Gua Tempurung
Kilometres Of Limestone Passage With A River Running Through It, Offered Either As A Lit Walkway Or As Four Hours Of Wading And Crawling In The Dark · Gopeng, Perak
GUA TEMPURUNG IS ONE OF THE LONGEST CAVE SYSTEMS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA AND IT HAS A RIVER RUNNING RIGHT THROUGH IT, which is what makes it different from every other show cave in the country. FIVE VAST DOMES open out along its length, hung with formations and lit in the tourist section by a concrete walkway with handrails. THAT IS THE EASY VERSION. THE FULL TOUR - people call it TOP OF THE WORLD, BOTTOM OF THE EARTH - TAKES THREE TO FOUR HOURS AND PUTS YOU IN THE RIVER: wading, crawling, squeezing through gaps in the dark with water at chest height, and coming out the far end filthy. IT IS GENUINELY ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO IN PERAK AND MOST VISITORS DO NOT KNOW IT EXISTS. THE CAVE WAS ALSO A COMMUNIST HIDEOUT during the Emergency. IT CLOSES WHEN THE WATER IS HIGH, which is not rare. Arrive early if you want a long tour, because departures are fixed and group minimums apply, and wear clothes and shoes you are genuinely prepared to ruin.
Gua Tempurung, Gopeng, Perak, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia
GUA TEMPURUNG IS NEAR GOPEND, about THIRTY MINUTES SOUTH OF IPOH and just off the north-south expressway - a car is the practical way. IT KEEPS DAYTIME HOURS WITH GRADED TOURS SOLD AT THE COUNTER: the short dry walkway tours run through the day and need no booking, while THE LONGER WET TOURS HAVE FIXED DEPARTURE TIMES, minimum group sizes and a last departure well before closing - ARRIVE EARLY IF YOU WANT ONE. THE FULL TOUR INVOLVES DEEP WATER, CRAWLING AND TIGHT SQUEEZES and is not suitable for everyone; the staff will tell you so honestly. WEAR CLOTHES AND SHOES YOU ARE PREPARED TO RUIN and bring a change. THE CAVE CLOSES WHEN THE RIVER IS HIGH after heavy rain, sometimes at short notice. Helmets and torches are provided.