Kuala Lipis

Kuala Lipis is a small town (around 20,000 inhabitants) deep in the district of Lipis in the jungles of Pahang. It was the capital of Pahang for most of the colonial period before the capital was moved to Kuantan in 1955.

Get in

By train

Kuala Lipis is on the Jungle Railway between Tumpat and Gemas. It is in particular the first and the end station of several trains running from Singapore (Southern part of the jungle line) or from Tumpat (Northern part).

• 1 Kuala Lipis railway station. (updated Dec 2020)

By bus

From the bus station, there are buses that leave Kuala Lipis at 8:20AM, 1:20PM and 5:20PM towards Mela, Kerambit and Jerantut (near Taman Negara). There are also many buses from Kuala Lipis to Kuala Lumpur.

Get around

Walk. Kuala Lipis is not large and most areas are easily accessible through walking.

See

• Old Town. The main street Jalan Besar, with many old Chinese houses and street art. 
• Wildlife. Dusky Langurs and Long Tailed Macaws will be in the jungle next to the road if you have a bit of a walk around the hills near dusk. 
• Abandoned Colonial Buildings. Old abandoned buildings are scattered all through the town and on the hills around, such as Rest House Bukit Residen on the hill behind the Lipis Plaza Hotel, the old clubhouse next to the hospital and the district guest house up near the zoo. 
• Railway Bridge. There is also a nice view of the train bridge if you go up Jalan Hospital to Jalan Orang Kaya Haji and you can follow the road/tracks around to view the kampung. 
• Mosque. The wooden mosque Masjid Jln Masjid Lama, 100 m from the train station. 

• Muzium Warisan Lipis, Taman Fah Choon (Up the hill towards the zoo). Find out a bit more about the history of Kuala Lipis 

Do

From Kuala Lipis you can go to Kenong Rimba Park, which is about 10 km away. It is a forest reserve, accessible by train or boat. It is a good place for trekking and caving. Most guesthouses of the city will organize tours there.

Buy

Nothing special to buy here; however you can buy some local fruits, like durian, rambutan, mangis, mango, etc. You will find several ATMs at a 5-minute walking distance from the train station.

Eat

There are many small Chinese and Malay restaurants and food courts. Cheap. There are also Western branches or fast food choices like KFC.

Drink

• Sidang Kopi, 18, Jalan Jelai (on the road next to the river, down the hill from the train station, next to the Kuala Lipis jetty). 10:00-23:00. Charming little cafe next to the river with nice coffee and cakes RM4-14 for coffee and cakes. (updated Jun 2024)

Sleep

There are several small hostels in the main street Jalan Besar.

• Hotel London: (093121618) A small hotel on Jalan Besar offering clean, simple rooms for RM20, or RM30-40 with air-con. Most rooms have no window.
• Lipis Plaza Hotel, 6, Jalan Benta (from the station, over the bridge towards the oval, down the hill from the traffic lights and then turn right at the Tenaga Nasional building). Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Decent size hotel with nice rooms and free buffet breakfast included in the room price. While not super close to the old city, it has plenty of food nearby and is well located for a walk up to the abandoned colonial building Rest House Bukit Residen as well as a nice walk through the hills behind the town. RM100-250. (updated Jun 2024)

Go next

• Kuala Krai, Kelantan
• Kota Bahru, Kelantan
• Cameron Highland, Perak
• Gua Musang