“God Light” A Phenomenon Not To Be Missed in Dabong
What is God Light?
One of the best kept secret of Dabong, Kelantan is the “God Light”, a natural phenomenon that can only be experienced if you hike into Gua Keris. It is formed when the rays of the sun streams through a natural chimney located at the roof of the cave. A local pakcik told us that the best time of the year to view is during the mid year ie June/July, but we still manage to catch it when we were there in March. The key is to time your hike right (see below for details).
Do I Need to Cover All The Gua?
Gua Keris is part of the network of caves in the vicinity. If you are short of time, make sure you cover Gua Keris, Gua Gelap & Gua Pagar; all three are somewhat connected to each other. The entrance to another one, Gua Ikan, is situated just opposite the road. You can skip that if you’ve covered the other 3. The cave complex is located a short 10mins ride away from the Dabong train station.
Our Adventure
We covered 3 caves that day, starting from Gua Gelap through Gua Keris before ending at Gua Pagar. The entrance to Gua Gelap requires a short walk through muddy grounds. On a normal day, it wound’t have sounded too bad, but Daniel, our guide warned of leeches lying in wait. He offered us a strong pleasant smelling balm he claims will help discourage the leeches. The balm is a special concoction from his Tok Guru, and is not for sale. Mummy and the 2 girls put it around their ankle and on their socks too. I was a little skeptical and used my trusty old-faithful “minyak again” instead. At the end of the 10 mins walk, I have to say, his balm proves to be more effective as mummy and the girls had ZERO leeches, while I caught 1 on my shoes.
The Highlight of The Trip
As mentioned earlier, March was not the best time to witness the God Light phenomenon. When we arrived at the spot, it was slightly before 10am, and Daniel wasn’t sure if we would be able to witness it that day. On top of it being cloudy, he estimated that we needed to wait at least an hour before even knowing if it would appear. We decided to wait, and we were thankful we did, as miraculously the skies cleared, and we had a brief 15mins window to witness the God Light.
Bonus Tip: Timing it Right
Depending on the time of the year, the position and movement of the sun really determines when the phenomenon occurs. For the discerning ones, you would have guessed that the phenomenon occurs as the rays enters through a natural chimney on the roof of the cave. Hence, the rays will NOT be visible thorughout the day, but only at a specific time, AND over a pretty short window at that. So, make sure you ask your guide to ensure you manage to catch it!
