How many steps to the top of Batu Caves?
The 272 steps were painted in rainbow colours in 2018, which caused a heritage dispute because the site is a gazetted heritage area and the work was done without approval; the colours stayed and are now the reason most visitors photograph the stairway at all. The 42.7 m golden statue of Murugan at the foot of the steps is the tallest of its kind in the world. During Thaipusam, well over a million pilgrims climb, many carrying kavadi. The macaques on the stairs are habituated and will take food and bags.
The numbers
- Steps
- 272
- Reaches
- the Temple Cave, in a limestone hill above Kuala Lumpur
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Selangor, Malaysia
- Height climbed
- 100 m — 328 ft
- Average rise per step
- 368 mm
What the climb is like
10-15 minutes. Steep but broad; the steps are uneven in places and the monkeys are the main hazard.
Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.
How it compares
Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.
| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunker Hill Monument | 294 | the observation chamber at 67 m | Open to climb |
| Arc de Triomphe | 284 | the roof terrace at 50 m | Open to climb |
| York Minster central tower | 275 | the top of the central tower, at 70 m | Open to climb |
| Batu Caves | 272 | the Temple Cave, in a limestone hill above Kuala Lumpur | Open to climb |
| Saint Isaac's Cathedral colonnade | 262 | the colonnade walkway around the dome, at 43 m | Open to climb |
| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse | 257 | the gallery below the lantern room, at 63 m | Open to climb |
| Leaning Tower of Pisa | 251 | the bell chamber at the top, at 56 m | Open to climb |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Batu Caves?
- 272, reaching the Temple Cave, in a limestone hill above Kuala Lumpur.
- Can the public climb Batu Caves?
- Open to climb. 10-15 minutes. Steep but broad; the steps are uneven in places and the monkeys are the main hazard.
- How high is that climb?
- 100 m, about 328 ft, which averages 368 mm per step.
Related pages
- Temples All 7 here
- How many steps up El Castillo, Chichén Itzá? 365 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)? 1,237 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Wat Phra That Doi Suthep? 306 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Wat Saket (the Golden Mount)? 344 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Mount Haguro stone stairway? 2,446 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san)? 1,368 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)