Gua Tempurung Limestone Caves

"Adventure Inside The Earth"

Sometimes wilderness is on the inside, not outside. Explore the Gua Tempurung limestone caves for a change of scenery and a chance to marvel at the earth's interior.

As one of the largest limestone caverns in Peninsular Malaysia, Tempurung Cave offers cave adventures for kids and adults. Located in Perak, the cave meanders under a forested mountain range. Inside are columns and walls of marble, icicle hanging stalagmites and tapered mounds of stalactites.

Caves are eerily quiet compared to the sounds of the jungle above. The rainforest buzzes with life and death in every tree. Cave formations grow by the inch, taking hundreds of years for each one. Maybe that's why caves are special places in the natural world.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Gua Tempurung limestone caves:

• A karst cave of marble limestone, the cave is over 400 million years old.
• An underground river passage runs for over 1.5 km inside the cave.
• Five large domes with coconut shell (tempurung) ceilings give the cave its name.
• The cave extends nearly 2 km long with heights reaching 120 metres.
• Water levels range from ankle to chest deep and the stream exits somewhere through the hillside.

Gua Tempurung Limestone Caves Adventure Tours

Stay dry, get wet or crawl all over the place. The cave tours are a mix of easy walks to challenging scrambles. Tours take anywhere from 40 minutes to 4 hours depending on your interest and time available.

For bat lovers, visit during March to May when hundreds of flying mammals navigate the dark corridors. Don't be deterred by incorrect bat myths and enjoy the wildlife.

For an adrenaline rush, choose to clamber over muddy paths, crawl over rocky holes and slide down slippery stones on a physical and demanding cave route. Your cave adventure keeps you in the dark until the end when sunlight exposes the jungle scenery.

There are five caverns to choose from with different characteristics and showcase galleries:

Golden Flowstone Cavern - Standing at 90 metres, the sloping floor and cave walls have a golden hue when water flows over it.

Gergasi (Giant) Cavern - With a huge column that resembles a hanging space ship, it measures 15 metres high and 17 metres long.

Tin Mine Cavern - A part of cave history exposes itself as with some remnants of mining activities from the old days.

Alam (Universe) Cavern - Measuring more than 130 metres in width, the cavern reaches up to 72 metres high with slender stalactites.

Fallen Warrior and Battlefield Cavern - There are many strange and amazing formations that look like familiar objects, such as a fallen warrior in a battlefield.

Gua Tempurung Limestone Cave Tours

Tips For Exploring Gua Tempurung Limestone Caves

Most people are unfamiliar with caving and what conditions to prepare for. So what can you expect? And what should you bring along for the trek inside?

Gua Tempurung is operated by the Perak government and a private company called APT Consortium. Here is what they recommend:

For Dry Tour

• Dress comfortably (t-shirts and long pants) and wear comfortable shoes or sandals with straps and a good grip. Hiking boots provide better support on rocky surfaces.
• Bring water containers and other personal stuff in small daypack
• Camera and torchlight are optional, but always good to have another light handy.

For Dry and Wet Tour

• Wear comfortable clothes, shoes and socks. Hiking boots are the best for better traction. For pants, use an old pair of loose fitting ones over constricting denim jeans.
• Gloves and kneepads are highly recommended.
• Bring mineral water and other personal gear in a small daypack.

Other Considerations

• A change of clothes, towel and shoes/sandals to leave in vehicle and clean up for the ride home.
• Waterproof torchlight.
• Bring a waterproof camera or an inexpensive one in a watertight container.
• Put your other items in a dry bag to avoid getting soaked.
• Caving helmet and first aid kid.

Gua Tempurung Limestone Caves: Information

Facilities

• Bring your own food or shop at the stalls selling food and drink outside the cave
• Bring a plastic bag for your own rubbish to avoid trashing the park.
• Other facilities include toilets and changing rooms and a prayer room.
• A convenience store sells basic snack and drink items.
• Bicycle rentals are available for riding around the grounds.
• Be aware of any allergies or irritations to limestone or bat guano.
• Check your equipment before entering the cave.

Contact at Cave

APT Consortium Sdn Bhd
Suite 3.07 Aras 3, Megoplex
Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah
31350 Ipoh, Perak
Tel: 05 318 8555
Fax: 05 318 8557
website: www.guatempurung.com

Getting There

The way to Gua Tempurung is fairly easy. You can reach it from Kuala Lumpur (3 hours) or from Ipoh (1hour). After exiting the highway, the road remains good all the way.

• Follow the North-South PLUS Expressway towards Ipoh and exit at the Gopeng toll.
• Turn left at the junction towards Kampar. Look for the green/white Gua Tempurung sign.
• Drive for 5-6 km and look for a large billboard sign, turn left.
• Drive another 2 km to reach the entrance to the cave facilities.