Kek Look Tong

Kek Look Tong occupies a large chamber in Gunung Rapat that was worked for tin before it became a temple in the 1960s, and the scale of the mining is why the space is so open: it is a single wide hall with a high roof, stalactites and formations along the sides, and images of the Buddha and of Guanyin set on platforms with the rock behind them. Walking straight through brings you out of the back of the hill into a garden of some thirty hectares laid out in the hollow between cliffs - lawns, ponds, a reflexology path, pavilions - which is where most people spend their time, and which is quiet enough in the early morning to be genuinely restful. Of the Ipoh cave temples this is the one that feels least crowded and best kept.

What you actually see

• A wide mined-out chamber - the open hall left by tin working, now the temple.
• Formations along the walls - stalactites and flowstone around the images.
• A garden behind the hill - thirty hectares of lawn and pond between cliffs.
• A reflexology path - the stone walkway locals use in the mornings.

When to go

All year; early morning is coolest and quietest. An hour or two.

Honest expectations

It is a working temple and quiet is expected inside. The garden is exposed and very hot by midday. Weekends bring coach parties. Getting there needs a car or taxi.

Nearby

Sam Poh Tong and Ling Sen Tong are close; Tasik Cermin is in the same hills.