Gua Kelam 2

Useful Information

Location:	Kaki Bukit near Wang Kelian in northern Perlis. 35 km from Kangar. (6.643436, 100.204590)
Open:	All year daily 9-18. [2026]
Fee:	Perlis National Park Ecotourism Complex: Adults MYR 5, Children (6-17) MYR 3, Locals MYR 2, Locals Children MYR 1, Children (0-5) free, Disabled free. Gua Kelam Ecotourism Complex: Adults MYR 5, Children (6-17) MYR 3, Locals MYR 2, Locals Children MYR 1, Children (0-5) free, Disabled free. Gua Kelam 2 Tour: Adults MYR 10, Children MYR 6. Guide MYR 150. [2026]
Classification:	Karst Cave. Setul Formation limestones, Ordovician to Lower Devonian (500 to 370 Ma). Tin Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	L=3,389 m.
Guided tours:	L=700 m, one way.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Perlis, Km 2 Jalan Kaki Bukit, 01000 Kangar, Perlis, Tel: 604-9765-966. Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia Headquarters, Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, 50660 Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 603-26164488. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1935	begin of mining by Kong Fatt Mining Company.
1985	end of mining when the world tin market collapsed.
2008	developed as a show cave.
2009	show cave opened to the public.
2013	tram discontinued for safety reasons.

Description

Gua Kelam 2 (Dark Cave, Cave of Darkness) is located at the northern border of Malaysia to Thailand, in the limestone mountains northwest of Kaki Bukit which are a Forest Reserve named Wang Mu. It is located close to Gua Kelam, which was open to the public for a long time, but actually never was a show cave. It was primarily used as an underground trail or road, connecting Kaki Bukit and Wang Kelian. This cave is more interesting and more beautiful and was developed into a normal show cave around 2008. This required some work as the cave is now entered through an artificial tunnel a little south of Gua Kelam 1. However, it seems the tunnel was actually a remains of the mining activities. In the first years there was a sort of tram, not a real mine train, which transported visitors into the cave. This was discontinued in 2013 after 3 years of operation for safety reasons. There were further modifications, so while around 2022 people had to pay a fixed fee for the guide for up to 10 visitors, today there are normal tours as at any other show cave. Also, the trails and railings, which were mostly remains from the mining in the first year, have now been replaced by modern trails and railings. The tour is a one way tour with a length of about 700 m. Even there seem to have been some changes over the years, there are sources describing a 1,100 m long. Until today there are some rather low sections, so tall visitors are asked to wear safety helmets.

We could not find an official website which informs about entrance fees and open hours, so all the info is second hand. The site is park of the park, which seems to be managed by the forestry service. If you actually visited the cave lately please feel free to send an email

One of the highlights is called the Blue Pool, a cave lake. The lake exists all years but the level changes between rainy season and dry season. During rainy season there is also a small waterfall flowing into the lake. The water is alkaline with a pH level of 8.5, which is probably a result of the remaining tin ores which are partly dissolved by the water.

The Crystal Cluster is another highlight. It is a wide crack in the rock which was probably opened by mining activities. The walls of the crack are covered by the typical triangular calcite crystals, which are also known as dogtooth spars.

The caves around Kaki Bukit have a history as tin mines, which is quite weird. Actually they are natural karst caves, but they contained massive layers of tin ore. This ore was mined in the early 20th century, mostly by British mining companies. They installed pipes and washed the ore out of the caves and then collected it in dammed pools in front of the cave. Others mined the ore inside the caves and transported it on mine trains out of the caves. This cave was the mining lease of the Kong Fatt Mining Company, who brought 2000 workers from China in 1935 to work the mine. It seems the miners not only worked in the cave, they also had their living and sleeping spaces underground. They left Chinese inscriptions on the cave walls. People were even buried inside the cave, there are numerous pyramidal towers which are believed to be burial monuments for lead miners, especially supervisors. The different leases were marked by gates, so one mining company was not able to "steal" ore from the other. In some cases passages were closed by a wall or by dumping slag into the passage. According to old documents the miners earned $1.70 per month, even at that time that was not a good wage.

The regular tour is called the dry tour, which means it has trails, railings and electric light. There is also a cave trekking tour which is named wet tour and starts at the end of the regular tour. It requires headlamps, crawling and getting dirty.