Hotels in Gombak

For most of Malaysians, when they first heard of Gombak, the first thing that came into their mind is the Batu Caves, a place of worships for the Hindus that has a huge statue of Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity. However, that’s not all Gombak has to offer. Gombak, is one of the districts in Selangor that’s formed on 1st February 1974, together with formation of Kuala Lumpur as a federal territory. It is positioned between Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands. With an area that covered about 650km2, this district has one university campus in its vicinity, the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) main campus. Also, Gombak happens to be the home for the aboriginal settlement, the Kampung Orang Asli and also a museum that is dedicated to them.

Before it’s a district, Gombak happened to be just a town’s name. It’s a home where the first settlement of the Minangkabau immigrants in the 1800s. Today, the name Gombak is referred for both the district and the town, though for the locals, it is usually means the town.

Tourists Attractions

Batu Caves

As stated above, this is one of the famous temples belong to the Hindus. Located just 9 minutes from the town, this is a limestone hill that has a few naturally formed caves. The name was obtained from Sungai Batu or Stone River that flows past the hill. Batu Caves is a very hugely popular to visit during Thaipusam festival where thousands of Hindus will flock the place of worship.

The Batu Caves also has the biggest statue in the world of one of their deities, Lord Murugan. The gold statue is so iconic to the Batu Caves that it is par with the thousands steps from the bottom to the main cave of Batu Caves.

Apart from it being a shrine for the Hindus, the Batu Caves is also a centre of rock climbing for almost 10 years. It offers more than 160 climbing routes, scattered around Batu Caves. The routes are fairly easy. The Batu Caves is also home to diverse range of flora and faunas in their undeveloped caves.

Muzium Orang Asli Gombak

Just a little under half an hour from town, the museum was opened in September of 1987. The museum held various paraphernalia belonged to the Orang Asli or aboriginals. As any other museum, this one definitely offers the showcase of history, and traditions of the Orang Asli, including their way of living. The museum consists of a permanent exhibition gallery, audio-visual system and definitely a souvenir shop as the way to learn and understand the Orang Asli people.

Hutan Lipur Sungai Tua

A recreational forest managed by Forestry Department of Selangor, that still maintain its natural beauty. It is 15 km north of Batu Caves, or 20 minutes’ drive from the town. The favourite activities here, apart from taking a dip in the crystal clear and cool water, are picnic, BBQs and definitely camping, though only at the reserved places. This is one of the famous recreational place in Selangor and a favourite of the locals. The place is cemented in several places, making an easier access to visitors with gazebos for relaxing.

Hotels

Sky Hotel @ Selayang

Just 9 minutes’ drive from the town, this budget hotel has received relatively good points from Traveloka website. The biggest attribute to this is its location, being in the middle of the Gombak town. The budget hotel provides spacious rooms and comfy beds that received satisfying rate from their patrons.

Hotel Richbaliz

Another hotel that located in the town, less than 10 minutes’ drive from the town. A comfortable boutique hotel that is slightly on the higher end price. Starting at RM180/night/room, this hotel shows that cleanliness is not something to take it easy. Their cleanliness is something that most of their patrons give stars for apart from spacious rooms and friendly services.