Kuala Lumpur Layover Guide: 272 Steps of Batu Caves, Dodging Monkeys and Surviving KLCC

The Grand Departure: Powered by Buffet at Airport Lounge

Our grand family expedition began, as all great quests do, with a slightly questionable late-night flight and a heroic assault on the New Delhi airport lounge buffet. Fueled by caffeine, tiny samosas, and blind optimism, we boarded our six-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, home to the famous Batu Caves, KL Tower, and the shiny twin rockets better known as the Petronas Towers. 

 Arrival in Kuala Lumpur: Hitting the Ground (and the Stairs) Running

We had a layover at Kuala Lumpur, on our way to Bali, Indonesia. No naps, no breaks, our Kuala Lumpur adventure started the way all sensible trips should: with exercise so intense it made me question every life choice. Straight from the airport, bags barely dropped, we headed for the Batu Caves. We had two options, either take a train which will take some time to reach Kuala Lumpur City Center or hire a taxi - Grab works best here but little expensive than train. If you are traveling alone, train would make more sense as you are only purchasing ticket for yourself. In my case, taxi was more practical. Kuala Lumpur airport also has luggage storage facility where you can dump your luggage for few hours or overnight. They charge depending on luggage size and hours. 

We booked a taxi from Grab app on phone as we were finding our way out of the airport towards Grab taxi stand, and after waiting for 5 minutes, we were on our way to first stop, Batu Caves.

“It’ll be fun,” my wife said.

“It’s only 272 steps,” she added, with the casual tone of someone who considers Everest base camp a warm-up.

Batu Caves: 272 Steps of Sweat, Faith & Regret

Now, I’ve met stairs before. I’ve even been on friendly terms with a few. But the Batu Caves stairs? That’s not a climb—it’s a personal reckoning with gravity, cardio, and every samosa I’ve ever eaten. My son and I, puffing like steam engines, staged “photo stops” every 20 steps, while my wife floated up like her legs had been fitted with springs and shock absorbers.

At the top, the pain melted into awe. Sunlight streamed through limestone arches, shrines sparkled in every color imaginable, and the cave echoed with chants. Even my son, usually unimpressed by “grown-up sightseeing”—admitted it was “kinda cool.” High praise.

Inside the Batu Caves: Shrines, Statues & Spiritual Breathers

Inside, we explored temples and shrines dedicated to Lord Murugan, and took a breather disguised as “soaking up the atmosphere.” We whispered prayers for a safe trip ahead (and for our legs to recover), before reluctantly starting the climb back down. And let me tell you—going down wasn’t any easier. Looking straight down made my head spin, and we had to constantly watch out for monkeys plotting daylight robberies.

These furry gangsters were on a full-blown crime spree, snatching chips, bottles, and occasionally a tourist’s dignity. One particularly brazen monkey even cracked open a Coke and sipped it like an exhausted office worker on Friday evening.

Adding to the atmosphere, massive statues of Lord Hanuman and Jatayu (the bird from the Ramayana) stood tall at the entrance, as if guarding the premises against both evil and overly curious humans.

And for those wanting extra “safe wildlife encounters,” there was even an 'exotic bird park' (with a very non-exotic entry fee), where colorful parrots posed politely for photos, far better behaved than the real troublemakers outside. Meanwhile, tourists lined up for selfies under the giant “I ♥ Batu” sign and in front of Lord Murugan’s golden statue, though let’s be honest, Lord Murugan looked a lot more majestic than the sweaty humans beneath him.

A Well-Deserved Feast: South Indian Carbs for Champions

Having survived both the stairs and the monkey mafia, we rewarded ourselves with a glorious South Indian lunch. Crispy dosas, fluffy idlis, sambar so fiery it erased my taste buds—it was divine. At that point, carbs weren’t food; they were medicine.

My son, of course, headed straight to ice cream after having his beloved 'Dosa', devouring it with the seriousness of a Michelin food critic. Watching him, I almost believed he had life figured out better than the rest of us. It was time for us to head to next destination, for which we booked a taxi again via Grab.

KL Tower: Sky-High Views & Ground-Level Shopping Battles

For our next stop, we aimed for something “relaxing” and headed to KL Tower. The view from the top was unreal, the Petronas Towers glittering like twin rockets, the city stretching endlessly, traffic below looking like a F1 track.

Just as I was having a profound “we are so small in the universe” moment, my son cut in:

“Dad, do you think the monkeys can climb this high?” Existential crisis: cancelled.

The real test, however, was at the shops below. My wife marched through them like an Olympic athlete, while I shuffled behind like a sherpa weighed down with shopping bags. My “Do we really need this?” protests evaporated into the KL humidity.

Suria KLCC & The World’s Heaviest Salad

Next stop: Suria KLCC, the glittering mall at the Petronas Towers’ base. Here, we discovered a DIY salad bar. “Pick your toppings, pay by weight—simple,” I thought. Except my wife engineered a salad so dense it could’ve doubled as gym equipment. Quinoa, chickpeas, corn, seeds, by the end it was less a salad and more an edible brick. When the cashier weighed it, I swear I heard my wallet weep.

I had been eyeing some sweet delicacies across the hall, already picturing myself eating those, but before I could wander off, my wife gave me 'that look'. Translation: “Salad now. sweets never.” And so, I gnawed on seeds, silently mourning my lost cakes.

My son, wise beyond his years, skipped the debate entirely and went straight for another ice cream. The happiest member of the family, no contest.

KLCC Park: Green Escapes & Bench-Based Exercise

To walk off the world’s heaviest salad, we strolled through KLCC Park. Kids ran wild, fountains danced, joggers zipped by like they were in a commercial. My wife took 1,274 photos of the fountains and towers, my son conquered the playground like a warrior, and I? I found a bench. Sitting, I decided, absolutely counts as exercise.

Farewell KL, Hello Chaos (a.k.a. Bali)

And just like that, our Kuala Lumpur chapter came to a close. We had conquered Batu Caves (or at least survived the monkeys), gazed down from KL Tower without fainting, pretended to eat healthy at Suria KLCC, and even achieved peak tourist smugness at KLCC Park. For a brief, shining moment, we felt like seasoned travelers—organized, cultured, and maybe even Instagram-worthy.

But the travel gods were clearly laughing. Because next up was Bali, where the only thing heavier than my wife’s salad was the rain-clouds waiting for us. Imagine packing swimsuits, sunscreen, and dreams of beaches, only to be greeted by thunderstorms so dramatic they deserved their own Bollywood background score. Spoiler alert: umbrellas were useless, flip-flops turned into jet skis, and chaos was about to become our new travel companion.

If Kuala Lumpur was cardio, Bali was about to be a water sport… and not the kind we signed up for. Stay tuned.