Our Spontaneous Visit to Batu Caves: What We Learned (And Why You Need More Time Than We Had)
The Most Spontaneous Morning in Kuala Lumpur
"Want to go to Batu Caves?"
It was a simple question on a random Monday morning in April 2025. My husband Etienne, our friend, and I had a few hours free before our noon appointment, and just like that, we were in a Grab taxi heading to one of Malaysia's most iconic Hindu temples.
No research. No planning. Not even an SD card in my Osmo Pocket 3 (yes, I forgot it in the spontaneity of the moment). Just three people saying yes to an adventure.
Here's what happened during our whirlwind 2-hour visit to Batu Caves—and what you should know before your own trip.
Getting to Batu Caves from Kuala Lumpur: The Real Cost and Time
We stayed at the Mercure Kuala Lumpur Trion and caught a Grab taxi around 9am. Cost: approximately 20 RM (about $4-5 USD).
Travel time reality check:
Going there: 40 minutes (we hit rush hour traffic)
Coming back: 20 minutes (our driver understood our urgency and the traffic had cleared)
If you're planning a visit, book your Grab early or consider going mid-morning to avoid the KL rush hour crush. The train (KTM Komuter) is another option, but we wanted flexibility given our time constraints.
What It's Really Like: Weather, Crowds, and Those 272 Steps
Our visit stats:
Date: April 21, 2025
Start time: 9:40am at the base of the stairs
Back at hotel: 11:38am
Total time at Batu Caves: About 1 hour
Weather: Hot and humid—26°C (79°F) but felt like 32°C (90°F) with 94% humidity and zero wind
The Climb Up: 272 Colorful Steps
Let me be honest: we rushed up those stairs. We weren't sure how long the climb would take, and with our noon deadline looming, we were on a mission. We ascended all 272 steps in 13 minutes and 13 seconds—not a record by any means, but we were definitely moving with purpose!
The steps kept getting "plugged up" with people catching their breath (totally understandable in that humidity) and stopping for photos of the incredible rainbow-colored staircase.
Pro tip: The stairs are steep, and in that humidity, you WILL need breaks and water! We saw the golden Lord Murugan statue towering 42.7 meters (140 feet) above us and just kept pushing.
Inside the Cathedral Cave: Humidity and Fogged Lenses
Once we reached the top and entered the main cave temple, we hit another challenge—the humidity inside the cave was so intense that our camera lenses kept fogging up. If you're bringing photography gear, bring a lens cloth and be prepared for this.
We climbed all the way up the second set of interior stairs and explored the second temple. That was the extent of our Batu Caves adventure—but what an adventure it was!
The Way Down: Finally Relaxing and Meeting the Locals (Monkeys)
On our descent, we finally slowed down. We took more pictures, soaked in the atmosphere, and yes—we encountered the famous Batu Caves monkeys. They're everywhere, they're bold, and they're definitely up to no good. We captured some of their naughty antics on video—you'll have to watch our [15-minute video] to see what these cheeky troublemakers did!
It started to rain lightly while we were inside the cave, but thankfully it held off after that. We managed to get back to our hotel, change our shirts, refresh our deodorant (necessary after that humid climb!), and make it to our noon appointment. And then? The sky absolutely opened up. It poured all afternoon. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect.
The weather that day was completely unpredictable. The three of us stood in a high-rise building in KL during our meeting, watching the rain absolutely pour down, and we couldn't stop laughing at our incredible luck. This whole trip was filled with moments of absolutely perfect timing—catching the Grab before rush hour got worse, finishing our climb before the rain, getting photos without crowds. And here's the thing: if we couldn't be spontaneous, none of it would have worked.
The lighter morning weather meant we had manageable crowds and got incredible photos without masses of people in the background—a rare treat at such a popular tourist destination.
When we were at the office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it began to pour rain so hard that it drastically affected the visibility, really solidifying that being spontaneous usually works in your favour.
Things I Wish I'd Known Before Visiting Batu Caves
1. Dress Code Reality Check
I brought a jacket to cover my tank top and longer shorts, worried about the temple dress codes. Here's what I learned: dress code only applies if you're going INSIDE the temples within the caves. If you're just exploring the caves and climbing the stairs, there's no strict dress code enforcement.
We didn't enter the actual temples (just explored the cave spaces), so my casual outfit was fine. But if temple entry is important to you, bring something to cover your shoulders.
2. There Are Multiple Caves (We Had No Idea)
The main Cathedral Cave at the top of the 272 steps is what most people visit, but there's also:
Ramayana Cave - We completely missed this
Dark Cave - An eco-tourism cave system
Other smaller cave temples
With only an hour, we stuck to the main attraction, but if you have more time, explore beyond the famous steps.
3. Bring Water (Or Buy It There)
In our rush, we forgot to bring water bottles. Thankfully, there are small shops at both the bottom and top of the colorful steps selling water, souvenirs, and snacks. There's also a café at the bottom near the big Batu Caves sign where we grabbed some 100 Plus (a Malaysian sports drink I fell in love with) before heading back.
4. Drones: Proceed with Caution
We brought our DJI Neo and managed to get some aerial shots, but we were nervous about the pigeons and falcons potentially taking out the drone. At one point, a man started speaking somewhat aggressively when the drone was up (we didn't understand the language), so we put it away and moved on.
Drone tip: If you fly here, be aware of the birds and local reactions. It may not be worth the stress.
5. Give Yourself More Time Than We Did
This is my biggest takeaway: we would recommend at least 2-3 hours to properly experience Batu Caves. We only had an hour, which meant we:
Rushed up the stairs
Couldn't explore the other caves
Didn't enter the temples
Couldn't relax at the café
If we'd had more time, we would have fully embraced the experience instead of treating it like a race against the clock.
Is Batu Caves Worth Visiting?
Absolutely yes. Even with our rushed, spontaneous, under-prepared visit, it was incredible. The golden Lord Murugan statue is massive and impressive. The colorful steps are even more vibrant in person. The cave temple is unlike anything else. And the whole experience is free (though donations are appreciated).
Should it be on your bucket list? 100%. Just give yourself more time than we did to truly take it all in.
The Real Reason We Could Take This Spontaneous Trip
Now, here's where this story takes a turn that might surprise you—or maybe it won't, if you've been following our journey.
Living the Dream, One Choice at a Time
Standing at the base of those 272 colorful steps, looking up at the golden statue of Lord Murugan towering above, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey that brought us here—and I'm not just talking about the Grab taxi ride.
My husband Etienne, our friend, and I found ourselves at Batu Caves on a random April morning in 2025. It wasn't planned. We had a few hours to ourselves and thought, "Why not?" We didn't research where everything was, didn't know there were other caves beyond what's at the top of the steps, didn't plan how much time to reserve. We rushed through our visit, probably missed things we should have seen. And you know what? It was absolutely perfect.
Here's the thing: visiting Southeast Asia wasn't even in my top 10 destinations. But by just going with the flow of life, we ended up in this extraordinarily beautiful place, having an experience I'll never forget. That spontaneity—that ability to say "yes" to unexpected opportunities—that's what life is really about. And it's only possible when you're not chained to a desk, desperately trying to squeeze in more hours to make ends meet.
Etienne and I built this online business together. It didn't happen overnight. We tried it all—social media marketing, selling everything we could think of, and joining different MLMs. What we learned through all of that hustle is that they were all very active ways of income, and none were truly passive. It all relied on how many more hours of work we could put in, which took away from the time to actually enjoy life. We were trading one hamster wheel for another.
That's when we realized we needed to chase passive income instead. We failed lots. More times than we care to count, honestly. But our persistence to achieve our dream—to live life by our own design and not have to trade our time for money—kept us going. Those failures taught us what actually works. Now we have tools that allow us to enjoy more of our lives—tools that generate income whether we're climbing temple steps in Malaysia or sleeping in our own bed. That's what funded this spontaneous morning adventure. That's what gave us the freedom to catch a taxi on a whim and explore cathedral caves without worrying about losing work hours. You can see the whole experience in this [15-minute video].
If you're reading this and thinking, "I wish I could do that too," I want you to know: you absolutely can. You don't need permission, you don't need to be an expert, and you don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to start, and more importantly, you need to focus on building something that doesn't require trading every waking hour for dollars.
Life's most beautiful moments are often unplanned. But spontaneity requires freedom—freedom from the constant pressure to work more hours, freedom to say yes when opportunity knocks. Whether your dream is exploring sacred temples in Malaysia, hiking up Ninh Binh in Vietnam (we'll be blogging about that adventure soon!), or simply having the flexibility to take a random Tuesday morning off—the path to getting there begins with creating opportunities for yourself.
The internet has democratized income in ways our parents couldn't have imagined. The tools are there. The potential is there. Your Batu Caves moment—whatever that means for you—is waiting.
Ready to learn exactly what tools we use to create passive income and live this lifestyle?
We'd love to share our journey with you. You can:
Join our email list, where we break down the exact systems we use and share when we’re having events you can attend:
Email us directly at etienne@fundamentalfinds.ca with questions or to connect one-on-one
What choice will you make today to get closer to your dreams?
