Kuala Lumpur is a perfect spot to see more of Malaysia, this incredible Asian country everyone should visit! Let’s see what are the best and easy spots to see outside the Malaysian capital.
1. Batu Caves
Batu caves are a naturally beautiful series of 400 million-year-old limestone caves in Gombak, just outside of Kuala Lumpur.
A Hindu temple dedicated to Murugan, the god of war, was built here only a bit over a century ago. The golden statue of him at the entrance was constructed by Tiruvarur Thiyagarajan in 2006—and it’s not the tallest statue of Murugan in the world!
The festival Thaipusam is celebrated in this temple – you can Google it; it’s a very unusual. To get to the temple, you have to conquer 272 steps (I nearly died when I got to the top) – actually, they were painted just in 2018!
Inside, you can find the main temple and the Ramaya Cave. Of course, this place is also well known for the monkeys – those actually are interested in you only if you have food with you.
2. Kuala Selangor Firefly Park
Head in the evening to the most fantastic places in Malaysia – the Kuala Selangor Firefly Park! We went to Kuala Selangor, about 1-1.5 hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur, to see fireflies, one of the most amazing natural wonders in Malaysia!
You can get a boat ride here along the Selangor River after dark and admire a night boat ride: we were offered a 30-minute ride in our own boat with a gondolier or 1 one-hour ride on a bigger boat with other people (and we went for the first option). Important: don’t forget to use lots of mosquito repellent!
You can spot many fireflies blinking with light from bushes along the river sides, like Christmas fairy lights synchronising their sparkles. Sadly, cameras cannot capture this gentle light, but believe me, it is one of the most unique experiences you can have in your life.
There are a few other starting points in Kuala Selangor where you can see the fireflies, such as Pasir Penambang and Kampung Bukit Belimbing Firefly Park Resort.
3. Sri Shakti Devasthanam, Bukit Rotan
Sri Shakti Devasthanam in Bukit Rotan is a modern Hinduist temple you can easily visit on your way to Kuala Selangor.
It dates back to 2013 and is based on an older wooden shrine erected by Indian migrants in the late 19th to early 20th century. Photography is forbidden inside, but I must assure you that this Hindu temple is amazing: it’s not a very touristy place and an operating temple, so it feels genuine.
4. Bukit Malawati
In today’s Kuala Selangor, Bukit Malawati, or Melawati Hill, used to be the administrative centre of the Selangor Sultanate. On the top of the hill, there was a fortification built in the late 18th-early 19th century, while the earliest fort on this site dates to the 16th century because of the perfect strategic position of this site overlooking the Strait of Malacca and Sumatra.
Three first sultans of Selangor are buried here in the Royal mausoleum: Sultan Salahuddin (1742-1778), Sultan Ibrahim (1778-1826) and Sultan Mahmud (1826-1857) buried here with their wives – the site is closed to the public, I presume.
This place is famous not only for its lighthouse, historical tombs (including those of the Dutch who attacked the fort), and panoramic views… but also for the monkeys!
We’re here to meet silvered leaf monkeys, silvery langurs, and long-tailed macaques: if you can see the monkeys everywhere in this part of the world, the langurs are rare! Although the adult langurs are silvery grey, their little ones are brightly orange – watch out for the ginger spot in the monkey crowds!
The locals encourage visitors to buy bags filled with various food loved by the animals. Be careful if you choose to feed the monkeys: they are not aggressive per se, but they fight their way when they see yummy goodies!
5. Putrajaya
Putrajaya is Malaysia’s brand new second capital. It’s a perfect day trip from Kuala Lumpur — or even easier, you can see it on your way from the airport because Putrajaya is located halfway between the Malaysian capital and Putrajaya! You can see more info about it here.
After Kuala Lumpur became too crowded and congested with traffic, it was decided to start a new city from scratch and to transfer all governmental and administrative offices there. Actually, they built a whole new island surrounded by an artificial lake. Now, you’ll have to cross one of the bridges to get there.
Eventually, the construction on this site started in the mid-90s, and in 1999, the seat of the federal government of Malaysia was transferred here among the places to see here are Perdana Putra where the Prime Minister resides now, Persiaran Perdana, or Putrajaya Boulevard, International Convention Centre, Palace of Justice, Iron Mosquе (Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin) and Putra Mosque.
You might also like my other blogs about Asia.
Hope you liked my today’s blog,
Yours,
Anna xxx
