What kind of vacation are you looking for? Do you enjoy the outdoor adventure of hiking in the heart of Malaysia’s tropical jungle, meeting friendly local people, and visiting British heritage buildings in a quiet tropical city, away from the hassles of the big city? If so, Kuala Lipis has these to offer.
Kuala Lipis is located in the center of the Malaysian peninsula, about 200 km from Kuala Lumpur. It is surrounded by lush green hills and dense rainforests. It is gaining popularity as a tourist destination for local and foreign visitors. As the state capital between 1800 and mid-1900, it has several historic buildings left by the colonial British. These buildings are in good condition and are still in use today. The town is accessible by road. The public bus ride will last about three hours. The service is regular with around six frequencies per day.
The following are some of the activities on the tour:
1. Discovery Walk: As it is a small city, the attractions are easily accessible. You can start the walking tour from the train station. It was the largest on the east coast, managing the entire rail operation from Kota Baru in Kelantan to Gemas in Negeri Sembilan. During the heyday of the railway, it was the main mode of transportation, taking travelers from Kelantan to Kuala Lumpur via Kuala Lipis.
About a five minute walk from the station is the old state mosque. It was built in 1888 by a merchant from Yemen. It has a touch of Indonesian architecture with local taste. The mosque is no longer used as a place of congregational prayer. Next, the train station is the post office, built by the British. It is designed in symmetry despite being over 150 years old, still in good condition. Right outside the post office, you can see a milestone with ‘0’ miles engraved on it. The simple milestone had raised many questions as it is not normal to have 0 miles marked on the mileage stone.
There are around 14 buildings, listed as historic buildings by the Malaysian Ministry of Heritage and Culture. The other famous building is The Pahang Club. It’s a bit far, about a 20 minute walk. From the train station, turn right; pass the post office and the train track to the hospital. Pahang Club was the residence of Hugh Clifford before the permanent resident and better house was built. Pahang Club was the club of the rich and powerful Brits before they opened up to me.
2. Visiting the Park and Jungle Trekking. Visitors who enjoy the beauty of nature, Kuala Lipis has a lot to offer. The surrounding reserved forest, undisturbed by humans from eternity, is natural habitat for a variety of wildlife and exotic plants. Waterfalls and rapids, lime stone caves, and green mountains will provide enough trekking activities for adventurous visitors.
The tropical forest is approximately 1 million years old and has not been exploited before. Among the best known parks is the Kenong Jungle Park, with a virgin and undisturbed jungle of 130 million years. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the formation of more than 20 lime caves that were used as a base by groups of nationalists fighting against the British occupation. At a distance of 32 km from Kuala Lipis, the park is easily accessible by train and boat from Kuala Lipis. There are an estimated 1,200 species of plants, which represents approximately 13% of the number of plants in Malaysia.
A short distance from Kuala Lipis is the National Park (Taman Negara). It is recommended that a visitor spend at least one night in the park. The night trek will give visitors the opportunity to see nocturnal animals roaming and feeding in their natural environment. In addition to this, the park offers outdoor activities such as repelling, climbing trees with ropes and walking through the treetops about 20 meters above the ground.
