As I wrote in a recent blog post - this is a hellish site to visit. Thanks to the excellent previous review by Michael Kenyalang we got a sense of what is possible, and the e-mail address he gave to contact is the right one. But - somehow all e-mails from 'outside' (outside of Malaysia?) are bounced. The day before I planned to visit I scrutinized the internet again and found the Archaeological Museum's Facebook site. Via Facebook messenger, I was eventually able to chat with an understanding person, who finally hooked me up with a private guide. This was all on a Sunday evening, and she immediately filled in the form to request formal access to the caves.

The next morning I drove from George Town to Lenggong's Archaeological Museum. The good news about the museum is that the parking lot and toilets are in operation and that the temporary exhibition has moved into the museum building. Entrance is free, they log your arrival in a visitor book. There were a few other visitors present as well. The exhibition has a video about the site, the UNESCO inscription certificate, and a replica of the remains of Perak Man. The museum apparently is almost ready to reopen - but they are awaiting the original remains of Perak Man, which are still stored in Kuala Lumpur. 

Lenggong's tourism focus seems to be mostly on its status as a Geopark for its numerous rocks and caves. It still is a very rural area with many traditional wooden houses.

The guide offered me a 1-hour tour of 5 caves, of which only 1 has archaeological significance: the Kajang Cave. We drove there, found it open and other tourists present. They (obviously) didn't know you need permission to visit, and neither is it signposted at the cave itself. I think this is just one of the many examples of the 'mismanagement' of this WHS - at least it is lacking in the communication and marketing department.

The Kajang Cave is where two female skeletons have been discovered, dating from 3,000 years apart, one Palaeolithic and one Neolithic. The cave - which still has a significant bat presence - was used for guano mining until local people stumbled upon these remains. Also, numerous mollusks have been found, which are considered to be early food remains. You can stand where the skeletons have been found (at least where the guide told me it was, see picture to the right), it is not protected. This is the only link with Lenggong's OUV you will get from a visit. From the back of the large Kajang Cave we visited the other 4 (natural) caves by following a boardwalk. This was a welcome add-on as otherwise, our visit wouldn't have lasted more than 10 minutes!