most excited to visit.

Seeing Sam Poh Tong temple for the first time

From a distance, you can't see the Sam Poh Tong temple; it's just a wire fence and metal gates. However, once you enter the site, it's like a whole other world. We crossed a bridge featuring a beautifully landscaped garden with a koi pond, Buddha statues, and a floating pagoda. It seemed we were the only people there, apart from a few macaque monkeys playing in the trees, which made it all the more special.

We wandered around the pond and climbed the steps to enter the cave. Inside were Buddha statues, altars, and depictions of various deities and scenes from Buddhist mythology. We noted some stairs that led to a viewing platform, but by the look of the rusty lock, I doubt they had been in use for several years.

Arriving at the iconic red-roofed pagoda

Once through the main cavern, we entered a small tunnel leading to the rear garden, where we found the iconic red-roofed pagoda shrine featured in images of Sam Poh Temple. Like the viewing platform, the gate to the pagoda had a large rusty lock on it, so it looked like visitors were no longer allowed inside the shrine.

That said, it is still magical to see, especially if, like us, you arrive in the late afternoon, and the dappled sunlight makes the roof glow. It's certainly a unique and serene place of worship for Buddhists.

Tortoises (turtles) are believed to bring good luck, and there is a pond at the back where you can see them. At the entrance to the temple, visitors can buy vegetable offerings to feed the turtles for a few coins. The pond didn't look great, but I hope the caretakers take good care of the tortoises.

Don't get confused by the cave temples!

Sam Poh Tong was the third temple we visited.

When our GRAB driver dropped us off, I was confused. Why didn't the temple we were outside look anything like the pictures of Sam Poh Tong? The penny soon dropped! Sam Poh Tong was further along the road, and we had been dropped off outside Nam Thean Tong.

Don't worry; you're still in the right place! Sometimes, the drivers don't fully understand where you want to be dropped off along that road.

2) Nam Thean Tong - Cave of the Southern Sky

Nam Thean Tong is along the same road as Sam Poh Tong and was the first Ipoh Cave Temple we visited. It is a Taoist Temple established by a Chinese priest in the mid-19th century.

The first thing that struck me was how vibrant it was. Reds, blues, greens, and pinks; the colours of the rainbow had been used to create the frontage of this Ipoh temple.

Inside was a different story. We glided past the sleeping caretakers and walked up the dull, slippery stairs to look out from a higher terrace. All I could see were bats' guana everywhere, so it wasn't overly pleasant. Nevertheless, it was still worth visiting compared to the other cave temples. Also, it was next to Lin Seng Tong, accessible via a small bridge over a pond.

3) Lin Seng Tong - a whimsical and colourful cave temple

Far from looking like a cave temple, Ling Seng Tong was more like a fairground. Vibrant colours were everywhere, and as for statues, there were hundreds in all shapes and forms. Strange figures that would have looked better placed in a children's playground rubbed shoulders with religious deities, a reclining Buddha and a lucky golden frog.

Walking inside the cave, I saw various deities and incense sticks burning beside them. This was how I imagined the shrines inside cave temples to look. I have seen plenty elsewhere in Asia, and this was very similar.

Whatever my expectations of how a cave temple should look, this wasn't quite it, which made visiting Lin Seng Tong even more rewarding. It was like nothing I could have imagined, no matter how hard I tried, making it one of Ipoh's best cave temples!

4) Kek Look Tong - dramatic cave temple with zen gardens

Kek Look Tong is the most beautiful cave temple in Ipoh. It is a short drive from the others featured in this post, but it shouldn't be missed.

It has the most gigantic cave atrium, full of magnificent cave formations and religious statues, which completely contrasts with the other cave temples we have seen.

The icing on the cake is that once you pass through the cave, you are greeted with a vision that could have dropped from the heavens. I just stood and stared, not believing all this was at the back of a cave temple.

There's a walking track, a lake, a pathway of enlightenment, and, to top it all off, a boating river. You can hire pedalos in this cave temple and glide down a small river. This is an important place of worship in Ipoh and also serves as a family-friendly spot for a day trip. Now that's pretty cool!

My final thoughts on visiting the Ipoh caves

Seeing these four unique cave temples is one of the best reasons to visit Ipoh. You will leave with a lasting memory of these unique places, shrouded in spirituality and a hint of fun. They will also give you an insight into the Buddhist religion and how its deities are worshipped.

Want to see a cave in Ipoh that's not a temple? Head to Gua Tempurung in Perak.

Need somewhere to stay in Ipoh? I recommend The Weil Hotel. It's a modern hotel with a rooftop pool attached to a shopping mall, so if you've been travelling for a while, you can stock up on provisions or grab a meal and take it to your room. Everything but Durian fruit is allowed in the rooms (IYKYK)!

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