Gua Kelam

Gua Kelam Kaki Bukit - Gua Kelam 1

Useful Information

Location:	Kaki Bukit near Wang Kelian in northern Perlis. 35 km from Kangar. (6.6442672, 100.2026603)
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 1 Tour: Adults MYR 2, Children MYR 1. [2026]
Classification:	Karst Cave. Setul Formation limestones, Ordovician to Lower Devonian (500 to 370 Ma). Tin Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	L=370 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Perlis Forestry Office, Tel: +604-938-4466. Tourism Malaysia Perlis Office, Tel: +604-978-1235, Tel: +604-978-1213.
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	370 m long wooden suspension bridge built through the cave.

Description

Gua Kelam (Dark Cave, Cave of Darkness) was formed in Setul Formation limestones, which are of Ordovician to Lower Devonian (500 to 370 Ma) age. A sight of the cave tour are fossil Gastropodes in the limestone. The huge cave system is also famous for its huge rimstone pools.

The locals have used this cave as a shortcut through the hill between Kaki Bukit and Wang Kelian for a long time. This possibility was a result of tin mining activities since World War I. In 1935 a wooden suspension bridge was built through the cave by an Englishman, to allow the miners to transport ore. This walkway soon became popular by pedestrians and motorcyclists(!). Later the cave was equipped with electric light and information boards. Also, the suspension bridge was modernized, so it’s not the original bridge. The current bridge is 4.7 m wide and has galvanised iron railings

The cave contains numerous relics of the Historical Tin Mining like trolleys, joists, and carbide lamps. The tin ore was a sediment inside the cave, so there are only human tunnels where the cave was too narrow for the mining. In general the sediment was flushed out with water and then collected in dammed pools in front of the cave. But some companies also used mine trains and manual work. Today most of the ore is gone, only the decaying machinery remains.