Sam Poh Tong Temple

A temple built into limestone caves, offering a glimpse of Ipoh’s cave-temple heritage. While the setting remains atmospheric, the temple itself appears to have seen better days, with signs of age and wear throughout. The most beautiful and majestic inner temple area, unfortunately, was not open to the public during my visit, which was a pity as it seemed to be the spiritual and architectural highlight. Feeding the turtles and fishes turned out to be the most enjoyable part of the experience. Simple, calming, and surprisingly engaging. Worth a short stop if you’re exploring Ipoh’s cave temples, but manage expectations.

This is cave complex with inner yard and beautiful garden. There are another Chinese temples around it. Sam poh Tong have unique combination of natural environment and architectural solutions. This territory very peaceful, there are aquatic zone with ponds and channels with lots of fishes. Inside the temple there is yard with tortoises, you can buy food for them inside the temple

Excellent retreat in hill though a busy road passes by it with sufficient noise. Modern kitche art with strong colours that you find all over India. Very nice natural caves. But I hear the other cave temple Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple is closed allegedly by illegal mining. So it's important faith should take care of ecology too!!

Sam Poh Tong Temple (often referred to as Som Pohtong) is a mystical, historic cave temple in Ipoh that offers a "breathtaking" and "peaceful" retreat within a limestone hill. Attractive Highlights: The Hidden Courtyard: A narrow tunnel leads to a stunning, open-air "secret garden" surrounded by 90-degree vertical limestone cliffs, featuring a beautiful red pagoda. Tortoise Sanctuary: A popular pond where you can feed hundreds of turtles, a practice believed to bring good luck. Ornate Garden: The entrance features an award-winning landscape with a stone bridge, koi pond, and miniature pagodas among bonsai-style trees. Pros: Free entry, unique spiritual atmosphere, and highly photogenic limestone formations. Cons: Some areas feel slightly run-down and the turtle pond can appear murky. Visiting Info: Location: Kampung Gunung Rapat, 31350 Ipoh, Perak. Hours: Daily 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM (note that it may close earlier than typical 4 PM listings). Pro Tip: Visit early in the morning to avoid crowds and combine it with the adjacent Ling Sen Tong and Nam Thean Tong temples.

The temple itself is unique because it’s built inside the cave, and walking through the tunnel to reach the shrine gives a quiet, mystical feeling. It’s not a big place, but perfect for a short, relaxing visit away from the busy city. However, some areas could use a bit more care and maintenance. Still, the natural beauty and peaceful environment make up for it. If you love calm places, nature, or photography, this temple is definitely worth a stop when visiting Ipoh.

One of the temples along the hills. Place was not really well maintained. Parking could be a challenge during peak season. Roads leading up to temple can get muddy of it rains. Recommend about 30 mins for visit. Entry is free. You get get josticks and offerings at the entrance.

Out of the four famous cave temples (inclu. the three adjoining ones this temple is part of—the last along the road—I visited today I must say this one is definitely my favourite; by far! Immediately upon entering you're presented with a pretty stone bridge, crossing a stream (emptying into a stunning artificial lake full of carp). Infront of you as you gaze up is a dramatic and huge limestone hill. What a backdrop! Turning your gaze right your first thought will probably be that you've entered an oriental fantasy world: the lake is utterly fantastical, full of small artificial islands containing miniature stone pagodas, gazebos and pavillions—surrounded by miniature bonzai style trees. I found it a true work of art and already knew this would be my favourite temple. Facing the lake is a gorgeous three storey long building with intricate balustrades and eaves. Whoever designed the outside of this temple, let alone the inside, deserves an architectural award! Also, one thing you'll notice when visiting the three adjoining temples is the number of 'temple' dogs—but don't worry, they're harmless. Upon entering this temple you're presented with a fat (no disrespect intended) cheery Buddha, surrounded in front of him by a plethora of brilliantly executed deities (their facial expressions will make you smile). Past the fat Buddha you then enter a huge chamber with impressive rock formations. I understand this temple is dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Guan Yin, but the main attraction which has made this temple famous is the cave opening down a short passage. Be prepared for a genuine WOW moment as you enter daylight and find yourself surrounded by four massive limestone karsk vertical (literally 90 degrees) walls; one side containing an utterly beautiful tall pagoda and the other the popular turtle pond (which to me looks utterly murky!)—where tourists enjoy feeding the numerous buggers with small tomatoes (which you can buy at the entrance to the temple). You have to see this cave opening yourself to appreciate how amazing and memorable the scene in front of you is! A photo obviously paints a better picture than I can... If you're short of time and can only visit a couple of temples, then ensure this one (as well as Perak Cave temple) is in the list. Along with other temples there is no charge. Taking a Grab taxi from Ipoh costs peanuts.

Happy New Year 新年快乐! 🧧🎊🥳 beautiful and calm temple. you can feed the turtles, they love to eat the fish pellets

This is Chinese temple located in the cave. Ipoh has three locations with Chinese temple in the cave at the same street. It becomes very popular to tourists because they can get the Grab taxi to deliver them here and visit all of them in one time. The Sam Poh meaning three treasures. I did not ask the temple what are the three treasures. This is the largest cave among three cave. It has a tunnel lead to the back valley with the turtle for let go to freedom. Meaning they not free to leave but will not be slaughtered. The cave has beautiful statues and ancient buildings. It is great photo opportunity. You can climb to the top to look down from inside the cave. The visit only takes one hour to finish if you have strength to climb the step.