Even supposing I began this Pahang River side toll road day out in Fraser’s Hill, where its headwater regions lie, it’s a long way Kuala Lipis where you indubitably birth to be ready to pressure alongside the river. Right here’s no longer truly a shock, because it’s the uppermost town alongside the navigable river (as in, there became a jetty). Sooner than the British Resident Hugh Clifford grew to turn out to be it into his administrative capital, it became already a shrimp river market junction.
I had been to Kuala Lipis as soon as sooner than, as share of a enterprise day out. Nonetheless, that day out became essentially short, as Kuala Lipis became simplest one in all quite a bit of stops I had to compile. I became lowkey entirely delighted to advance to it as share of my river-themed side toll road day out.
Pahang’s short-lived capital
On the original time, the capital of Pahang is the coastal metropolis of Kuantan. Nonetheless here is contemporary, since Kuantan simplest became the capital in 1955. The capital became moved there from Kuala Lipis, itself a short-lived capital.
The third British Resident of Pahang, Hugh Clifford, spent phenomenal of his pre-Resident expertise in Pahang’s greater reaches, a long way from the royal capital in coastal Pekan. When gold became stumbled on within the hinterlands of Pahang, Kuala Lipis became a gold mining centre. The British then became drawn to it, in particular since the upper Selangor voice factual all around the mountain fluctuate had turn out to be a tin mining centre.
So Clifford lobbied for the unusual Pahang capital to be moved to Kuala Lipis. As a result, in 1898 Pahang’s capital moved for the first time in centuries, to Kuala Lipis.
This didn’t final long. The mines depleted earlier than anticipated*, and it became too anxious to join the rail line all around the mountains. So Kuala Lipis became a town too remote for a capital. The British grew to turn out to be their consideration to Kuantan, which became the centre for the tin mines in Gambang and Sungai Lembing. I’m soft definite that if the World Wars hadn’t took voice when they did, the British would net gotten around to extending the rail line to Kuantan.
Exploring Kuala Lipis
As it’s factual a shrimp town, you would possibly perchance discover Kuala Lipis pretty with out complications, in particular whenever you net a automobile. There are roughly three zones of hobby. Looking out aid, they seem unusually shrimp given the quality of the customary structures. And I bet, that speaks to the initial ambition to develop Kuala Lipis as a capital metropolis, and of that ambition never fully realised.
Note that municipal parking uses a coupon payment diagram. So that you can like to aquire coupons and note them on the dashboard.
1. The extinct town of Kuala Lipis
The extinct town of Kuala Lipis is truly shrimp. It’s most frequently three pretty short streets alongside the river. It’s simplest to factual park your automobile and stroll the voice. Inbuilt the gold trail colonial period, the town became settled by many migrants. Like many shrimp towns in Malaysia courting from this period, the shophouses net a distinctly Chinese facade, attributable to most of the migrants came from China to work within the mines.
A Buddhist temple, the Thean Hou Temple, is at the south discontinue of town. It dates from the founding of the capital, and factual after the shrimp mosque on the assorted discontinue, which became constructed a three hundred and sixty five days earlier.
Even supposing the mosque became the Allege Mosque by default when Kuala Lipis obtained promoted to voice capital, it became constructed by a Yemeni Arab. Judging by the easy construction, I mediate he never envisioned that he became building what became rapidly to turn out to be the Allege Mosque.
One more historical building is the Sikh gurdwara no longer a long way from the extinct voice mosque. It became constructed within the 1910s to accommodate the Sikh police who now and again served the British administration within the colonies.
The extinct and unusual put together stations are subsequent to each assorted, on one side of town. Inside reach lies the extinct put up voice of job, with the 0km Kuala Lipis milestone in front.
The market junction of extinct is where the Lipis river flows into the Jelai, a tributary of the Pahang River. The extinct jetty is gone, nevertheless on the river side of town there is still an arch and some steps all of the draw in which down to the riverbank to label where it frail to be.
2. The administrative hills
South of the extinct town centre are the historical (and essentially contemporary) administrative areas. The house of the British Resident sits on a hill of its delight in, known as Bukit Residen (Resident’s Hill). A distinctive red-and-white masonry house, it instructions a correct vantage of the encircling areas. Following Pahang’s independence, the building went thru a series of uses, from museum, hostel, and authorities rest house. You frail to be ready to book a slay in it when it became a rest house, nevertheless this day it appears to be like to be neglected.
The administrative advanced of Kuala Lipis sits on a hill additional south. The advanced structures are historical as smartly, and net the an identical red and white masonry structure as the Resident’s quarters.
On the outrageous of the hill, in opposition to the monetary institution of the Lipis river, is the first English college in Pahang. Established by Hugh Clifford, it still bears his title and is still a functioning college. Inside, there is every other historical building, the Malay Hostel. Nonetheless as it’s a long way within college grounds, you would possibly perchance’t visit it. A illustrious alumni of the college is the Malaysian pop icon, Siti Nurhaliza. To her credit, she frail her success to sponsor the college, which proudly displays the connection out front.
Town health facility dominates the hill opposite Resident’s Hill. Within the aid of the health facility there is an extinct wood building which frail to be the Resident’s quarters sooner than the red-and-white building became constructed. It then became the police inspector’s quarters, after which the Pahang Club. Irrespective of the title, no one from Pahang would possibly perchance compile within the club aid then, as it became intended for colonial officers simplest. Later on, membership became no longer racially irregular.
3. Kuala Lipis Heritage Museum
One more historical building sits on but every other hill. The outmoded Pahang Allege Secretary quarters is all by itself on the apparently named ‘Anaesthetic Hill’ (Bukit Bius). It became the whole more sharp since the medical facilities are on a truly assorted hill. Nonetheless alas, I couldn’t determine out where or when there would possibly perchance want been anaesthesia on the hill.
Anyway, this particular authorities quarters is major, attributable to it became as soon as the house of Malaysia’s 2nd High Minister, when he served his house voice as Allege Secretary. It became moreover where the sixth High Minister, Najib Razak, became born. It’s sharp to sign the in kind-or-backyard house he became born in, and surprising to search out it isn’t better maintained.
On the original time, the building is an area heritage museum, Muzium Warisan Lipis. Sadly, I visited factual after bound restrictions had been lifted in 2022. Like most points of interest at the time, the museum wasn’t birth but.
There is a palace on the an identical hill, nearer the essential side toll road – I bet you would possibly perchance call it a ‘summer season palace’ for the Sultan of Pahang, even though in Malay it’s factual known as ‘istana hinggap’, i.e. any palace for the king’s visits nevertheless isn’t his predominant space. The Malay term depicts it as a ‘perch’, admire how a chicken delicately alights onto a division. Inside reach is the Lipis District Mosque. You are going to be ready to sign its yellow domes all around the put together tracks within the extinct town.
Exploring the voice around Kuala Lipis
I simplest spent a pair of nights in Kuala Lipis, because it became factual a give up on a longer side toll road day out. Nonetheless, whereas there, I stumbled on assorted stuff you can enact around Kuala Lipis.
1. Nature parks around Kuala Lipis
While its narrate to status is historical, the heritage sites are all within the town, no longer very pretty a pair of, and would possibly perchance affirm some uplift. In its assign, the clue to what’s more likely to be Kuala Lipis’ trusty draws is the jungle that you sign surrounding it from any vantage level. This jungle is certainly Pahang’s crown jewel. There had been no longer lower than three nature parks within the final voice listed within the tourism signboards within the mini park subsequent to the put up voice of job.
From the design, it appears to be admire the Terenggun Forest Eco Park (Hutan Lipur Terenggun is the extinct title on the signboard) is the closest. Right here’s an inland woodland, about 8km from Kuala Lipis.
There’s moreover Kenong Forest Eco Park (Taman Rimba Kenong), about 30km away. This appears to be like to be an upriver nature park, requiring some level of riverboat transport.
The third nature park is Sungai Relau Nationwide Park (Taman Negara Sungai Relau). This woodland is not any longer essentially shut to Kuala Lipis, nevertheless about 80km away and almost to the border with Kelantan. It’s essentially nearer to Gua Musang in Kelantan, nevertheless I bet Kuala Lipis is the closest Pahang town. This woodland is contiguous to Taman Negara, so likely it’s most frequently the an identical nevertheless less touristy.
2. Bama Cave
Now now not a long way from Kuala Lipis, Gua Bama is a limestone outcrop break up into two peaks. You are going to be ready to pressure almost to the foot of it alongside a extraordinarily narrow village side toll road. To compile to the foot of the outcrop, you can like to atrocious a shrimp movement on a rope bridge. I’m no longer definite easy tricks on how to compile to the cave, and didn’t try. From the Lipis community Facebook community, it appears to be like admire a path exists. Nonetheless every little thing looked overgrown.
Consistent with local folklore, the 2 limestone outcrops had as soon as been the homes of a bride and groom. The smaller outcrop is named the ‘Male Cave’ (Gua Jantan), and the higher one the ‘Female Cave’ (Gua Betina). Inside the higher of the 2 hills, there’s a cave known as Gua Bama (Bama Cave).
On their wedding day, a legendary giantess known as Sang Kelembai, who roams the hinterland jungles of Pahang, took voice to pass by. She greeted the marriage, instantly turning your whole reception to stone (the curse of Sang Kelembai is that anyone she speaks to turns into instantly disquieted). The disquieted homes then grew to the scale of the hills nowadays. Inside the cave, you would possibly perchance sign stones supposedly within the shapes of a seated couple presiding over the reception, a gong, and the marital mattress.
3. Riverside recreational spots
When you’re side toll road tripping in Malaysia, you’d birth to randomly gape the pretty a pair of, many local recreational spots at waterfalls or streams. The Pahang hinterland perceived to net pretty a pair of of them. Seek for for signs with ‘jeram’, ‘lata’, or ‘air terjun’ within the title (relating to rapids and waterfalls). I made a detour someplace shut to Dong to Jeram Bangkin. It became pretty smartly organised and had a shrimp bit little bit of parking, gazebos, BBQ pits, and tyre swings over the river.
Attending to Kuala Lipis
For the reason that construction of the Karak Highway, Kuala Lipis isn’t that long a pressure from Kuala Lumpur anymore. It’s factual about 3 hours, give or handle shut. Take hang of the Bentong exit to pressure thru Raub to Kuala Lipis. When you had been to handle shut the scenic route thru Bukit Fraser as I did, on the different hand, the bound time would double (attributable to certainly, you’d give up there; what frequently is the level of taking that route with out trying out Bukit Fraser at the least a shrimp bit?).
It is likely you’ll perchance perchance moreover handle shut the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Lipis. This takes the an identical toll road route as above, and is factual a shrimp bit bit longer in relation to bound time. Nonetheless you’ll then net no easy transport to movement around. I’m no longer definite how easy it’s a long way to compile a taxi in Kuala Lipis; I don’t endure in mind seeing them.
In spite of every little thing, you would possibly perchance handle shut the put together, nevertheless here’s a longer route from Kuala Lumpur attributable to you first must scramble all of the draw in which down to Gemas after which aid up to Kuala Lipis. The accumulate jabber isn’t large for reserving multi-station journeys; you can like to manually book the 2 legs of the bound and time the switch window yourself. When you had been travelling from Johor Bahru or Singapore, on the different hand, this possibility would be less complicated.
The assign to slay in Kuala Lipis
Even though Kuala Lipis is soft shrimp, the town is not any longer very walkable other than the extinct town centre. There are sidewalks even by the side of the bigger roads (astonishingly for a Malaysian town), nevertheless no longer many locations where you would possibly perchance atrocious them. So it’s a long way more likely to be less annoying to set up lodging shut to at the least one share of the town that you essentially would love to discover, in impart that you obtained’t want a automobile for all of them.
I didn’t enact this. In its assign, I stayed all around the river within the unusual share of town. I’m able to’t endure in mind why I didn’t determine to slay within the older share of town. It became a nice shophouse resort, nevertheless I likely would slay on the assorted side if I had been to enact the day out but again.
Highway day out ideas for Kuala Lipis
When you’re making a side toll road day out to Kuala Lipis, you can combine it with these destinations:
Add a give up in Raub
To add to a colonial period or mining themed itinerary, handle shut into consideration including Raub to your side toll road day out. While there isn’t phenomenal to sign to copy its gold mining historical past, there are a pair of colonial period structures on its heritage path. On the original time, it’s a long way illustrious for durian, in particular the illustrious Musang King. You are going to be ready to with out complications compile durian in Raub at a correct sign.
Discuss over with Taman Negara rainforest
Kuala Lipis is factual a pair of hours’ pressure from Kuala Tahan, the gateway to Taman Negara. Taman Negara is Malaysia’s oldest national park, and is the 2nd oldest rainforest within the realm at 130 million years extinct. Add this to your itinerary whenever you’re doing more of a nature themed side toll road day out. Take hang of regardless of excursions you admire, as long as it involves Lata Berkoh.
Rail day out ideas for Kuala Lipis
Whilst you would possibly perchance enact a rail bound factual to Kuala Lipis, you can moreover lengthen it for the Jungle Railway bound. This a illustrious put together bound of Malaysia, and the title refers to a part of the tracks that passes thru a jungle panorama. This part is form of fully north of Kuala Lipis, thru to Kota Bharu in Kelantan. It is a put together bound that’s on my longlist, nevertheless I’ve no longer gotten around to it but.
When you admire to must enact this, compile definite to verify the put together cases in impart that you’re no longer passing thru the scenic share at evening.
Notes:
* The Malay peninsula became identified since the 2nd century as a long way as Egypt with the moniker ‘Golden Peninsula‘. Gold replace with Alexandria came from the mines of Pahang. This implies that Pahang’s mines produced gold step by step for a whole bunch of years until the advent of the British. And then they a system or the opposite became depleted (to pre-industrial ideas) in a subject of decades. Any individual must still sign why outdated replace appears to be like to net a more sustainable quiz, nevertheless authorized replace depletes resources within a lifetime.
Save this article to your Pahang and Kuala Lipis side toll road / put together day out plans!