Gua Charas

Top choice in Kuantan


Located 26km north of Kuantan, the limestone karst containing Gua Charas towers high above the surrounding palm plantations. The caves owe their fame to a Thai Buddhist monk who came to meditate here about 50 years ago. It’s a steep climb up a stairway to the caves’ entrance.

The colossal and very deep Sleeping Buddha Cave is decorated with small altars to Guanyin, Puxian and other Bodhisattvas leading to the sleeping Buddha, a rather modest cement effort at the rear.

To many visitors, the cave is more mesmerising for its vast sense of scale than for its Buddhist statuary. Back at the entrance, continue up the steps to the cave above, which is an entirely different affair, open at both ends and so illuminated with sunlight, caressed with a refreshing breeze and looking out onto views of the surrounding land.

It's best to drive here if you have a car (parking is RM3), or take the Sungai Lembing-bound bus 500 (RM4, one hour, every 20 to 30 minutes) from the local bus station and disembark at the small village of Panching, just past the sign reading ‘Gua Charas 4km’. From the bus stop in Panching it’s a hot 4km walk each way, but you may be able to get someone in Panching to give you a lift on the back of a motorcycle.

Whether driving or coming by bus, consider carrying on to Sungai Lembing to explore its tin mining sights (you can also spend the night there and get a bite to eat).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kuantan attractions

1. Sleeping Buddha Cave

0.02 MILES

The colossal Sleeping Buddha Cave at Gua Charas outside Panching is decorated with small altars to various Buddhist Bodhisattvas and leads ultimately to a…

2. Sungai Lembing Tin Mines

7.78 MILES

Try and get here early after lunch (or first thing in the morning) to have the eerie sensation of being alone in some of the longest and deepest tin mines…

3. Sungai Lembing

7.79 MILES

Visit quiet Sungai Lembing in the hills to explore the informative regional museum (RM2) that covers the history of local tin mining to the collapse of…

4. Sungai Lembing Museum

7.9 MILES

This fascinating museum charts the rise and fall of the 'El Dorado of the East', as Sungai Lembing was known after the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited…

5. Football Pitch

13.76 MILES

Watch football matches here. There are more goal posts and playing fields on the Padang.

7. Pahang Art Museum

14.17 MILES

This museum's collection is housed in an attractive colonial-era building just north of the Padang. The museum focuses on the state's culture, history and…

8. Padang

14.23 MILES

Kuantan's lovely grass padang – the sight of cricket matches during colonial days – is today largely used for football practice in the late afternoon and…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "malaysia/peninsular-malaysia-east-coast/kuantan/attractions/gua-charas/a/poi-sig/1153202/356997",
      "destination": "Kuantan",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Malaysia",
      "city": "Kuantan",
      "position": "superzone"
    }