Kek Lok Si Temple — Attraction in George Town

It has been decades since I last visited Kek Lok Si and was looking forward to visiting Kek Lok Si. It is one of the largest Buddhist temples in Malaysia I have been to. There are some significant differences since my last visit such as having independent stallholders for the stairs leading to the top of the hill. Highlights: The interior of the buildings were well maintained and were beautiful. This included any statues, carvings or paintings. I liked that at the top and last station, there is the huge Kuan Yin statue and also the 12 zodiac animals in the garden nearby. The volunteers/ staff whom I interacted with were helpful and friendly. The temple has one of the best views of Penang. There is no admission fee and donations are optional. Though transport up the hill via each station has a small fee of RM8 one way. Coming down, it is recommended tourist take the cable car from station 4 to 3 as this requires quite a fair amount of walking. After that, it is a fair condition to walk all the way down the foot of the temple. I also recommend coming to the temple when the temperature is cooler like the mornings as afternoons can be very hot.

The drawbacks that I experienced or saw: It was not very clear that the cable car was not working for most of the stations except for station 3 to 4. They do wait till there is sufficient number of people to fill up before allowing people to board. If there are a lot of people, it can be quite cramped and quite stuffy. Although alternate transport was provided (e.g. a connecting buggy ride from 1 station to another), it was very confusing as we were rushed through to go to the next mode of transport to get to the next station. We were not sure what we were meant to do or where were we meant to go. There were a few buildings or outdoor statues that needed a fresh lick of paint or replacement roof tiles. Each station had many areas selling Buddhist trinkets, statues and other cultural items. All proceeds go to the temple, however, it felt very commercialised due to the size and number of locations for these areas. For tourist who are not familiar with Mahayana Buddhism and even Taoism, would be helpful to have a description to help provide a guide.

All in all, it is still worth a visit to this place that can be considered a heritage site. Hopefully, the temple can get the cable cars fixed for the whole...

On the one hand, this is one of the largest and most ambitious temple complexes in Southeast Asia. The scale is enormous. The carvings, statues and pagodas are detailed and impressive. There’s real devotion here—monks walk the grounds, locals come to pray, and couples pose for wedding photos in the gardens.

If you take your time, you can easily spend two to three hours exploring the different areas. The main prayer halls are beautifully built, the carvings on the pillars are striking, and the view from the hilltop—especially on a clear day—is well worth the effort. The bronze statue of Guan Yin is huge, and climbing the pagoda is a tight spiral, but the view at the top is rewarding. Getting around the complex requires a mix of transport: buggies, funiculars, or a fair amount of walking. Entry is free, but nearly all the main attractions—like the lifts, upper platforms, and the pagoda—have small fees. Each one is fairly priced, but together it can start to feel like death by a thousand ringgit. Worst of all, they don’t accept QR payments.

The site is still an active place of worship—you’ll see locals lighting incense and praying. At the same time, there are gift shops, food stalls, donation boxes and souvenir sellers scattered around. Don’t expect much in the way of customer service—most staff and volunteers aren’t trained to help visitors, and the language barrier can be a challenge. There are no official guides and very few signs to help you find your way around.

The logistics can be a bit of a headache. Traffic near the entrance is often chaotic on public holidays. Grab drivers sometimes get turned away or have to pay to enter. The temple also closes early—usually around 5.30 p.m.—even though the lights might stay on later.

Still, despite the issues, the place has a certain pull. The sheer scale. The odd mix of spirituality and souvenirs. The scent of incense blending with fried snacks in the warm, humid air. If you’re already nearby or planning to go up Penang Hill, it’s worth visiting—at least once. Just be prepared for what you’re...

let’s just acknowledge! that because this temple is one of the most popular tourist spots in Penang, there is bound to be pay walls and souvenir shops. within the main temple, there are staff selling candles for tourists and worshippers to burn and inscribe with their wishes, souvenir stands are also present and ribbons can be bought.

pay walls include access to the pagoda (RM2) and the inclined lift to the guan yin statue (RM6). not exorbitant prices but I thought it’d be useful for potential visitors to know. my friend compared this to the famous temples in Genting which were completely free, so do with that information what you will.

getting to the temple is quite simple, you can take a grab, or you can save some money and catch a train to the KLS stop, where you’ll get off and walk about 13 minutes through the town, up a hill, to a turtle pond, after which you climb a few flights of stairs to the temple.

all that aside though, the KLS temple itself and the surrounding temples are breathtaking buildings. being a historical building of great religious importance, the sheer detail encrypted within the walls, ceilings, floors and statues are exquisite. just looking up at the ceiling had us catching our breaths in awe. the statues situated within the temples were all well maintained, glistening in a golden light. there were 1 or 2 temples that were dim, but the statues themselves seem well taken care of. gardens line the paths between buildings with a wide variety of flowers and even some vegetables.

beyond the RM2 paywall, you may glimpse a great hall where the monks gather. I’ll elaborate on the associated temples in their own reviews.

on a side note, the temple boasts a rich biodiversity, we weren’t even really looking and we glimpsed swallowtail butterflies, dragonflies, some interesting birds and bees, and more little critters (pictures included).

but Kek Lok Si temple overall is an incredible monument and definitely worth visiting, just to appreciate the architecture born of devotion and...