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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.

Explore Perak

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Perak.

  • Historic Building

    Kellie’s Castle

    Steeped in tragic legend, this monument to British eccentricity stands marooned by the highway, 5km east of Batu Gajah. Known as Kellie’s Folly, the…

  • Plantation

    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…

  • Museum

    Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery

    This former royal palace, also known as Istana Kota and Istana Hulu, is a showy mash-up of Renaissance, neoclassical and Moorish styles. Completed in 1903…

  • Nature Reserve

    Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve

    Wooden boardwalks weave among the protruding, twisted tree roots of the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve. The reserve is best known for its fireflies, which…

  • Cave

    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…

  • Museum

    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…

  • Buddhist Temple

    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…

  • State Park

    Royal Belum State Park

    This 1175-sq-km park within Belum-Temenggor Rainforest was gazetted in 2007 to protect a rich menagerie of tigers, tapirs, panthers and the Sumatran rhino…

  • Cave

    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…

  • Cave

    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…

  • Mosque

    Masjid Ubudiah

    With bands of Italian marble and enormous gold domes, Masjid Ubudiah is a contender for the title of Malaysia's prettiest mosque. Commissioned by Perak’s…

  • Nature Centre

    Vale Eco Center

    Immerse yourself in biodiverse Teluk Rubiah forest with a little help from this informative eco centre. An offshoot of green NGO EcoMY (www.ecomy.org),…

  • Temple

    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…

  • Cave

    Gua Tempurung

    If you only do one thing in Gopeng, explore the 'Coconut Cave', named for its domelike interior. The easy option is the 'Golden Flowstone' walk, a self…

  • Gardens

    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…

  • Amusement Park

    Lost World of Tambun

    When humidity makes the kids whimper, locals bring their families to this ostentatious water park, 8km north of Ipoh. As if the backdrop of jungle-furred…

  • Museum

    Lenggong Archaeological Gallery

    The Lenggong Valley, 50km north of Ipoh, is the site of one of Malaysia's most exciting archaeological finds. The 11,000-year-old 'Perak Man', a rare…

  • Museum

    Istana Kenangan

    Also known as the Palace of Memories, Istana Kenangan is made of wood (without a single metal nail) and bamboo woven into diamond-shaped patterns across…

  • Church

    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…

  • Monument

    Birch Memorial Clock Tower

    The clock tower, with a 1.95m-diameter bell, was erected in 1909 in memory of James WW Birch, Perak’s first British Resident. Birch was murdered in 1875…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Perak.

  • Activities