Taiping may not be as glamorous or popular as Penang or Ipoh. But this laid-back town deserves more attention!
Many attractions can fill a 4-day-3-night itinerary with breathtaking experiences. From the famous Taiping Night Safari to the Perak Museum Taiping and the Charcoal Factory, Taiping is a hidden tourist gem ripe for discovery,
Animal lovers, heritage hunters, and foodies young and old – pack your bags and head to Taiping for an amazing holiday that promises new discoveries!
About Taiping
Taiping is a heritage town with a good mix of colonial architecture, tranquil landscapes, and cultural discoveries. It is located about 1 hour's drive beyond Perak.
Taiping boasts of a couple of firsts under its belt. From the first railway in Malaysia, the first museum, the first town and even being the publisher of the first English newspaper, Taiping is no longer the sleepy town it once was. Thanks to the countless tourist attractions.
Taiping is also known for being the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. The average annual rainfall is about 4,000 mm, doubling that of other cities in the peninsula.
Of the four days we spent in Taiping, it rained for 2 days, with short breaks of no rain between the rainy days. To ensure that the rain does not dampen your activities, you should bring a raincoat and umbrella.
How To Get To Taiping
There are 5 ways to travel from KL to Taiping. Personally, I prefer traveling by train as the ETS Kommuter Train is reliable, punctual, comfortable and you don’t have to deal with unexpected traffic snarls or phantom traffic jams. Besides, the views of Taiping are very scenic, especially in the Ipoh area.
Top 11 Taiping Attractions
1. Zoo Taiping
As the first and oldest zoo in Malaysia, Zoo Taiping is the only zoo in the north of Peninsular Malaysia and one of the better-managed zoos in the country. The zoo is well-maintained and places great emphasis on animal welfare and tourist experience.
The zoo's 36-hectare of undulating landscape is as diverse as its inhabitants. The 1,300 animals from Asia, Africa, Australia and other countries live in large enclosures designed to mimic their natural habitat while providing enrichment.
Unlike other zoos, Zoo Taiping does not smell of animal feces and the place is litter-free. Be sure to buy your tickets online to cut down on the long queues so you can maximize your animal encounters on-site!
Ticket Price
Adults: RM16.00
Children (3 – 12 years old): RM8.00
Senior Citizens (60 years old and above): RM8.00
2. Night Safari Taiping
Come nightfall, Zoo Taiping transforms into Taiping Night Safari, where nocturnal and diurnal animals that feed day and night steal the limelight.
Taiping Night Safari is open from 8 pm to 11 pm, making it the perfect place to experience wildlife up close after an early dinner.
For just RM20 per entry, you get a complimentary tram ride with a guided tour by the zoo's tram drivers who know their animals like the back of their hands.
As they narrate information about the animals and their characteristics, the tram drivers call out the animals' names to get their attention. Armed with flashlights to shine on the animals, you can discover giraffes, orangutans, deer, owls, elephants, hippos, leopards and kangaroos that thrive and feed at night.
The cool air and chilly breeze also make the experience worthwhile.
Ticket Price
Adults: RM20.00
Children (3 – 12 years old): RM10.00
Senior Citizens (60 years old and above): RM10.00
3. Perak Museum Taiping
The Perak Museum Taiping is a must-visit for its interesting and seasonal curations of the state’s history and cultural heritage.
Built in 1883, the 140-year-old museum is the brainchild of Sir Hugh Low, the fourth British Resident of Perak. The museum was established through a series of fundraising campaigns by Sir Hugh Low and Sir Frank Swettenham (Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements) and comprises an indoor and an outdoor section.
The outdoor area features life-size cannons, fighter jets, a historic train carriage and other exhibits from the historic train and other World War 2 era exhibits. On the right side of the museum, you can also admire a fleet of vintage cars on parade.
As you enter the museum, you'll find preserved native wildlife such as large mammals, buffalo, mousedeer, rats, and various bird species. There are also exhibits on Malaysian culture, local crafts, and the daily activities of our forefathers.
The tour of the entire complex takes about 1 hour as each section is filled with informative exhibits.
Opposite the Perak Taiping Museum is the country's oldest and first prison, which is not open to visitors.
Ticket Price
RM2 per entry
4. Charcoal Factory Taiping
The My Charcoal Factory is located in Kuala Sepetang – a small town in a mangrove area, 30 minutes from the town of Taiping.
The factory consists of 4 enormous kilns where the mangrove wood (bakau) is baked into charcoal. It is an amazingly manual industry where all the work is done by men. Each kiln can hold up to 1500 logs. The logs are steamed for 25 days to remove the moisture. The logs are then stored in the kiln for a few more days until they are completely dry before they can be used as coal.
Most of the coal is exported to Japan for the food industry there, while the rest is exported to Singapore or sold within Malaysia.
The factory is located beside a river that is wide enough for two large boats to pass, which transport the mangrove wood after harvesting.
As the mangroves play an important role in the river's ecosystem, the local government controls the number of trees that can be logged in a day. In return, the coal producers are responsible for replanting the felled trees to ensure environmental sustainability and viability of the business.
My Charcoal Factory also sells other by-products such as charcoal oil, odor absorbers, and charcoal sprays that effectively repel mosquitoes.
We recommend the guided tour as the guide speaks all 3 languages: English, Mandarin, Malay and also the local dialect.
Price for Guided Tour
RM3 per person
5. Trong Leisure Farm
Imagine being surrounded by a white, fluffy sea in the middle of a vast land that stretches to the horizon.
While its name does little justice to its business, Trong Leisure Farm is a duck farm where ducks are bred primarily for the meat industry.
The farm is divided into three areas: Ducklings under 2 weeks, young ducks between 3 and 5 weeks, and adult ducks between 6 and 8 weeks.
To get to the ducklings, hop on the tractor for a bumpy ride that’s one of a kind! Once you disembark, don’t forget to buy duck food, which sells for RM2 per packet, because lots of hungry ducklings will swamp you!
Ticket Price:
RM10 for adults; RM7 for children and senior citizens
Fare includes a complimentary duck pedal boat ride at the lake
6. Telegraph Museum Taiping
The Taiping Telegraph Museum is the first telegraph museum in Malaysia and Asia. This smallish building is said to have been the first telegraph and post office during the British colonization in the 18th century. Back then, the two-story post office provided telephone, telegraph, postal, and banking services to the general public.
Here you’ll find a collection of antique objects that were used for communication before the Industrial Revolution.
Old typewriters, clunky hand telephones from the 1980s, telephones with circular dials instead of push buttons and even historical telegrams are on display. You can also partake in a hands-on experience on how Samuel Morse used to send a Morse code.
Admission is free for the time being. A tour of the museum takes about 40 minutes.
7. Antong Coffee Factory
The Antong Coffee Factory should be on your itinerary, as this factory preserves the traditional way of roasting coffee powder over wood, until today.
Established in 1933, Antong Coffee Factory is also the oldest coffee mill in Malaysia.
Various types of coffee beans from different countries around the world are displayed in huge glass canisters. Nevertheless, Antong uses local coffee beans sourced from suppliers in Klang, Selangor, and occasionally imports beans from Indonesia.
Apart from learning about the traditional production of wood-roasted coffee, there are also artistic murals and plenty of Instagrammable corners.
Admission is free.
8. Wonderfarm Mushroom
Backed by conversant and knowledgeable tour guides, Wonderfarm Mushroom is a great place to learn more about the different types of mushrooms beyond shitake, enoki, and the like.
Located in Matang, the Wonderfarm Mushroom tour starts off with the section on how the mushroom seed blocks (bongkah) are made. Comprises of a mixture of different types of sand and shells, the mushroom's ability to reach its optimum size depends on how well the block is made. If the block is not made according to the correct procedure, the mushrooms can rot and have to be discarded.
It’s interesting to learn more about the intricate process of cultivating and harvesting mushrooms. The most valuable mushroom grown here is the tiger mushroom. It is mainly exported to China and Hong Kong and sold in Chinese medicine halls for its healing properties.
You can also try a free mushroom drink made from candied black fungus, which is said to be beneficial to health and keeps the body cool.
Price per person including tour guide: RM3
9. Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve
Heralded as the largest mangrove forest reserve in Malaysia, Matang Mangrove Forest Reserves is a haven for migratory birds and a must-see for birding enthusiasts. The park covers 40,000 hectares and is equipped with a wooden boardwalk that runs around the park and allows for a walk of about 30 minutes.
This immersive experience brings you up close to the enchanting mangrove ecology and allows you to spot different birds, lizards, fiddler crabs, monkeys, squirrels, and toads.
There are also A-shaped chalets on the grounds for nature lovers who revel in waking up to the sound of chirping birds and fresh air. However, all of this was available to the public a year ago and has since been closed.
To our disappointment, we found that the park is still under maintenance. We hope that the park administration will spruce up the area in preparation for Visit Perak 2024, as this natural gem used to be a magnet for visitors.
10. Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut)
The view from the peak of Maxwell Hill is breathtaking when shrouded in fluffy clouds and mist on a rainy day. Or it's as clear as daylight when you get a bird’s eye view of the cityscape at sunrise.
Founded in 1884, Bukit Larut Taiping is the oldest hill resort in Malaysia that has largely retained its British colonial charm, enfringed with vintage gardens and bungalows.
Perched 1250 meters above sea level, daytime temperatures hover between 10 and 25 degrees. So make sure you bring a jacket, as the air is crisp and cold at the top. Bukit Larut also receives the most rainfall in Malaysia, lending that misty atmosphere that adds to its allure.
Due to the persistent and heavy rainfall this year, the mountain is not accessible by car to prevent mishaps caused by landslides.
Access is now restricted to authorized government vehicles. The good news is that we can hike up the hill for free! The three to five-hour hike spans 13 kilometers from the base to the summit, while a Land Rover traverses the terrain in 30 minutes. The café at the summit is no longer in operation. So take enough water and food with you to get you through the 2-way hike.
For fitness enthusiasts and birdwatchers, Maxwell Hill is the perfect place to marvel at nature.
The Spritzer Eco Park is a spacious green lung with a massive miniature golf course under shady trees.
This beautifully landscaped garden is open to the public free of charge and was built by Spritzer Bhd. in 2015 as part of their community project,
The main attraction is the 18-hole mini golf course, which is located opposite the company's bottling plant. And if you don't want to do that, there's not much to do.
There's an RM20 fee to rent a golf stick and a golf ball. There are also go-karts for rent, but the scorching sun is quite off-putting, so this activity is not very popular.
There is a humungous cactus rock that is said to be more than 200 million years old. The scenic view of looming trees makes the idea of having a picnic here seem tranquil and perfect. But watch out for the monkeys, because as soon as you spread out your mat, the guests are sent scurrying into the car with their food.
A lazy river meanders below the café, teeming with catfish and other native fish. Delight the fishes and head to the souvenir store to buy fish food for just RM 2 a packet.
The mineral water bottling plant can only be visited on weekdays and working days. So you should definitely call ahead and make an appointment to learn about their bottling process.
Entrance Fee: Free
The price to rent a golf stick and ball: RM20 per person
Verdict
When my friends ask me where I last went on vacation, my answer “Taiping” seems to earn confused looks and question marks. They assume it’s my hometown or that I’m visiting my family there.
The truth is that Taiping is as charming as Ipoh can be. In fact, it’s even more unique and less commercialized than its popular counterpart. The food is cheap and you can get a bowl of curry noodles or a serving of chicken rice for only RM5.50. Drinks at the coffee shop still cost less than RM2. And the hawker stall owners could easily slaughter us knowing that we’re tourists.
But the sincere spirit and honesty of Taiping residents are evident in every encounter we have with them. They are genuinely helpful, extremely trusting, and amazingly efficient in handling tourist activities.
So give Taiping a visit. You could walk away experiencing more than you expected, and this revelation is refreshing to the soul!
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