Gua Batu Maloi Caving Adventure
Gua Batu Maloi Caving Adventure
Batu Maloi Cave is a granite cave located in peninsular Malaysia . It is located in the valley between two mountain peaks at the end of the Titiwangsa Range , Mount Datok and Mount Tampin . [1] It is formed by the overlaying of massive rocks falling from nearby mountains. Between the piles of rocks are a cave passage that is accessible to humans. [2]
The cave has 24 posts along the route of 2.38 km inside and 987 meters long outside. [3] Batu Maloi cave forest forest is supervised by the Negeri Sembilan Forestry Department
Located about 15km away (about 15min drive) from Tampin town, Gua Batu Maloi is a water cave located in Hutan Lipur Gua Batu Maloi. Neither formed by dissolution of limestone or other geological process, Gua Batu Maloi is not a “real cave”. Made up of congregation of huge boulders and rock formation, two rivers, one from Gunung Tampin and another from Gunung Datuk, snakes their way across the stacked granite boulders. The rocks block which goes about one km in length, block each other, with sunlight fighting to creep through the cave opening, dimly “lighting up” the dark cave chambers.
The caving adventure takes you through, up, under, over and around these gigantic boulders, where you will need to snake, climb, slide, crawl, or even submerge yourself into the water for seconds, to traverse through the caves.
One thing to note is that the water level could get as high as your chin level, and hence it is advisable to bring a drybag to keep your phones and important belongings dry at all time. For those who would like to take photos with non-waterproof camera, always seal it with a waterproof case. However, be sure to seal it tightly, as Wills’ got his casing soaked as he submerged and water seeped in somehow, always causing him his new Huawei P9. GoPro and other action camera works best for a cave like this, but always bear in mind, to grab on it tightly. Many had lost their GoPro in this cave when they let loose. It’s highly impossible to reclaim what you lost in the water cave, as it’s pretty dark and you won’t be able to see what’s in the water.
We started our adventure at 9 in the morning. It took about 5 minutes to walk to the entrance of cave, where we walked on flat trail and waded through a shallow stream. After crawling through the first boulder, we traverse through a narrow creek by holding on to a rope, before entering into yet another chamber.
Even when there was no water at certain section, we had to crawl over boulders, or lay down flat on our back (or stomach, depending on your preferred position) and wriggle our way through to the next opening. Sometimes, we had to slide down from large rock to get ground, or possible landing ourselves into the water.
As we traverse deeper and further into the cave, darkness began to fill in the cave, and soon we had to turn on our headlights to shine the way. The passage into the cave can be quite perilous, especially in the dark. Be sure to bring a good headlights, especially one that is waterproof.
Before you can see light, you have to deal with darkness
Most of the time, the water was only up to our knee level, but at times, we had wade through deeper water, as high as our chest. Sometimes, the gap was so small and narrow that we had to hold our breathe, submerge into the water for several seconds, and glide over to other side.
Even when there was no water at certain section, we had to crawl over boulders, or lay down flat on our back (or stomach, depending on your preferred position) and wriggle our way through to the next opening. Sometimes, we had to slide down from large rock to get ground, or possible landing ourselves into the water.
I’ve never heard of Gua Batu Maloi prior to this trip, and thanks to MAM HANIM who introduced us to this cave, I had such tremendous fun. It’s a perfect one day escape from the hustle bustle of city life, and you even don’t need to be an avid hiker or sportsman to do this. The guides will always be guiding you through the maze-like cave and the trail chosen is customised according to your size and fitness level. Don’t think you can pass through? No worries, the guides will show you another way.
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