Perak
Cave temples, drowned forests, a town famous for bean sprouts – Perak's highlights are a motley group. This rugged swathe of Peninsular Malaysia is as rewarding for trekkers as gastronomes. Perak (literally 'silver', a nod to its tin-mining boom times) receives only a modest stream of international travellers, but to Malaysians, its attractions are totemic: white coffee, colonial-era architecture, limestone bluffs.
Nostalgia is rife in Ipoh and Taiping, Perak's largest and most rewarding towns. But Perak is most interesting beyond its population centers: surrounding Ipoh are temples posing dramatically on cliffs; west of Taiping is a mangrove reserve. Things get wetter and wilder at river-rafting centre Gopeng, and north in Royal Belum State Park, where pristine rainforest is interspersed with lagoons.
Perak is also a good starting point to explore the Cameron Highlands (technically in Pahang) and its breezy hill stations, where days are spent hiking and slathering cream onto scones.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Perak.
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Boh Sungei Palas Tea Estate
If there's time for only one tea-themed experience in the highlands, make it this spectacularly situated plantation, with its own tea interpretation centre and a cafe stunningly cantilevered over endless emerald whorls of tea buses. A short film explains the estate's history and free 15-minute tours (every 15 minutes) demonstrate the tea-making process. Every imaginable flavour of tea is offered in the gift shop. Spare some time to dawdle on the paths leading through the plantation. Greenhouse-like Boh Café is arguably the highlight of a visit. Opt for fresh, loose-leaf tea and one of the inventive desserts (such as salted egg and pineapple cheesecake or green-tea tiramisu). The estate lies in the hills north of Brinchang, off the road to Gunung Brinchang. Buses running between Tanah Rata and Kampung Raja pass the turn-off to Gunung Brinchang. From there it’s 4km along the winding road to the plantation entrance, past worker housing and a Hindu temple (tea pickers are predominantly Indian), then another 15 minutes’ walk downhill to the visitors centre. Alternatively take a taxi (RM30 one way) from Tanah Rata.
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Sam Poh Tong
First discovered by a monk in 1890, this cavern, 5km south of Ipoh, is now a riot of religious statuary and pagoda tiles. The entrance pavilion is grand enough (check out the ornamental garden with ceramic lions, miniature shrines and Buddha statues) but continue through the main chamber and you'll reach a breathtaking scarlet-tiered pavilion squeezed into a narrow rocky cleft. Opposite is a turtle pond: these armoured reptiles are said to rebalance karma when released (or fed slices of tomato). The temple can be reached by Gopeng-bound buses from Ipoh’s local bus station, but the most convenient way to visit is by private transport or on a tour.
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Muzium Perak
With many of Perak's museums in dire need of more funding, Taiping's well-maintained Muzium Perak stands out. Parts of the pristine, whitewashed building date to the 1900s and inside are diverting displays about natural history (complete with a century-old elephant skeleton), state history and Malaysian customs. The silver engraving, embroidery and Orang Asli masks are highlights. Perfect for one of Taiping's many rainy days. Exhibitions continue outside with dugout canoes, fighter planes and antique trains (the kids will love it). There's plenty of English-language explanation, too.
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Sam Poh Temple
This scarlet-and-yellow temple complex, just south of Brinchang, about 1km off the main road, is stacked high with gleaming golden statues of Chinese Buddhist deities, bodhisattvas and Buddhist teachers, including some particularly grand protector deities guarding the main entrance. To get here, turn off the Tanah Rata–Brinchang highway just south of the one-way system. The temple is dedicated to medieval admiral and eunuch Zheng Ho and is allegedly the fourth-largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. A taxi from Tanah Rata costs RM15.
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Kek Look Tong
With a craggy cave mouth beneath a towering cliff, Kek Look Tong (1920) has the most impressive approach of all Ipoh's temples. Three Sages dominate the central cavern, while towards the back a cheerful Chinese Buddha of Future Happiness sits in the company of three bodhisattvas. Beyond the main chamber, the cave passage opens onto a lagoon and picturesque gardens, bookended by forested cliffs. It's 8km southeast of central Ipoh. The landscaped gardens deserve attention for their series of miniature statues, depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha, and reflexology footpath (remove your shoes to massage your feet along this textured walkway). A taxi costs around RM35 each way, but it's best to visit on a guided tour incorporating Ipoh's other cave temples.
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Perak Tong
Developed in 1926 by Chinese Buddhists Chong Sen Yee and his wife, this temple (7km north of Ipoh) is popular for its mesmerising murals and panoramic views. The first staircase leads to a majestic seated Buddha (12m tall) in the main chamber. Some of the surrounding murals were painted as recently as the 1990s. Follow the staircase up and outside – after 450 steep steps you'll reach expansive views across Ipoh and its hilly beyond. There are a few different paths up to the top of Perak Tong, but the scaffold-like structure is the most direct (and least slippery). Buses bound for Kuala Kangsar can stop near Perak Tong on request, but it's easiest to visit by private transport. A car-park attendant will rush out to collect a fee from drivers (RM1 or RM2).
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Foo Lin Kong
The most attractive temple on Pulau Pangkor is colourful Foo Lin Kong, a landscaped site with flower gardens, dragon-roofed pavilions and a miniature Great Wall of China threading the site. Climb the stairs to overlook the temple's glittering tiled roofs and the hills beyond. It's 500m west of the main road between Pangkor Town and Sungai Pinang Kecil. There's a theme-park atmosphere thanks to the cartoonish statues and souvenir stands. Donations are encouraged; place them in the tin sentrymen at the entrance. A taxi from Pangkor Town costs RM6.
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Taman Tasik Taiping
Taiping's centrepiece is a 64-hectare expanse of lagoons and grassland east of town. Created in 1880 on the site of an abandoned tin mine, the gardens owe their lush greenery to Taiping’s annual rainfall – thought to be the highest in Peninsular Malaysia. These artificial lakes are a pleasant place in which to picnic beneath a century-old tree, watching for the monitor lizards that glide through the algae-rich water. Alternatively, hire a paddleboat (RM10) and bob around.
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All Saints Church
Consecrated in 1887, this timber church is one of the oldest Anglican churches in Malaysia and is still used as a place of worship. The Gothic-inspired ensemble was designed by Australian architect George A Lefroy. Step inside to see original stained-glass windows, a pipe organ (a rarity in Malaysia), carved pews and brass plaques commemorating benefactors and parishioners past. Outside, the cemetery contains the graves of early colonial settlers, many of whom died of tropical diseases or failed to achieve the colonial pension needed to return home to Britain or Australia.