Ipoh is an ancient city that emerged from the tin mines that dotted the Kinta Valley. Today, tin is no longer really present, but mines are still exploited, today scraping the cliffs of karst rock to extract its white lime.
Ipoh is located between Penang, where we came from, and Kuala Lumpur. It is also at the foot of the mountains where the Cameron Highlands, known for its tea plantations.
Ipoh is generally not very well known to Western tourists but appreciated by locals for its geopark, home to ancient caves and cliffs. Its other charm, more recent, lies in its city center, which in addition to aligning buildings in the Sino-Portuguese style that I like (see my last article about Phuket Town which is a good example), is full of murals.
According to the same successful system of George Town, street art works (many of which are by the same artist as in Penang, Ernest Zacharevic) are scattered throughout the old town, allowing a sort of “hunt” and providing a guide to the areas to explore in order to soak up the atmosphere of this ancient mining town.
If we also count an atypical local attraction that is Kellie's Castle, 2 days to visit Ipoh are not too much! A quick overview.
Getting to (and from) Ipoh
Before getting to the heart of the matter, we must of course address the transport option. If you plan for example to make a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Penang via the Cameron Highlands or vice versa, consider a stop in Ipoh, it will cut your journey in 2 (even if the overall journey is not excessively long).
Although there is a train line passing through Ipoh, the most practical option in our case was the bus.
Because it was from Penang that we landed in Ipoh. Leaving from Sungai Nibong station, it took just over 2 hours to reach the Ipoh bus terminal for a cost of 24 RM (5€).
From Kuala Lumpur, it takes just a little longer, around 2h30 for a fare that is just a little more expensive, 27 RM (6€). If you then go to Cameron Highlands, it costs 20 RM each, you will arrive at the station in the centre of Tanah Rata in less than 3 hours.
Another possibility is to join Langkawi Island, near the border with Thailand (30 RM to reach Kuala Perlis, where you can take the ferry).
In any case, it is at the new terminal of the city, the Amanjaya Terminal that you will arrive and depart from Ipoh. This terminal is a little out of the way in a commercial area emerging from the ground, 20 minutes from the city center of Ipoh.
You will typically have taxis waiting for you at the exit. If you want an option that avoids hassle, there is the Grab app, very popular in Asia which is an equivalent of Uber (count 13 RM to reach the city center).
We opted for a car rental. Because when planning this short trip, we realized that the sites were quite far from each other, because besides Kellie's Castle, there are also temples away from the city center.
Heritage Trail, a tour route in Ipoh
As I explained in the introduction, it is possible to take a route to see the main works of street art in the city center. To do this, head to the tourist office to get the essential maps to follow this tour, the Ipoh Mural Art Trail and the Ipoh Heritage Trail.
Note that if for our part we wanted to focus mainly on the murals, and that we therefore mainly used the first rather than the Heritage Trail, which passes by colonial buildings such as the train station, the town hall, etc.
If you are interested in this information, I have included the Heritage Trail map here.
Heritage Trail
Day 1: On the trail of street art (old town)
We parked somewhere close to the clock tower and so our first stop was to go to White Coffee located on the corner of the street where the "Old Uncle" painting and the tourist office are.
In addition to the reputation of these Malaysian milk coffees, it should be noted that it is precisely from Ipoh! Its particularity comes from the fact that the coffee beans are roasted in palm oil and the coffee from these beans is served with condensed milk.
This break after our morning bus and picking up the car rental was a way to gain some energy before setting off on the walk.
The route we took was more or less the same as the one I've marked on the map below. Keep in mind that in our case, we wandered around a bit to see attractions other than the paintings, including the little alley called Concubine Lane.
Kong Heng Square and the main street art
So after this coffee break and a few photos of the nearby Padang square, we first take a look at our first street art, paper plane. A kid in a yellow t-shirt flying on a paper plane (hence the title).
Then we go back to the main street, passing next to a building on the corner of the street, which can serve as a landmark, the Chung Thye Phin Building. A few steps further on, we come across paintings, including a Marilyn Monroe and a kid. It is just at this moment that we plunge into a small alley, heading towards Kong Heng Square.
Kong Heng Square is a small haven of peace set in a group of old colonial-style houses with a mix of renovated and old. It's a bit of a hipster area with small cafes, trendy clothing stores and souvenirs.
This is also where we did some shopping and took the opportunity to eat a bite.
After wandering around and using the toilets (information that can be useful…), we go back out and we go through 3 important street art. The first, entitled Hummingbird, is a beautiful fresco that is hard to miss.
The 2nd is Kopi-O, a set of bags containing the precious local coffee (a black coffee this time). Finally, the 3rd is a very large fresco called "evolution", referring to the mining past of the city.
This last fresco is next to a small local museum, Han Chin Pet Soo, which we don't visit but I'll note it here if you're interested. Our last visit for this first part of the walking tour in the old center of Ipoh, ends by crossing the alley called Concubine Lane.
Concubine lane
Concubine Lane, or the alley of concubines in good French, is known to Cantonese-speaking locals as Yee Lai Hong (and officially it is Jalan Panglima street).
It is a centuries-old alleyway that until a few years ago was in a state of advanced abandonment. Most of the buildings along it were covered in climbing plants and became ruins as they were abandoned. But it has recently been revitalized by the local council in order to make it an attraction and attract tourists.
Bingo!
It works, because there were indeed quite a few people. From the photos I was able to see, it has indeed changed. The alley has been completely redone with slabs, the facades redone and the buildings renovated, are converted into restaurants and souvenir shops or other.
As with most historical places, there are several stories surrounding the origins of the street's unique name. The most popular being that at the time, Concubine Lane was said to have been a meeting place where wealthy Chinese merchants and British officers would meet their mistresses.
Mural Lane
After this already well-started early afternoon, we want to move and visit another part of the old town, located further east. We then take the car again to park in this new area (just to save a little time, because fortunately it is easy to find a place) then we set off again to do a loop on foot.
Which gives this:
As mentioned in the title, it is an entire street called Mural Lane that interests us. We park on the street of the mosque (Jalan Masjid), which you can go and see on the way.
We initially got lost by going in the wrong direction before retracing our steps and taking a small alleyway. This led us straight to Mural Lane, which then took us past a series of brightly coloured walls.
Mural Lane is a set of murals, particularly colorful and rather jovial overall. Since it is a little further east, it is a part of the old city already less visited, it is not complicated, we were all alone.
After hanging around this street for a good quarter of an hour, we continue our walk. We pass by a local park where there is a covered alley with a food court, the Medan Selera Dato Tahwil Azar. The advantage of this system is that it offers lots of small, varied dishes at low prices, very common in Asia.
We pass a few buildings that look old, everything is very calm. Few people on the sidewalks, no cars, it's so strange compared to Bangkok...
We even end up wondering if it's not a public holiday or what... By the time we finish our loop in this neighborhood, it was already 17 p.m. We are then in a commercial area with a few restaurants, grocery stores and local biscuit stores. The buildings are generally in the Sino-Portuguese style, contrasting quite a bit with the buildings we see in the background from here (hotels apparently).
As night fell, it was time to head back to our hotel.
2nd day: outdoor sites (cave, temples, castle)
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Kek Lok Tong Cave
First visit of the day, the Kek Lok Tong cave. Having become a place of worship in the 1920s, the cave resisted as best it could the destruction of the surrounding mining companies, of which the site was a part in the 60s.
Inside, besides a few visible stalactites and stalagmites, one can see various statues of Buddhas and Chinese deities. The high walls of this cavern are beautifully sculpted by centuries of erosion.
Adjacent to the cave, which can be traversed from one side to the other, is a garden area with a lake in its center. In the background, one can unfortunately see the devastation left by the mines, which are still active in the region, as a completely eroded cliff face is visible.
Most of the people who frequent the place are of Chinese origin, descended from the workers who worked the mines in the early days of Ipoh's development.
Ling Sen Tong Temple
After the cave, we skirted the cliff area, this time heading west of the cliffs, the cave being east of the same group of karst peaks. In this area, there is a series of several Chinese temples.
Sometimes built into the rock, with small caves containing Buddha statues, we started in order with the Ling Sen Tong temple. The latter, a Taoist temple, contains a garden filled with colorful statues. There we find various divinities and animals taking up the motifs of Chinese mythology, notably that of the epic of the monkey king.
From the platform located to the left of the temple, you can see a global view of the temple, nestled in the cliff. Moreover, its English name means Rock of Heavenly Spirits, which can be translated into good French as the "rock of heavenly spirits".
On the other end of the platform is a reclining statue of Buddha, well nothing transcendent overall so we didn't linger there either.
Nam Thean Tong Temple
Also spelled Nan Tian Tong, this temple seems less interesting to us, so to sum up, a quick photo and then we're off 😉
To give you some information, it is still a temple founded more than 120 years ago, when a Taoist monk discovered the cavity at the foot of this cliff. Because the facade of the building that we see, in fact only serves to cover this cavity.
The cave contains various statues of Buddha and deities that the previous temple (and the next one, so you understand the repetitiveness) has. The name of the temple could also be simply translated as cave to accommodate the various Buddhist figures of the “southern sky” (in short, “paradise”).
Sam Poh Tong Temple
Probably the most interesting of the three in my opinion. If only for the stunning garden. With koi carp swimming peacefully in the pond, from which emerge rock formations adorned with plants and small shrubs.
The pagoda, resembling a floating boat, completes the scene, which, even though it dates back to 1993, earned this space the title of best landscaped garden in Malaysia. Before even entering the garden, one is immediately struck by the large Chinese gate leading to the cave section of the temple—yes, just like the other temples.
But there, it is still a cave with a high ceiling whose depth can be admired by climbing via a series of steps to a promontory overlooking the place of prayer.
Kellie's Castle – The Unfinished Castle
This unusual and unfinished castle is the work of William Kellie Smith, a Scottish engineer who went to seek his fortune in Malaysia in 1890. His early success came through his partnership with the owner of a company negotiating land development and road construction contracts in the state of Perak, Alma Baker.
Using this income, Smith acquired a 400-hectare piece of forest south of Ipoh, operating a rubber plantation and banking on tin mining.
His business flourishing, he brought his lifelong love from Scotland in 1903, Agnes. The latter would give him a daughter a year later. In 1909, it was necessary to build his first home, Kellas House. Already atypical and renowned for its architecture mixing various architectural styles, Smith wanted to celebrate the arrival of his son heir in 1915.
He then undertook the construction of a residence in the form of a veritable castle. Having a certain fascination with Hinduism and India, he imported bricks and marble from that country, even employing 70 workers specially chartered from India to work on this project mixing Scottish, Moorish, and Tamil Indian styles.
In the grip of a Spanish flu epidemic, they asked to build a place of worship nearby. Smith accepted without hesitation and in thanks received a statue of himself on the building, which is why you will find a small Hindu temple 1,5 km from the castle, dedicated to the deity Mariamman.
During a business trip to Lisbon in 1926, Kellis Smith fell ill and died at the age of 56 from pneumonia. Overwhelmed by grief, his lifelong love returned to Scotland with their two children, leaving the castle unfinished. It was subsequently sold to an English company, Harrisons & Crosfield.
Today used for tourism, it is said to be haunted by members of the family who were never able to enjoy the place, notably William Kellie Smith who is said to haunt the corridors… As a side note, his daughter never returned and his son was killed during the Second World War.
One room has been redesigned in a period style to give an idea of what it would have looked like. The rest consists of empty rooms with explanatory panels indicating the intended function of each space. The layout of corridors and secret rooms is also visible.
In the large 6-storey tower there is a space which was planned for an elevator, which would be the first in all of Malaysia.
It's not overcrowded, so the visit is quite pleasant. The view from the rooftop is lovely; it was designed and built to offer panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. You can also clearly see the ruins of the original house (Kellas House, mentioned earlier), of which only the exterior yellow facades remain.
Gunung Lang Recreational Park
Originally planned for my itinerary, but time was tight, we just parked and took a look at this area surrounded by karst cliffs. It's a park with a children's playground, picnic areas, and a mini-zoo.
It is a place for families to go out on weekends, enjoying the setting and the lake, covering half of the area of the 30 hectares of the park.
What else to see in Ipoh
Let's be honest, in such a short time, we didn't have time to see everything. While there are of course some well-known things in this area that don't interest us, we still missed some sites that we would have liked to see. Several sites mentioned below are located around the village of Gopeng, southeast of Ipoh, which could therefore be a possible base once you've seen all the sites in Ipoh itself.
Also note that in this same region, which touches the seaside, you can then relax on Pangkor Island, without having to go back to Penang.
Gua Tempurung Cave
Probably the one I would have liked to see the most in this list. This cave contains rooms with ceiling heights reaching 120 m! It is possible to visit it according to 4 different routes, depending on the time you want to spend there, from 40 min for the shortest to a complete tour to cross this cave of more than 3 km long! The return is via the underground river.
Lost World
Ipoh is also known for its theme parks. While there is a new one next to the new Amanjaya bus terminal, the most famous is the Lost World. Which is rather aptly named since it is nestled at the foot of karst cliffs.
It is a theme park divided into several themes, the most "artificial" being the aquatic part. The rest are many activities taking advantage of the setting offered by the cliffs. In fact, there are activities such as via ferrata, canoeing, zipline, trekking in the jungle in the part of the park called Adventure Park.
A great outing for the whole family because there is something for everyone.
Perak Cave Temple
Another cave temple, this one is in a different area from the others (north while the others are south of the old center of Ipoh). What does it have more than the others? A beautiful view of the Kinta Valley, which may justify taking a look.
Tibetan Temple (Enlightened Heart Buddhist Temple)
Come on, probably the last temple on this list, but this one is a bit special (otherwise I wouldn't bore you with it). It's a Tibetan temple (marked Tibetan temple – Tambun on Google Maps) founded in 1976.
What makes it stand out among others is its 13-story tower, completed in 2009. Towards its summit, a statue of Buddha nestles between the floors, in addition to the large, more "conventional" statue found at the foot of a karst cliff. It is the latter that gives this place all its charm.
Hoga: Gaharu Tea Valley
If you want to see unusual tea plantations, then Gaharu Tea Valley is for you. Indeed, these are not the classic Oolong or green tea plantations, which are more typical and grow on hedges that usually don't exceed one meter in height.
This is Gahuru, a variety that grows on small trees reaching up to 2 meters in height. It is a tea prized for its particularly renowned medicinal properties.
The site can be visited via a van tour. You can taste the famous tea on the terrace of one of the shops and enjoy the green landscape surrounding the estate.
Trek to the Rafflesias
Last info, because I'm not going to put everything either (I sorted it out for you 😉
It is possible to trek in the nearby mountain to see the famous Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world (which is also found in Thailand, notably in the Khao Sok National Park).
Accessible from the village of Ulu Geroh, itself 12 km from Gopeng mentioned above, the treks typically start at 9 a.m. for a return before 17 p.m.
Where to sleep in Ipoh
Many will, for obvious reasons, prefer to stay in the heart of the old town in order to stay closer to the main attractions and to benefit from the city's restaurants and transport more easily.
Having a rental car, our reasoning was completely different, leaving the field free to sleep in an unexpected area, which will allow us to test an area of small local restaurants.
Our choice of hotel in Ipoh
Travelland Hotel
Looking on my favorite site (I'm talking about Agoda of course), I came across this hotel. Out of the way, yes, but since we had the car, it didn't bother me.
The idea was to have a nice hotel at a low price, without being limited to the old town (especially since I absolutely wanted a designated parking lot so as not to have a hard time)
With these criteria, we therefore booked our only night on site at the Travelland Hotel for 114 RM (around 25€) with breakfast included.
Other hotel choices in Ipoh
Among the hotels that come back in the “usual” choices, we have the French Hotel, which I don't choose just because of the name. It is a cheap hotel (from 20 €), located only 1 km from the old town.
If you are solo, the Beds In Garden Hostel should suit you for a bed rate starting from 6€, although a little further out to the west (1,2 km). The hotel is new, very clean. They have a version with a large mattress for couples.
For our part, I had hesitated outside the city with the Merton HotelIt has a certain style, even if the polished concrete wall look has become too common in recent years. And since it was a more expensive Chaouia hotel with breakfast not included, that's why we went back to our choice mentioned above.
Further south but about the same distance from the centre (1 km), there is the M Boutique Hotel. More expensive (from €32) but much more stylish, and breakfast included.
The good plan if you are with family, The Majestic Condo Ipoh, a 2 bedroom apartment with a swimming pool in the building. On the other hand, 20 minutes walk to reach the old town (which is not excessive either).
Book a hotel in Ipoh
If you don't find what you're looking for among the suggestions above, feel free to explore the various options in Ipoh using the search tool. Please note that every hotel booking made through this site earns me a commission, which won't affect the price for you, but helps me keep this blog running. Thank you in advance. good research !
My opinion on Ipoh
For once, it was not completely out of "obligation" that we landed in Ipoh. If indeed this outing in Malaysia was the consequence of one of my frequent "visa" outings, the choice to go through Ipoh was well-intentioned and well-considered. Proof of this is that there were enough attractions to make us come.
Basically, it was Jitima who told me about it. Ipoh is becoming a trendy destination for Thais. The attraction comes among other things from the murals and the old side, a hipster mix making the early morning quite photogenic.
And personally I have no regrets. Between the charm of the old colonial buildings, the rather "clean" aspect of the city (I say that in the sense that compared to the mess of electric wires in Thai cities, it's a change!) and above all, the street art that brightens up the visit, Ipoh has many assets.
My primary reason for visiting is that Ipoh is located in a mountainous region and is surrounded by several karst cliffs. This aspect unfortunately disappointed me somewhat, as these cliffs struggle to withstand the lure of profit and the destructive frenzy of mining companies. The hills are being steadily leveled on both sides (although local associations are fighting this phenomenon to preserve their heritage).
For a period of one or two days, which are not too many, it is a step that you should consider during your future stay in Malaysia.
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