The Grand Tour, Gua Tempurung, Perak

I see the road sign to Gua Tempurung every time i exit at the Gopeng toll station- and always moving in the opposite direction. Finally, i followed its direction, with a group of friends, and experienced caving on a whole new level.

We started our journey towards the cave at 8 in the morning from Tronoh and arrived at its main entrance minutes before 9. Quickly, we went to purchase our entrance tickets. As planned, we bought the Tour 4 package, the Grand Tour, at RM 22 per adult. It is said to be the most challenging amongst the other tours, dry and wet at the same time, and consumes about three and a half hour. Hyped for the challenge, we had to wait patiently in line for our turn of fun-ness outside the cave. When we were called in, adrenaline started pumping.

All geared up for the challenge!

The first part was a dry tour in the cave- walking on its designated pathways and admiring the beauty of nature. Here is where your eyes play tricks and your imagination runs free- mine did for sure. Guided by Mr M, he showed us how creativity brought the cave to life. There were figures that made us go 'Wow' and say things like 'Yeah, I can see that!'.

Art by nature.

One leg.

Can you see me?

Wings and drumstick.

The lady.

There were ups and downs in the cave, literally. We had to hike up flights of stairs and downed them later. As always, going down is the challenge because really, we got high up in the cave.

In and in we went.

The adventure continued as we removed ourselves from the man-made pathways to the rocky grounds. The first tough obstacle awaits- a rock slide. Then we trailed along the streams through the cave; our feet chilled by the cold water. I anticipated myself to get wet, may be up to the chest like in the movies, but that did not happen. Still, i was wet enough, especially when crawling under limestone rocks to get to the other side.

On wet and rocky grounds.

Entire group shot at rest spot.

'Not tough enough' was one remark my friend made, not... until we proceeded after a short break. This time, we slid down more than 6 meters and snuggled down a hole. Then we had to crawl again and again. At one point when i got up to see ahead, i saw nothing but rocks and water- i felt like being in a scene from Sanctum, and the view was breathtaking.

Sliding!

Yes, in here.

Duck.

Crawl.

The rock wave before exiting the cave.

The journey through the cave took us nearly four hours, and we found sunlight. What memorabilia did we get from Gua Tempurung? Apart from bruises on the elbow and knee, and a bump on my head, there was nothing to take but the great caving experience that only the eyes can capture. I would jump in at any time for another round of the Grand Tour!

An after shot. See those smiles?

I have grown a tendency towards caving. I say, hail caveman!

***
Some tips. Sandal is the most ideal choice of footwear. I wore slippers- thankfully i did not slip, and sandal because there are small rocks that tend to get caught in your footwear, you can easily remove them. And also because your feet will get wet. Bring torchlight- we are not bats! If you have important stuff to carry like car keys, camera and water bottle, stuff them in small backpacks so that it doesn't hinder your movements in the cave. Keep other items in your car. There are toilet facilities outside to bathe, at RM 1. Also, food stalls are located outside the cave- the ice cream vendor must have gotten high profits on the day of our visit. For the Grand Tour, minimum 8 persons. I suggest not too big a group because you'll face heavy traffic inside the cave.

How to get to Gua Tempurung from KL? Use the PLUS highway and exit at Gopeng Toll Station. Turn left at the first traffic light. Keep going straight until you see the sign/arrow pointing towards Gua Tempurung. Drive in, and you are on your way to an adventurous getaway!

*Photos credit to ZY.

> Lunch at Sun Yeong Wai Restaurant
> Late afternoon tour at Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple