I visited Lenggong Valley in March 2023. In planning my trip, I contacted the guides and resources mentioned in previous reviews on this page. However, given the excessively high cost charged by the only guide who replied to me, I chose to go on my own. So here are the instructions for visiting these caves without a guide, permits or car hire.

I started my day in Georgetown, from where I took the ferry and train to Kuala Kangsar. I imagined I could charter a cab at the station. However, it was deserted when I got off. It was finally at the bus station that I found the local drivers. A man there spoke English and was able to help me negotiate with the drivers on hand. An old man directly offered me a price that suited me (100 MYR) and we set off in his beat-up old car. He didn't speak a word of English and had no idea where we were going. Although I knew very well and showed him the map on my phone, he stopped a few times to ask for directions. This was quite unnecessary, however, as all the sites we visited were well signposted from the main road.

We finally arrived at the museum. In the spring of 2023, the museum was still being renovated and only a small temporary museum was accessible. However, the museum was excellent. It explained the importance of the discoveries made at the site and displayed key artefacts in beautiful showcases. The texts were short and simple, but to the point, interesting and gave an overview of the archaeological finds in the area. And they were all bilingual (English and Malay). Rarely have I seen information so well summarised. There is supposed to be an observation tower behind the museum, but it was inaccessible during my visit and the security guard was looking at me a little too intently for me to try anything.

My driver, who was discovering the region at the same time as me, then took me to Bukit Jawa. A small roof protects a hole in the ground, but there's nothing to see there. We then went to see the caves at Gua Kajang. These are accessible, with no fences, a car park and an information panel. I went into the first cave and came out at the end. I then found a path leading to other caves, most of them indicated by markers on the path and with information panels. It was easy to cross the second cave in the same way as the first. Ropes help you climb the steepest sections. The path continues from one cave to the next, always exiting at the back of the caves. For the third, the exit is via a small opening where I could barely get through and where the rope attached to the rocks was necessary to pull myself up. At this point, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this trail again in reverse. As it turned out, it wasn't long before the path took me magically back to the car park where my driver was waiting.

We then headed home and my driver nearly fell asleep at the wheel. Nevertheless, he got me to my hotel in one piece. I recommend spending a few more hours in Kuala Kangsar. It's a nice town with a palace (Istana Iskandariah), a strange museum about the sultan (Muzium Diraja Kuala Kangsar), a very pretty mosque (Ubudiah Royal Mosque of Kuala Kangsar) and a large river, home to wild pigs, Asian water monitors and hornbills.

All in all, these caves are of virtually no cultural or natural interest. The state of conservation is not very good. It is, however, a very pleasant place to wander around. It's thanks to the museum that the site managed to get a second star from me. The OUV is clearly explained. Although visiting the archaeological sites is rather banal, the museum convinced me of the merits of this site's inclusion on the World Heritage List. And I would recommend that future visitors follow in my footsteps or go by hire car. There's really no need for a guide to visit this place.