Perak Travel Guide: Ipoh, Caves and Islands

Perak is the state you cross between Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and this Perak travel guide makes the case for stopping. Its fortune was built on tin mined in the Kinta Valley, and that wealth left behind handsome colonial towns, Chinese shophouse streets and grand mansions. Today the draws are food, limestone scenery and an easy, unhurried pace.

Perak travel guide: the main areas

Ipoh and the Kinta Valley

The capital, Ipoh, is the base for most trips. Its old town has restored shophouses, murals and the lanes around Concubine Lane. Around the city, limestone hills hide cave temples such as Sam Poh Tong and Perak Tong, and to the south lie the show caves of Gua Tempurung near Gopeng. Near Batu Gajah, Kellie’s Castle is the unfinished mansion of a Scottish rubber planter.

Kuala Kangsar

The royal town of Kuala Kangsar sits on a bend of the Perak River about 50 km north of Ipoh. Its gold-domed Ubudiah Mosque is one of the most photographed in the country, and the town is the place to try labu sayong, the black gourd-shaped water jars made locally.

Taiping

Perak’s second city is known for the Taiping Lake Gardens, laid out over old tin mines and shaded by huge rain trees, as well as a zoo with a popular night safari. Above town, Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill) is a cool hill station reached by government Land Rover.

Lumut and Pangkor Island

On the coast, ferries from Lumut reach Pangkor Island in about 35 to 40 minutes. It is a low-key local favourite with fishing villages, seafood and quiet beaches on the west side.

Royal Belum and Lenggong

In the far north, Royal Belum State Park protects old-growth rainforest around Temenggor Lake, reached by boat with a licensed operator. The Lenggong Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves some of the oldest evidence of early humans in the region.

Food in Perak

Ipoh is one of Malaysia’s great food cities. Order Ipoh white coffee, silky kai si hor fun (shredded chicken rice noodles in prawn broth), bean sprout chicken and dim sum for breakfast. Teluk Intan is known for chee cheong fun, Sitiawan for Foochow dishes, and Tanjung Tualang for freshwater prawns. Perak pomelos, sold at roadside stalls south of Ipoh, are reckoned the best in the country.

When to go and how long to stay

Perak is hot and wet year-round, with heavy afternoon storms common. December to February tends to be the driest spell around Ipoh, although the far north of the state gets heavy rain during the north-east monsoon. Weekends and school holidays bring crowds from KL to Ipoh’s cafés and to Pangkor.

Allow 2 to 3 days for Ipoh, plus a day each for Taiping or Kuala Kangsar and a night or two on Pangkor. Ipoh fits neatly between KL, Cameron Highlands and Penang, which is why it features on our 10-day Malaysia itinerary.