A giant cave temple, and a park with pond, and a very small space for boat and bicycle rental. The cave is huge, cooling with many statues for Chinese gods. The park is beautiful too, surrounded by..
While Sam Poh Tong is overrated in my opinion, Kek Lok Tong is sorely underrated. Even though Kek Lok Tong has a bunch of positive reviews online (more than Sam Poh Tong), it doesn’t get half the recognition that Sam Poh Tong receives. It is completely omitted from some top Ipoh attraction lists and only makes it on to more broad lists. I didn’t even know about this temple until my mom suggested that I visit it.
Hovering in the middle of the pond is the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin.
Considering how many visitors it gets on a daily basis, Sam Poh Tong should have much better maintenance. Its rundown appearance and general uncleanliness make this temple feel overrated and not the best cave temple in Ipoh that every blog says it is. The history is deeper at Sam Poh Tong if you’re into that, but if you’re interested more in visuals, Kek Look Tong – which no one has even heard of – is much more impressive and well-kept in my opinion.
Top Ten listmakers obviously love this place, but even Ipohites seem to share this preference for Sam Poh Tong. During my first visit to Ipoh, my cousin only took me to see this temple. He claimed that the other two weren’t worth seeing, despite their close proximity. If you have lots of time in Ipoh, Sam Poh Tong and the other two temples are a couple of hours well spent.
