KOTA GELANGGI

The Kota Gelanggi Caves are located in Pahang between the towns of Raub and Maran. There are about 100 caves in the area and the geology is estimated to be about 150 million years old. These caves were first recorded in 1882 and various findings of archaeological importance have been discovered there. The trip started with a long drive to Pahang via the road to Frasers Hill which continues on to Raub. The route is very scenic and it passes the new dam that has been built on the upper reaches of the Selangor River. All of us arrived at the Tekam Plantation Resort at around 4pm and after a delayed check-in, we felt that it was too late to do any caving for the day. Some of us decided to spend the rest of the evening relaxing at the pool thus saving our energy for some serious caving the next day.

After a simple buffet breakfast, we followed our guide to the entrance of the main cave complex about 7km from the Resort. The first cave we visited was a dry cave and its entrance was reached after a short uphill trek through secondary jungle. Inside the cave was the usual formations of stalagmites, stalactites and columns. One chamber had its ceiling and walls covered with hundreds of brown spots. It looked like we were inside the belly of a Leopard and surrounded by its skin. The second cave was more interesting. To reach it, we had to climb up quite a few iron ladders bolted to the side of the hill. Thus the name of the cave "Gua Tangga 99". Inside this cave, is the home of tens of thousands of bats and the floor is ankle deep in guano. They were not happy with our presence and flew about wildly, stirring up a lot of dust. Breathing is not so easy here as your nose is soon clogged by the dirty air. With all this guano around, this cave supports a multitude of animals. Cockroaches scurried on the ground and tiny fly like insects buzzed in the air. We also spotted some cave centipedes about 15cm long running over the guano, their long legs keeping their bodies above the mess on the ground. Cave toads as big as a saucer also make their home here, feasting on the abundance of insects in this cave. We even saw a cave racer here, making this a cave which can be considered as one teeming with all kinds of animal life ie. bats, insects, centipedes, toads and snakes.


Our next cave was the showcave, Gua Terang Bulan. At the end of this cave there is a high chamber with an opening at the top and it is said that when the moonlight shines thru this opening, it lights up the formations inside in a beautiful way. There are some interesting formations and deep pools in this cave. Formations resembling an elephant, an old man, a cupboard and various other shapes can be seen with a little imagination. According to the guide, some of the pools here are so deep that no one has been able to measure the depth yet.

After lunch and a shower, we went to visit the small museum near the caves. The museum showcases the archaeological findings discovered in these caves. Stone tools, pieces of pottery, animal bones, freshwater shells and human remains dating back to 1500 years were found in these caves. However there was a power blackout at the museum so we were not able to see the artifacts clearly or read the information presented on the discoveries that were unearthed.

On the second day we only had half a day for caving so we were led to Gua Angin and Gua Sanding. Strong breezes are said to blow thur Gua Angin but we did not experience any while we were there. Gua Sanding has a very large chamber which is about 150 metres across and about 120 metres high. At one end of the chamber stands two rock formations which resemble a Malay couple in a wedding ceremony. This magnificent chamber gives the impression of a great hall where a bersanding ceremony is in progress. Sadly, with time running short and a long journey home ahead of us, we had to leave the caves and head back to our lodgings. After cleaning ourselves up, we said goodbye to Kota Gelanggi and headed back to Ipoh with a wish to come back again another time!

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